Buying a motorcycle can be a really exciting feeling. But your new ride can quickly turn from a beautiful dream to a nightmare if you are immediately confronted with repeated mechanical issues, safety issues and repairs. After repeated attempts to repair it, he finally gives up and concludes that he bought a defective vehicle. This is normally called a “lemon”. The next question that comes up after that is “Will I get my money back?” Don’t worry, there are special lemon laws in every state, including California. If he lives in this sunny state and has sadly come to the conclusion that he bought a lemon motorcycle, read the following paragraphs.
First of all, you should know that there are many “lemon” lawyers in California and they are more than willing to help you solve the case.
California’s lemon law covers motorcycles. However, the law that covers motorcycles, trailers, and boats is a little different than the law that covers automobiles. Under the California Lemon Law, motorcycles are covered by Civil Code section 1793.2(d)(1) which covers “consumer goods”. The lemon law covers consumer goods with a written guarantee.
To qualify as a lemon, the motorcycle must undergo a reasonable number of repair attempts. If the problems persist, then we have a lemon. Keep notes of all repair attempts and collect all repair invoices. Then provide all the documents to the manufacturer or dealer and request a buyback.
Additionally, covered defects for consumer products need not “substantially impair the use, value, or safety” of the product. The legislation was designed with bicyclist safety in mind. And even seemingly minor flaws qualify a motorcycle for buyback. Lemon law claims involving motorcycles are stronger and easier to handle than auto claims, due to the nature of the product and strong safety concerns.
As we said before, it is essential to keep track of all documents, notes and invoices. It is also important not to waste time. You can only report a lemon within a certain period of time after you have purchased the motorcycle, and only before its odometer reaches a certain number of miles.
Seeking a lemon law attorney is recommended when faced with these types of issues. The California Lemon Law requires the manufacturer to pay your attorney’s fees. Motorcycle Lemon Law is a very specialized area of law that requires the experience and knowledge of a specialized attorney.
