The American subsidiary of Chinese motorcycle manufacturer CFMOTO has been required to pay a fine equivalent to almost half a million quid by the US Environmental Protection Agency for importing and distributing about 12,000 bikes without emissions certification.
The company has now sacked its EPA compliance consultancy following this penalty. In an announcement, CFMOTO president Lai Guogui said: “We will comply with all regulations and requirements to continue our commitment to our strong dealers and growing number of customers in the US market. We have management systems in place to insure that this oversight will never happen again.”
Zhejiang-based CFMOTO, which has a joint-venture assembly and distribution deal with KTM in China and a technology licensing relationship with Kawasaki, also exports its products to Britain. WK’s well-known 650i — several examples of which will be racing in the Lightweight TT this year — is a rebranded CFMOTO model similar to the Kawasaki ER-6.