[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 3152]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-463]



[[Page 3152]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2006-23554; Notice 1]


Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., Receipt of Petition for Decision 
of Inconsequential Noncompliance

    Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (Kawasaki) has determined that the 
tires on certain motorcycles that it imported do not comply with 
S6.5(d) of 49 CFR 571.119, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 
(FMVSS) No. 119, ``New pneumatic tires for vehicles other than 
passenger cars.'' Kawasaki has filed an appropriate report pursuant to 
49 CFR part 573, ``Defect and Noncompliance Reports.''
    Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h), Kawasaki has 
petitioned for an exemption from the notification and remedy 
requirements of 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 on the basis that this 
noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety.
    This notice of receipt of Kawasaki's petition is published under 49 
U.S.C. 30118 and 30120 and does not represent any agency decision or 
other exercise judgment concerning the merits of the petition.
    Affected are the tires on a total of approximately 2,655 
motorcycles which were manufactured between June 14, 2003 and October 
27, 2005. S6.5(d) of FMVSS No. 119 requires that the maximum load 
rating and corresponding inflation pressure of the tires be marked on 
the tire in both English and metric units. The noncompliant tires do 
not have the metric markings.
    Kawasaki believes that the noncompliance is inconsequential to 
motor vehicle safety and that no corrective action is warranted. 
Kawasaki states that there is little or no reason to expect an owner of 
these vehicles to have difficulty inflating the tires properly or 
understanding the loading information ``since the motorcycle owner is 
provided with the appropriate information in English units, which are 
far more prevalent in use in the United States.'' Further, Kawasaki 
states that the motorcycles are small and most often used for short 
distance commuting, and therefore ``not likely to be ridden outside of 
the United States to jurisdictions where tire inflation equipment would 
be less likely to be calibrated in English units.''
    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments on this petition. Comments must refer to the docket and 
notice number cited at the beginning of this notice and be submitted by 
any of the following methods. Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, Nassif Building, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on 
the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC. It is requested, but not required, that two copies of 
the comments be provided. The Docket Section is open on weekdays from 
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Federal Holidays. Comments may be submitted 
electronically by logging onto the Docket Management System Web site at 
http://dms.dot.gov. Click on ``Help'' to obtain instructions for filing 
the document electronically. Comments may be faxed to 1-202-493-2251, 
or may be submitted to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    The petition, supporting materials, and all comments received 
before the close of business on the closing date indicated below will 
be filed and will be considered. All comments and supporting materials 
received after the closing date will also be filed and will be 
considered to the extent possible. When the petition is granted or 
denied, notice of the decision will be published in the Federal 
Register pursuant to the authority indicated below.
    Comment closing date: February 21, 2006.


    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30118, 30120: delegations of authority at 
CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

    Issued on: January 12, 2006.
Daniel C. Smith,
Associate Administrator for Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 06-463 Filed 1-18-06; 8:45 am]
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