Well, We ALMOST Made it Home In One Piece!

[skydoc_17]

Hi All,

As I posted last weekend, I drove to Richmond, Va. from South Central Pa. to pick up my "New To Me" 1986 Venture Royale. I started out really early in the morning, the weather was horrible, the drive was 6 hrs. but I was very excited. I picked up the VR and headed for home, Racing the weather. I had just got off of the Pa. Turnpike in Bedford Pa. and was headed for Interstate 99 for the last leg home when the tie down cleat on the front right side of the UHAUL Rental Trailer tore loose from the floor and sent the bike down HARD on the left side! It cracked the left side fairing, the scoop down by the front wheel, Radio mount plate,CB mount plate, popped the pins off of the left side cover and sheared the screw holding the false tank cover on and sent it flying......right under the trailer wheel! It's toast. Needless to say I was speechless and I had to unstrap the bike and right it myself. I did use the Butt and leg trick to get it back up and it worked really well. I got the bike strapped down again, and made it home without any other issues but was mentally and physically "shot" by the time I got home. Jean was home from work when I got there and I told her my tale of woe. I looked over at her expecting to see tears in her eyes:crying: and she was smiling! I said what's so funny? and she said, did you get the Insurance like I told you to? and I said yes but.....and I started to smile too. I called UHAUL the adjuster came by and got back to me on Friday, Option 1 is $2200.00 for bike no chance for a buyback. Option 2 is $800.00 for "Repairs" I keep the bike and no salvaged title. (I paid a fraction of the $2200.00) I have attached some pics. I am open to what you think I should do here. Also if anyone has a Left front Fairing half or the radioCB mount plates or the scoop down by the front wheel or side covers they want to sell please contact me. I would be very grateful for any help I could get right now, I'm pretty bumbed!

Tow Safe,

Earl

[flb_78]

$2200 will get ya a nice 1st gen....

[mtman]

Earl..

FWIW, I have an '86 and I find it hard to get "plastic" parts for it and when I do, they are expensive. They do strip a MK II now and then but not often and shipping is outa sight. You talk like you are going to have to replace a good chunk of your new scoot. If you are lucky enough to find everything you broke, it's likely it will not match the color of your new one so you are going to have to remove all the plastic and paint it all. Now, supposing that you probably have all winter to do it, rebuilding it from the ground up may be quite an adventure. That's if you have the time, skills, tools and patience to do it. This also assumes(yeah, I know) that you are just talking plastic and that there are no core problems with the bike; like bent frame, forks, engine was hit, etc.

I'm not going to try to give you an answer to your "what should I do" question. Just some things to think about. In the end, only you can make the choice.

Just my:2cents:

[Condor]

It cracked the left side fairing, the scoop down by the front wheel, Radio mount plate,CB mount plate, popped the pins off of the left side cover and sheared the screw holding the false tank cover on and sent it flying......right under the trailer wheel! It's toast.

Option 1 is $2200.00 for bike no chance for a buyback. Option 2 is $800.00 for "Repairs" I keep the bike and no salvaged title. (I paid a fraction of the $2200.00) I have attached some pics. I am open to what you think I should do here. Also if anyone has a Left front Fairing half or the radioCB mount plates or the scoop down by the front wheel or side covers they want to sell please contact me. I would be very grateful for any help I could get right now, I'm pretty bumbed!

Tow Safe,

Earl

 

Earl, I'm gonna take another approach. First off that is one beautiful '86, and is worth a lot more than $2200 bucks. From the looks of it in the pics the damage seems to be AM/FM/Tape panels, and the tank cover. The fairing doesn't look that bad, however those parts are still available thru Yamaha, and that adjuster's estimate of $800 is a joke. He's trying to get out of this one cheap. Tell 'm you'll take the $2200 for repairs and no salve title. The upper fairing and chin scoop can be repaired and the bike ridden until you can locate some matching replacements. The panels are also still available thru Yamaha. Secondly, I'd get a second opinion on the street value, and the parts cost. Take it to a Yamaha Dealer for an estimate. IMHO!!!

