Expensive parts, or has this ever happened to you?

[kenno]

Many for-sale bikes have the expression "never dropped" in the ad, but not mine.

 

 

That is because I dropped it while on uneven ground trying to back it out of my garage. I reached down to touch the ground and because of the slope, there was no ground to be found, at least not at first. I was abruptly spat on the ground and over it went. You might have noticed the bikes falls over on its side, wheels in the air, so much for low centre-of-gravity.

 

I called roadside assistance (nice thing about owning a BMW bike) and a tow truck came, the operator helped me lift the bike. I could not get it off the ground alone.

 

When I saw the damage, I got the tow truck operator to take it to the dealer (2.5h away) which is included in the roadside assistance, and shortly after this arrived:

Yes, that says $8337.55, so now you know what happens if the bike falls over. "Case Cover" is the outer lid of the hard bag, "Case Lid" is the inner piece with the hinges. "Front Left" is the upper side fairing where the K1600 GTL logo sits. "Muffler" is the pipe and canister from driver foot pegs back. "Left Engine" is the engine guard, which apparently protects the engine AND NOTHING ELSE from damage in a tiny fall. You might notice the Labour is 100 off (109.95x10 = 1099.50 not 1199.50) but who can be that picky?

 

BMWs are known to have expensive replacement parts, the 435 in the photo, for instance, I hit a deer at 110 km/h (70mph) and lost the left front headlight among other things, 8 parts comprise the headlight (LED) and the cost to replace them was $5119.62. No kidding.

 

I put the bike through my insurance, counts as an at-fault so my rate went up. On the bright side, the "accident" did not affect the trade in value.

 

I should get crash protection to the SVTC -- has anyone seen any crash bars for the SVTC to specifically protect the hard bags in case of a topple or low speed drop?

 

Kenno

[SpencerPJ]

Ouch, that stinks. Hope you are alright, material things can be replaced. And that's why we buy insurance. Hope they can get you fixed up and on the road quickly.

[Patch]

Never, never, never, on a Sunday!

 

Yikes brother. At the price they sell parts for, they should give the bikes away, plus shipping and handling of course.

[Flyinfool]

WOW!

 

But one has to ask, does all that stuff really need to be replaced? Is something expensive being replaced due to a tiny scratch that you might never notice if left as is? Would it be more cost effective to sand out a scratch and repaint the part?

 

I can see where it those prices it would not take much of a crash to total it out once it is a couple years old.

 

At least a 1st gen can take a nap either left or right, with wheels off the ground and not have anything worse than a scratch to the corner of the fairing. DON'T ask how I know this..........

[RandyR]

Yes it happened to me. I just walked away from a BMW k1100 after a dealer used up all the insurance for a repair the insurance company negotiated to bring the bike to original condition. But then only fixed/repaired 50% of the items and the engine was massively leaking oil. Rightly or wrongly, I decided that if I sued, I would gain very little and the only winner would be a lawyer vacuuming up my money. I should have just taken the offered insurance buy-out and walked away in the beginning.

 

The markup on BMW MC parts and service is quite high. Yamaha is almost as bad. Take a look on Partsshark for the list price of similar items on a Venture. A gas tank, a few pieces of chrome and plastic will almost cost more to be replaced by a dealer than buying a new bike.

[BlueSky]

One reason I buy old bikes. I can't rationalize the money for a new one with the expenses that go with it. I just buy liability insurance so if I crash it, I dispose of it if it costs too much to repair. But, I'm also not a serious rider like some of you.

[PAVenture]

I should get crash protection to the SVTC -- has anyone seen any crash bars for the SVTC to specifically protect the hard bags in case of a topple or low speed drop?

Kenno

 

Kenno,

 

Ouch! that really hurts..

 

I had a similar experience backing out of my garage (2018 SVTC). Driveway has slight downhill grade, Turned handle bars far right (too turn around and ride straight out) and leaned a little too far, over it went! ... Good news the SVTC stops at 45 degrees, bad news (for me anyway) , I did not latch the right side saddle bag lid , when it went over the lid opened and hit the driveway and scratched the edge of the lid...errr.... No other damage on the bike...

 

I've done this maneuver a thousand times with my 2nd gen and never dropped it!

[garyS-NJ]

WOW!

 

But one has to ask, does all that stuff really need to be replaced? Is something expensive being replaced due to a tiny scratch that you might never notice if left as is? Would it be more cost effective to sand out a scratch and repaint the part?

 

I can see where it those prices it would not take much of a crash to total it out once it is a couple years old.

 

At least a 1st gen can take a nap either left or right, with wheels off the ground and not have anything worse than a scratch to the corner of the fairing. DON'T ask how I know this..........

