Is it worth trying to save?

[Shotgun]

I had a guy turn in front of me today and I clipped his front end. Would up with 24 stitches in my left leg and a little road rash on my right elbow. Please look at the pics of the damage to my bike and give your honest opinions on whether it's fixable or not. And a general guesstimation on what ya'll might think it would cost. it's an 07 Tour Deluxe with 42k miles. I'm kinda sore so I'll respond to any comments tomorrow. Thanks

[Black wing]

it dosent seem too bad, i cant see anything that's not superficial as far as important mechanics. i would say check your local scrap yards for some new lower fairings and the main cost will probably be a new paint job, ide say $1000 tops if you do it all yourself, 2500 if you get someone else to paint it and to a good job

[Caveman]

I'd say it's worth repairing. As already said, it looks mostly cosmetic. If you can find the parts used, it will be much cheaper. Even brand new with factory paint would be worth the cost if you had to go that way , in my opinion.

[slowrollwv]

It is fixable. Check ebay. I have seen the lowers on there this week, and they are black also.

Check out Partshark.com I get OEM parts there at a lower cost than any dealer.

[cowpuc]

Shotgun,, sorry bout your accident bro!! Glad your basically ok - keep tabs on your other "residual" injuries for insurance purposes.. Things like cracked teeth and back injuries a lot of times dont show up for a while..

Speaking of insurance, were you carrying full coverage on the bike and if so, what does the insurance company say about it? Did they total it and are you considering a buy back from them?

In picture number 3 in the upper right hand corner it looks like possibly a bent or dented frame? I see what appears to be paint missing in a particular spot... Other than that area it looks like your crash bars took the brunt of the damage - I would look in the area where the those bars mount for frame damage.. If that looks ok, I would than proceed with putting as little into it to get it so I could run it down the road.. I have checked many many "salvage" bikes by doing this BEFORE putting time and effort into a restore:

Find a nice straight piece of pavement to ride on.

Have a friend take the bike and ride a few hundred feet away from you.

RUn it thru the gears n make sure the tranny is ok.

Lay down on the pavement and have them ride back directly at you.

Look carefully down the alignment of the front and rear tires..

If the triple trees, forks, frame yoke and swing arm are in correct alignment the sides of the front and rear tires should square up while the bike is rolling toward you.. If one or all are wacked you will see it in tire alignment front to rear..

Now hold the front brake and move the forks in and out in the bottom sliders, check for stickshen in your forks,, If you feel stickshen you are probably in for at least new tubes..

If all checks out well, I think Black Wing is pretty close in his cost estimate.. Check on here and on Ebay for parts - you will save a BUNDLE in costs.. I also know of LOTS of bike yards across the country who deal in salvage parts - most, if not all of them are "half of new" in their pricing.. Looks like you ripped the seat?? Gotta hunch that the seat is gonna be the most expensive piece to replace if its an aftermarket one...

Best wishes in your physical recovery and in fixing your bike!!!

Oh yea,, I have seen LOTS of salvage bikes running around with badly bent frames,, some folks will risk it - some wont.. If yours is bent you are the only one who can decide whether or not you wanna go there.. It does change the "feel" of the bike (of course),, never really cared for riding one in that condition cause it majorly affects going no handed..

On another note, I just watched a Salvage Yard over in Wisconsin sell one simular to yours, had glass damage but no "hard damage", runable/rideable BUT with salvage title, Ebayed out for just under 2 grand... Just something else for you to consider..

Puc

[Shotgun]

Thanks for all the comments. I have full coverage but no idea what the insurance company will do. I didn't have any idea what repairs would cost and I'm now considering a buy back if they do total it.

[billmac]

can you get a better picture of #3 up on the top right of frame can't tell if that's damage or a reflection.

[bongobobny]

First glad you're OK! I agree with the Pucster about whether the frame is tweaked and if the front forks are bent or out of round. As long as the frame isn't bent then even if you have to replace the forks you should be ready to go, 42K miles isn't much for these bikes. Are you doing the work or are you having it done??

[Shotgun]

I'm concerned about the forks as the left one has some pretty good scrapes and it hit hard enough that it twisted the bike so that it fell on the right side. If I do repair, I would do all of it except the paint. I don't have another pic of the area but I think that may be a reflection.

[cowpuc]

I'm concerned about the forks as the left one has some pretty good scrapes and it hit hard enough that it twisted the bike so that it fell on the right side. If I do repair, I would do all of it except the paint. I don't have another pic of the area but I think that may be a reflection.

 

That being said,,, my moneys on your insurance company will total it, buy back may be in the 2000 - 2500 dollar range.. If it were me,, knowing that in the end your gonna end up with a "Salvaged" titled bike with a fair amount of work and cash in it to put her back together I would probably let it go and buy another one... On the same token,, if they offered it back for a grand or so (highly doubtful) than I would keep it...

[BoomerCPO]

IMHO ....If your Insurance Co. totals the scoot I'd go for a buy back and then part the bike out. You never know with Insurance folks tho. When I crashed my 06 a few years back Geico paid $8400.00 for parts and $4000.00 in labor to bring my bike back to like new condition. If the frame is bent they probably WILL total the bike tho.

Boomer....who sez don't be afraid to dicker with yer Ins. Adjuster.

[Shotgun]

The deciding factor will be the buy back I guess. The wife had just about decided that she liked to ride and we've been looking at going to a Goldwing for her comfort, but I really liked this one for just me. If the buy back is cheap enough, I would like to get it back for a project bike just for me to solo on.

