Buying a motorcycle can be a really thrilling feeling. But your new ride can quickly go from being a beautiful dream to becoming a nightmare if you are immediately faced with repeated mechanical problems, safety issues, and repairs. After repeated attempts to repair it, you finally give up and conclude that you bought a faulty vehicle. This is typically called a “lemon”. The next question that comes up after that is “Will I get my money back?”. Do not worry, there are special lemon laws in every state, including California. If you live in this sunny state and you have sadly concluded that you bought a lemon motorcycle, read the following paragraphs.
First of all, you should know that there are many “lemon” attorneys in California and they are more than willing to help you solve the case.
California lemon legislation covers motorcycles. However, the law covering motorcycles, trailers, and boats is a bit different that the law covering 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 warranty.
In order to qualify as a lemon, the motorcycle must undergo a reasonable number of repair attempts. If the problem(s) persist, then we have a lemon. Keep notes of all repair attempts and gather all repair bills. Then, provide all documents to manufacturer or dealer and ask for repurchase.
Furthermore, the defects covered for consumer products need not “substantially impair the use, value, or safety” of the product. The legislation was designed keeping in mind the safety of the rider. And even defects that may seem minor qualify a motorcycle for repurchase. Lemon law claims involving motorcycles stronger and easier to handle than automobile 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 bills. It is also important to not waste time. You can only report a lemon within a certain time frame after you’ve bought the motorcycle, and only before your odometer hits a certain number of miles.
It is recommended to find a lemon law attorney when facing such problems. California Lemon Law requires the manufacturer to pay for your attorney fees. Motorcycle Lemon Law is a very specialized area of law that requires the experience and expertise of a specialized lawyer.