[Squidley]

Earl, I'm gonna take another approach. First off that is one beautiful '86, and is worth a lot more than $2200 bucks. From the looks of it in the pics the damage seems to be AM/FM/Tape panels, and the tank cover. The fairing doesn't look that bad, however those parts are still available thru Yamaha, and that adjuster's estimate of $800 is a joke. He's trying to get out of this one cheap. Tell 'm you'll take the $2200 for repairs and no salve title. The upper fairing and chin scoop can be repaired and the bike ridden until you can locate some matching replacements. The panels are also still available thru Yamaha. Secondly, I'd get a second opinion on the street value, and the parts cost. Take it to a Yamaha Dealer for an estimate. IMHO!!!

 

 

I'm with Jack on this one, that scoot has lots of bling and I would just hold out the adjuster. If he says he'll give you $2200 and keep the bike, tell him you want him to find you the same bike with all the extras in the same condition and bring it to you.....I wont even get started on claim adjusters

[bongobobny]

Option 3!! Tell them that you want them to either repair or replace the bike to your satisfaction...

 

 

Never EVER take the first offer that an insurance adjuster offers!! They are in business to make money, not give it away.

[DragonRider]

Bikebandit.com has all the radio panels cheaper than the stealers, dont ask me how I know, but I do, several times over...........and hold out for more cash, get an estimate from a repair shop with labor and present that to him...............dont let them screw you over...................they make tons of money off the insurance they sell..............by the way very nice bike.......its a keeper.

 

http://www.bikebandit.com

[Yammer Dan]

THEY have it right on this one. Insurance is trying to escape as cheap as you will let them as usual. Don' let them!!

[fardnarger]

Right Now on E-bay I think everything you need is there, It was just posted. Seem to be a whole 1st Gen bike for parts. Just a Suggestion

[lonestarmedic]

As I stated in my pm, there is over $2000.00 in accessories by e-Bay pricing. I would not take an $800.00 repair or a $2200.00 settlement. Price the broken parts at last known dollar value from Yamaha. Then take an average of parts over the last 30-45 days on e-Bay. Make sure to include shipping. Then go and deal with the insurance company. The damage you describe is not fatal. The bike looks to be worth well in excess of $3500.00. In fact, according to the State of Texas, my 1986 is worth that. I know because they used the value of the bike for sales tax, not the actual selling price!!!!!!! I think this practice may have changed but not last February. Hold fast and make them pay what it is worth. It was U-Haul's defective equipment that caused the damage.

 

JB

[Rottdoglover]

I had a experience with UH. FIGHT BACK As mentioned insurance wants to get settled cheap as possible. If they find out you can't be bullied, they will start being more reasonable. Get a shop estimate (preferably high) and shove that in their adjustors face. Good luck which ever way you go.

[Dragonslayer]

Hi All,

As I posted last weekend, I drove to Richmond, Va. from South Central Pa. to pick up my "New To Me" 1986 Venture Royale. I started out really early in the morning, the weather was horrible, the drive was 6 hrs. but I was very excited. I picked up the VR and headed for home, Racing the weather. I had just got off of the Pa. Turnpike in Bedford Pa. and was headed for Interstate 99 for the last leg home when the tie down cleat on the front right side of the UHAUL Rental Trailer tore loose from the floor and sent the bike down HARD on the left side! It cracked the left side fairing, the scoop down by the front wheel, Radio mount plate,CB mount plate, popped the pins off of the left side cover and sheared the screw holding the false tank cover on and sent it flying......right under the trailer wheel! It's toast. Needless to say I was speechless and I had to unstrap the bike and right it myself. I did use the Butt and leg trick to get it back up and it worked really well. I got the bike strapped down again, and made it home without any other issues but was mentally and physically "shot" by the time I got home. Jean was home from work when I got there and I told her my tale of woe. I looked over at her expecting to see tears in her eyes:crying: and she was smiling! I said what's so funny? and she said, did you get the Insurance like I told you to? and I said yes but.....and I started to smile too. I called UHAUL the adjuster came by and got back to me on Friday, Option 1 is $2200.00 for bike no chance for a buyback. Option 2 is $800.00 for "Repairs" I keep the bike and no salvaged title. (I paid a fraction of the $2200.00) I have attached some pics. I am open to what you think I should do here. Also if anyone has a Left front Fairing half or the radioCB mount plates or the scoop down by the front wheel or side covers they want to sell please contact me. I would be very grateful for any help I could get right now, I'm pretty bumbed!

