Motorbike: Non-roadworthy Rentals

[Fisan]

Disclaimer: this post is mostly because I need to vent my anger.

 

TL;DR. I needed a rental bike to pass my K53 yard test. I failed at the roadworthy check as the rental's numberplate did not comply to the requirements. What do?

 

So thanks to the supersoutheaster a short while ago, my bike got blown over and the mirror broke off. Now it is not roadworthy and repairs couldn't be done in time (parts need to be ordered from overseas by Yamaha - I did ask and do my research).

 

So I figured I'll just get a rental from a reputable(?) shop. You would assume that a business should have a fleet of roadworthy vehicles, but the numberplate failed the yard test. The rental fees, test booking fees, and time all gone to waste.

 

The problem is, the shop is only liable for an apology. The numberplate did not put my life in danger - it only wasted time and money. Any ideas?

[The Ouzo]

the thing is, part of having a license is to make sure your vehicle is in roadworthy condition before you drive/ride it, so this would imply that you should have checked and made sure the rental bike was in roadworthy condition before taking it from teh rental company.

 

Pretty sure some obscure law could be applied to the rental company as they should be supplying roadworthy vehicles to the public.

 

B.T.W. what was the issue with teh plate not conforming ?

[Fisan]

the thing is, part of having a license is to make sure your vehicle is in roadworthy condition before you drive/ride it, so this would imply that you should have checked and made sure the rental bike was in roadworthy condition before taking it from teh rental company.

 

Pretty sure some obscure law could be applied to the rental company as they should be supplying roadworthy vehicles to the public.

 

B.T.W. what was the issue with teh plate not conforming ?

 

I checked about everything (including license disk which expires tomorrow... Although the lettering did seem a bit small, I did not think much of it. (It is 40mm vs 60mm legal requirement).

[V12man]

I checked about everything (including license disk which expires tomorrow... Although the lettering did seem a bit small, I did not think much of it. (It is 40mm vs 60mm legal requirement).

Was there an SABS logo on the plate? if there is, then the plate manufacturer is responsible - name and shame the shop you got the bike from, and ask for your expenses back.

 

And if they won't come to the party - call the importer - see what their response is to their dealers renting unroadworthy vehicles.

Edited January 30, 2020 by V12man

[Blackbeard]

School fees. Move on to avoid further waste of time and money