My first gen toppled over the kick stand on a hill as I was stopped loaded with gear and a passenger. Nothing broke and I didn't notice any scratches (on sure there was something..,)

 

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

[djh3]

WOW That almost as much as I paid for my XCT at a couple years old and few miles. Its almost more than I'm willing to pay for a new to me pick up.

[kenno]

Ouch, that stinks. Hope you are alright, material things can be replaced. And that's why we buy insurance. Hope they can get you fixed up and on the road quickly.

 

That was my last bike, it took a while for the muffler to come in. they got it done in 53 days, from September 13, 2017 to November 5, 2017. It was very cold when I rode it back home.

 

Thank you for your concern.

 

Kenno

[kenno]

WOW!

 

But one has to ask, does all that stuff really need to be replaced? Is something expensive being replaced due to a tiny scratch that you might never notice if left as is? Would it be more cost effective to sand out a scratch and repaint the part?

 

I can see where it those prices it would not take much of a crash to total it out once it is a couple years old.

 

At least a 1st gen can take a nap either left or right, with wheels off the ground and not have anything worse than a scratch to the corner of the fairing. DON'T ask how I know this..........

 

You raise an excellent point. Once the insurance is involved, their policy (tee hee) is to use "That model year or newer" parts. In a way it is nice the parts all come painted up, that eliminates one hassle, matching colours, but if I went through the exercise to replace only the "must be replaced" parts and leave the odd "no one will notice anyway" stuff as is, it would have rendered a different cost, maybe not even go through the insurance. I have a big "but" though, it is nice to put it back the way it was, and trading it in at the same dealer who checked the damage and replaced the parts meant there was no "oooh, you dropped it huh?" bs to deal with.

 

An expensive lesson with $1000 deductible, I back out of the garage more carefully. I have set aside the offending rock, I call it the 1000-dollar rock, and I look for rocks that may have grown larger and rake them up. My dream it to one day place a nice concrete pad outside the front of my garage, but that is why we dream.

 

Thank you.

 

Kenno

[kenno]

Yes it happened to me. I just walked away from a BMW k1100 after a dealer used up all the insurance for a repair the insurance company negotiated to bring the bike to original condition. But then only fixed/repaired 50% of the items and the engine was massively leaking oil. Rightly or wrongly, I decided that if I sued, I would gain very little and the only winner would be a lawyer vacuuming up my money. I should have just taken the offered insurance buy-out and walked away in the beginning.

 

The markup on BMW MC parts and service is quite high. Yamaha is almost as bad. Take a look on Partsshark for the list price of similar items on a Venture. A gas tank, a few pieces of chrome and plastic will almost cost more to be replaced by a dealer than buying a new bike.

 

You probably already know that parts are more expensive in Canada, some of it is currency, most of it is greed. During recent times the CAD was "worth more" than the USD we did not see drops in price for Canadian items. There are a few odd exceptions, I can always buy bike tires cheaper in Canada.

 

I bought the oil and filter to do the 1st oil change on my SVTC at a Yamaha dealer in Houlton Maine 2 days ago, the dealer nearest my home in Canada, wanted $10/quart and $23.99 for the filter, but in the US I paid $5.99 for 2 quarts, $20 for 4 quarts, and $46 in total including the filter and state sales tax. If you do currency conversion at 1.30x $46 becomes $59.80. The total if bought in Canada would be $73.99 + $11.10 tax being $85.09. International shopping saved me $25, plus I got me some 93 Octane and a Whoopie Pie donut and Dunkin Donuts. Can you say cafe racer?

 

Thank you.

 

Kenno

[kenno]

One reason I buy old bikes. I can't rationalize the money for a new one with the expenses that go with it. I just buy liability insurance so if I crash it, I dispose of it if it costs too much to repair. But, I'm also not a serious rider like some of you.

 

Some days I feel like the least serious rider out there. I am on my bike, I am wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, it might have a Minion on it, and a slogan saying "DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE?" or "STOP BOTHERING ME, I'M BUSY" and Chucks on my dogs. My stereo is blaring loud, I may be the only biker ON THE PLANET listening to a mix of Shadowplay (Joy Division,) Just Another Girl (The Killers,) Unstoppable (Sia,) and Perfect Kiss (New Order.) I have sunglasses inside my helmet but my face shield is open. My windshield is all the way down, those air deflectors point right in my face. I don't have a place to go of a thing to do, but here I am, burning gas and soaking up UV rays, making noise. Serious stuff, huh?

 

I have bought a few 2dn-hand bikes over the years, 6 of the 14 I have owned in fact. There are distinct merits to both. I have often considered that my desire to buy new not only makes it possible for someone to soon own a bike I traded in, but another used bike is slowly being introduced to the market.

 

Thank you.

 

Kenno

[kenno]

Kenno,

 

Ouch! that really hurts..