Tow Safe,

Earl

It must be my failing eyesight but I couldn't even see the damage. It's a nice looking bike and deffinately a keeper. I think everyone else is correct about holding out for a better settlement from insurance company.

My bike has been totaled and paid for by insurance companies four times. Last time Insurance gave me $3,800 to repair and I kept bike and no salvage title with less damage than you describe. Drunk knocked it over in a parkin lot while it was on the kickstand. He tried to pick it up by himself and dropped it on the other side. The bike had scratched and cracked fairing on both sides, broken kick stand and the little plastic L shaped water pipe to the water pump was damaged. I cashed the check fixed the bike myself with about $38.00 in parts and kept riding. When I repainted painting material cost about $500.00

If you decide to keep bike and fix your self I have the two inside fairing pices that the radio bolts onto. I also have the left fairing and the tank cover. But both of them will need to be repainted and are not the original factory paint color. I'll make you a Christmas deal on them if you buy before Christmas since I am looking for a little extra Christmas cash. I probably will have more if you find other things that you need when you disassemble.

[sarges46]

Wow...keep it! There are more yammi goodies on that thing than I've seen in a long time...and very hard to get I might add!

 

Thats a beautiful bike..congrats on a good deal and it is a shame that the thing let go and dumper her on ya.

[davepa]

Well Earl did you make a counter offer ?

 

Let us know........

[StarFan]

Dont see any snow in your pictures so stop whining like a little girl Earl.

Put some heat on this adjuster - for me he does not seem to know anything about the cost of spare parts and repair cost. If that wont work then tell him you got this friend in Iceland that will .

 

Say hello to Jean from me.

Cant wait to spend some time with her in the kitchen.

[skydoc_17]

First off let me say that before I moved to Pennsylvania I spent the previous 25 years in Southern California and more than two ice cubes in a Jack and Coke makes me nervous!! That being said, here is the end of the story.

Many have told me to take the money and run but I just didn't have the heart to scrap the "old girl" out. :doh:I haggled with the adjuster some more and we agreed on $1800.00 for the repairs and I keep the bike, no salvaged title. I have purchased a used left side fairing half and two side covers, a used false tank cover and plan on taking ALL of the plastic off over the Christmas Holidays and having it repainted to match. There are a few mechanical/ electrical issues that I will work on while waiting on the painted parts and hopefully by early spring I will have this 86' VR back together again. There is about 90,000 on the Odo but the carbs have just been rebuilt and the bike runs really well. The clutch slave is leaking and needs to be replaced/ rebuilt. The fuse box is in really bad shape and this is why I got such a great deal on this 86' VR in the first place. I paid $750.00 and it costs me about $100.00 to go and pick it up. I did want to sell it come spring and make a few bucks on it but I also wanted to have a winter project and it looks like I will have both now, I've already made a few bucks and will have a pretty big project for the rest of the winter! My love for these wonderful machines and the fact that as I get EVEN older I like to challenge myself regularly to stay sharp, plus the fact that I now have more than enough extra money to have ALL of the plastics painted will mean that come spring, someone, somewhere is going to get a REALLY nice bike and I will get a few extra bucks for my time and effort. Sounds like a win, win to me.

Earl

[bongobobny]

Fantastic, Earl!! Ya done good!!!

[Snaggletooth]

And don't forget to kiss your wife for bugging you to get the insurance!

Edited December 19, 2008 by Snaggletooth

[StarFan]

Ah ha,,,,

Sounds like you mentioned your Icelandic friend to the adjuster Earl.

Well done earl. The first offer was just plain insult. Looking forward to see the scoot in the spring.