Our firm spent a wonderful four days at the Roar to the Shore in Wildwood, New Jersey this past September. The weather was fantastic and as a result we were blessed with meeting thousands of motorcyclists and motorcycle enthusiasts.

Seeing those bikes reminded us all about the important of motorcycle safety. Whether you have a new bike, and especially if you purchased a used motorcycle, it’s imperative that you check to see if there is a safety recall on your model. If you purchased a pre-owned bike, it is highly unlikely that the manufacturer will have your name and address and you will not receive recall notices. If you don’t know about a recall, you may be riding on a motorcycle that is not safe.

Manufacturers are highly technical these days, and that technology is just as prone to mistakes as the humans who created it. Bad parts get through on occasion, and some parts get installed incorrectly.

Other problems are only discovered after several models of the motorcycle have been driven for thousands of miles. Even the best designed parts may fail after many miles of use or a design flaw may place certain parts too close to very hot areas of the engine causing dangerous conditions.  

Recall notices are handled in the United States by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a federal agency tasked with the safety of the American transportation system, and they keep extensive records on them in their massive database.

Please search the internet for motorcycle recalls. Identify your motorcycle and your friends’ bikes, and be sure there is no safety recall alert before you ride. If you find one, contact a local dealer immediately to have the problem repaired.

Christopher M. Pyne is a Shareholder and member of Stark & Stark’s Lawrenceville, New Jersey office, specializing in Accident & Personal Injury Law.  For more information, please contact Mr. Pyne.