 

I had a similar experience backing out of my garage (2018 SVTC). Driveway has slight downhill grade, Turned handle bars far right (too turn around and ride straight out) and leaned a little too far, over it went! ... Good news the SVTC stops at 45 degrees, bad news (for me anyway) , I did not latch the right side saddle bag lid , when it went over the lid opened and hit the driveway and scratched the edge of the lid...errr.... No other damage on the bike...

 

I've done this maneuver a thousand times with my 2nd gen and never dropped it!

 

Sorry about the scratch, but thank you for the insight, I was curious about the topple characteristic, you know, without actually setting it gently down (only to learn I probably need a friend to help lift it) -- is that why Yammaco sells those lid protectors?

 

Thank you.

 

Kenno

[SilvrT]

During recent times the CAD was "worth more" than the USD

 

Recent times? Seems so long ago to me that I can't even remember when that was ... but at my age, there's a lot of things I can't remember ... like, was I going up the stairs or coming down... LOL

[RandyR]

Recent times? Seems so long ago to me that I can't even remember when that was ... but at my age, there's a lot of things I can't remember ... like, was I going up the stairs or coming down... LOL

 

When in doubt, I scratch my dog's ears, and we're all happy.

[Condor]

You might want to go over the invoice a little more... Labour: 10hrs at 109.95 is 1099. Not 1199. Kinda like rubbing salt in a wound... And yes the parts are crazy..

[SilvrT]

You might want to go over the invoice a little more... Labour: 10hrs at 109.95 is 1099. Not 1199. Kinda like rubbing salt in a wound... And yes the parts are crazy..

 

He did mention that ... (You might notice the Labour is 100 off (109.95x10 = 1099.50 not 1199.50))

 

Maybe you need better glasses Jack!

[kenno]

There was little point in looking into the invoice too deeply, no matter what it cost, I was paying 1000 deductible. As it turned out, they were able to recover about 150 bucks of their costs, so I "only" owed them 850 or thereabouts. The worst part was going without a bike for the last month-and-a-half of last season, so I am making up for it now.

 

Now, exactly why did I come into this room? I do that too.

 

I just finished doing the first oil change. On the SVTC, there are 27 drain bolts and 11 places to put oil. That may be an exaggeration. I could not get a torque wrench on the crankcase drain plugs, so here's hoping I guessed right with the wrench. That oil at about 1300kms or 800 miles was still looking new, at least in the oil tank. The stuff I drained out f the crankcase looked a bit on the gray side of things. I used Yamalube....

 

Kenno

[PAVenture]

Sorry about the scratch, but thank you for the insight, I was curious about the topple characteristic, you know, without actually setting it gently down (only to learn I probably need a friend to help lift it) -- is that why Yammaco sells those lid protectors?

 

Thank you.

 

Kenno

 

The protectors would not have helped in my case as the lid landed on the outside curved edge..

 

I was alone so no help to lift it up. After circling the bike a few times and wondering how I was gonna get this thing up!

I came up with plan "A".. 1. deploy kick stand 2. Approach bike, grab on to the handle bar and passenger grab bars and lift.. whew I got her up and on to kickstand. It's Miller time..

Plan B call 911 ...lol...

[Condor]

He did mention that ... (You might notice the Labour is 100 off (109.95x10 = 1099.50 not 1199.50))

 

Maybe you need better glasses Jack!

 

The only reason I noticed it was it was the last item... That's why I said to scan the whole thing... I wasn't going to...

[SilvrT]

The only reason I noticed it was it was the last item... That's why I said to scan the whole thing... I wasn't going to...

 

[kenno]

Recent times? Seems so long ago to me that I can't even remember when that was ... but at my age, there's a lot of things I can't remember ... like, was I going up the stairs or coming down... LOL

 

2012, and in 2013 as well, the CAD was better than par. 5yrs, not so long ago, recent times as far as I am concerned.

 

K

[baylensman]

This was years ago but my brother dropped his new gold wing. Side of the road there was a 6-8" berm put his foot down and the ground was a little lower than he thought. Same deal as you at that time it was an $8K bill for what was a $10K bike that year. The worst part is he drove it for like 3 weeks before it went in the shop. all the damage was "cosmetic" but plastic is expensive.

I know another guy who left the Harley dealer and made Uturn, a soccer mom tagged him lightly he almost held the bike up but just couldn't so he stepped off as it fell. That little incident resulted in a complete factory frame being put under the rest of the bike. It probably would have cost less to give him a new bike, but as they say rules is rules.

[RSTDdog]

BMW=Bring More Wallet

 

That said when I dropped the RSTD years back at 0 miles per hour, for the few dinged and scraped pieces it had it was close to 4K parts and labor estimate. Motorcycle parts prices are due to economy of scale (or lack there of)