[V7Goose]

My 05 RSV had damage similar to that when I slid into a curb and high-sided - the shop estimate to repair was about $13,000 and the insurance company totaled it - I refused to accept that and stalled them with ongoing negotiations about value, buy-back cost and things that did or did not need to be repaired. I insisted they pay me the full totaled value, got a great buy-back cost, and refused to accept any settlement until they agreed NOT to make it a salvaged title.

 

I did all the repair work myself and ended up fixing it for about $1,000 TOTAL. Yes, there were many minor things that I chose not to replace, such as the floor board mounts that had scratches on the bottom, etc. I even left some chrome pieces that still have some road rash on the bottom sides where they are not particularly visible. But since I had them pay me instead of doing repairs, it was all MY call about what to spend, not theirs. If they had not totaled it, I would not have let a single thing slide, nor would I have done the work myself.

 

If you try to go this route, extended negotiations and refusal to accept the insurance company offers are important - you usually can get a much better deal as time drags on and they get antsy to settle the claim and close it.

 

As for your specific bike - it doesn't look too bad - frame is probably OK, but I'd be reall sure about that and/or fork damage before I decided to keep it. Good luck,

Goose

[Phoneman1981]

Glad you were not hurt more seriously. Keep us posted.

[Shotgun]

Thanks for all of the input. I 'll update when I find out what the insurance company decides.

[Shotgun]

The guy's insurance company contacted me today and offered about $500 more than blue book for a complete total. I also spoke to the adjuster and he thought that the left fork needed replacing. He said that he estimated the cost of repair around 6k. Buy back is at $1425. The wife was wanting to know if we could settle and go looking for a GW this weekend. I'm leaning towards taking this part. I don't think I could sell it for the price their offering.

[cowpuc]

1425,,, I would do the buy back for that if it were mine,, thing would make a fun Chopper even if it did have a tweeked frame.. On the same token though, I am a grease monkey.. If nothing else, you could stick it on Ebay and see what happens, got to be folks on here/there needing a good motor if nothing else... Ya just never know..

500 over book sounds good to me,,, for a buyout on the bike.. Seen a LOT of insurance companies not be that fair!! Good on em!!

Sorry it all happened the way it did Shotgun BUT glad your not giving up,, best wishes finding that next bike (listen to your wife - keep her happy,,, lifes wayyyyy more fun that way!!)!!

 

Puc

[Eck]

First off, I'm sure glad you are OK and able to tell us about your accident.be feeling a lot better..In about 3 months from now you will be feeling a lot better.

As for the bike, yes., I think it can be fixed.

Acceptance of the bike after it is repaired depends solely on you and you alone.

I really does not matter what others may say or think about it being a repaired bike after its fixed.

My opinion, as well as the others, on whether it can be repaired or not only answers your basic question of "Can it be repaired"?

[Black wing]

at a 1400 buy back and 500 over blue i would go and find another rig. thats alot of lost riding time this summer to patch it up. the money will have you back and going in no time

[Shotgun]

at a 1400 buy back and 500 over blue i would go and find another rig. thats alot of lost riding time this summer to patch it up. the money will have you back and going in no time

 

That's my thoughts as well. The wife is wanting to ride right now so waiting doesn't seem to be a good option right now.

[YamahaLarry]

Glad you are ok and hope you have no recurring issues from this.

[ragtop69gs]

Take the money and run.

 

If you can afford to do the buy back you could get the wing, repair the rstd later and put some more cash in your pocket for wing bling

 

Don't forget to take any custom parts off and replace with stock items you may have saved, before you turn it over to the ins. co.

[eusa1]

do you have clear title to the bike and will they let you retain the title if they total it?

 

the un branded title will make it of greater value when you go to sell it later on after repaired.

[Shotgun]

The bank has the title right now. I guess I would sign it over to them in the settlement? It's been a long time since I've had a totaled vehicle and I'm not sure of the process.

 

If anyone is interested in this as a project bike, let me know and I'll get you in contact with the adjuster.

 

I put a new E3 on the back in January, doubt I have 500 miles on it, a new Dunlop on the front last fall, about 75%, a new fuel pump about 2 weeks go, not over 2 tanks of gas ran thru it and it needs a clutch pretty soon. The bags look good, just a little scratch on the bottom right bag, the motor ran strong.

 

if you want more details let me know, I plan on telling the adjuster tomorrow that I'm taking the money.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Shotgun
wrong side on bag description

[Hummingbird]

My 05 RSV had damage similar to that when I slid into a curb and high-sided - the shop estimate to repair was about $13,000 and the insurance company totaled it - I refused to accept that and stalled them with ongoing negotiations about value, buy-back cost and things that did or did not need to be repaired. I insisted they pay me the full totaled value, got a great buy-back cost, and refused to accept any settlement until they agreed NOT to make it a salvaged title.

 

I did all the repair work myself and ended up fixing it for about $1,000 TOTAL. Yes, there were many minor things that I chose not to replace, such as the floor board mounts that had scratches on the bottom, etc. I even left some chrome pieces that still have some road rash on the bottom sides where they are not particularly visible. But since I had them pay me instead of doing repairs, it was all MY call about what to spend, not theirs. If they had not totaled it, I would not have let a single thing slide, nor would I have done the work myself.

 

If you try to go this route, extended negotiations and refusal to accept the insurance company offers are important - you usually can get a much better deal as time drags on and they get antsy to settle the claim and close it.

 

As for your specific bike - it doesn't look too bad - frame is probably OK, but I'd be reall sure about that and/or fork damage before I decided to keep it. Good luck,

Goose

 

The message I get out of this is to cheat the insurance company as much as you possibly can - that's the american way - -