Sacramento, CA - Dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles sold in California will have to meet tough new anti-smog requirements beginning with 2018 models.
The state Air Resources Board on Thursday approved rules that could reduce fumes seeping from gas tanks and fuel lines by 70 percent-but also could add hundreds of dollars to the price of new models, U-T San Diego reported.
Organic reactive gases such as cancer-causing benzene are emitted from off-road vehicles even when they're in the garage. The new regulations would limit them to 1 gram a day instead of the estimated 10 to 15 grams the 2018 models otherwise would release.
By comparison, passenger cars would be limited to no more than about a third of a gram.
Off-road vehicle manufacturers are expected to need design changes and make use of newer materials to meet the cap-and that's expected to raise prices.
The requirements will be phased in over four years beginning in 2018. The regulations will cover vehicles such as dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and sand cars. Professional racing motorcycles, snowmobiles, gas-fueled golf carts and go-karts are exempt.
California had some 850,000 registered off-road recreational vehicles at the end of last year, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Regulators say stricter rules are necessary as the state struggles to meet federal clean-air standards.
However, the changes could raise the cost to 2018 buyers 4 percent to 9 percent, potentially adding hundreds of dollars to the vehicle price.
"This will put pressure on dealers already struggling to stay in business," off-road enthusiast Bob Ham of Calexico said.
California off-road sales dipped in recent years but rebounded last year, with more than 14,000 motorcycles and ATVs sold.
