US company COMOTO fined $2m for illegal aftermarket parts
COMOTO owns brands like RevZilla, Cycle Gear and J&P Cycles and was deemed to have broken CARB rules
COMOTO, the US parent company for some of motorcycling’s biggest brands, has been fined $2m by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for allegedly selling parts that fall outside of allowed emissions regulations.
COMOTO is the US' largest power sports aftermarket retailer and is the parent company for brands like RevZilla, Cycle Gear, and J&P Cycles, with over 150 stores across the US. The dispute centres around the sale of parts by Copart within California that are alleged to have altered the exhaust emissions of motorcycles in the region.
CARB takes vehicle emission very seriously, and any vehicle parts sold as aftermarket add-ons must conform to their exacting emissions standards. In total, Copart has had to pay $1,937,500 to close the dispute, partly as a fine but with some of the money going towards environmental projects for the benefit of the community.
According to CARB, RevZilla and Cycle Gear advertised, sold, and offered for sale, more than 7,000 motorcycle parts and accessories that had no legal exemptions from California's tamper-evident laws for emission controls.
COMOTO’s defence was that while some of the parts sold were indeed outside of CARB’s standards, they were sold as ‘track use’ only, and therefore exempt from the ruling.
Richard Corey, CEO of the CARB, commented:
“We are very careful with the sale of uncertified parts. As this can lead to significantly higher emissions. That affects the health of California residents. This practice is also unfair to the vast majority of manufacturers who meet emissions requirements.”
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
