Hi Folks - looking to see if I can glean a little information from the general populous. I managed to get rear-ended a few days ago, thanks to an innatentive prat at a stop sign (stopped traffic, I roll up to the line, he sees movement and floors the gas - straight into me). Naturally, its an entirely at-fault for him, and his insurance is looking at the bike today. Visible casualties include crash bars, left side cylinder head, both panniers + pannier mounts. What worries me most though - the rear subframe is certainly out of alignment - standing to the rear of the bike its pretty obvious. Exhaust also took a decent wallop somehow, good dent on the left side of it. Wheel needs to be checked for damage. Those parts I can easily make sure are taken into account - however, what of the driveline/FD/etc? I was in gear when this stopped - I think moving at maybe 1mph or less as I came to a stop and pulled the clutch in. Would the impact and sudden load have a chance of damaging the FD or other driveline components? The bike seemed to start fine, but made a fantastic smokescreen from the exhaust, so shut it down asap. Spent a couple of minutes on its side, engine off so I could see oil getting burned causing that. Anyway -if any have been in the same unfortunate situation, I'd greatly appreciate any insight! Cheers :) - Giles
Post-crash photo - showing alignment of rear of bike. Apologies for the awful quality blackberry photograph :)
Sorry about your accident. As for the driveline, despite a pretty nasty picture on another thread, these bikes are pretty tough. My R1200ST was rear ended at about 45mph, 10 mph speed differential, and the driveline was fine. I have 5K miles on it since then. The muffler was taco'd and both bags broken. Similar to your situation. I bought it back, spent a few hundred dollars, and ride it near daily. Your bike, like mine, will very likely be totalled. Bent frames usually do it. You have options, but it might be a great time to buy a new bike. Jim
Sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident, but glad to hear you faired well yourself. I would say due to the nature of the accident, you have good reason to suspect there may be FD damage. The smoke after you initially started it could be the result of oil from lying on the bike's side. as you mentioned; however there could be more extensive damage inside the cyclinder on that side of the bike. My recommendation is to ensure that a reputable BMW dealer do the damage evaluation/insurance estimate, as opposed to brand X, motorcycle shop. Tell them you are concerned with the condition of the FD, transmission and engine and ask that they pay particular attention during the inspection to check those areas. Good luck with the insurance repair process!
Thanks Jim - thats what I feared really, the frame damage being enough to cause the machine to be totaled. Still, lot of nice new machines out there now.. hmmm :)
I was rear-ended at a stop as well (20mph school zone, I was stopped at a crosswalk, lady saw me about 20 feet before impact, and hit her brakes. I imagine impact was a 10ish MPH difference in speed; 0 vs. 10). She actually hit my right-side pannier, and not the bike itself. I was in gear, and the bike shot out from under me a bit. Bike ended up going down on its right side at about 2MPH. I've put about 1500 miles since it was repaired. The bike was totally fine, the only things that were damaged were the panniers. Everything else was cosmetic, but I made her insurance pay for replacements regardless. My bike drives just like it did the day I got it. While I'm more cautious now (bought a set of P3 lights a week after impact), the bike has suffered no ill effects from impact. I didn't experience the smoke that you're describing; however, I'd wager that the above poster is correct in saying that excess oil got in your cylinder head from being on its side. The problem that you're going to have is the subframe. It's really up to the adjuster, but most will total a bike if there's any sort of frame/subframe damage. Buddy of mine t-boned a car on his KLR. He rode the bike home, but the adjuster totalled his bike after seeing the rear wheel slightly off-center. Keep us updated on what happens!
Above all, take care of yourself first. You may not notice certain injuries right away. Maybe best to get a few follow ups and make sure that nothing develops over time. Most likely the other guy's insurance will treat you very fairly but do not hesitate to get representation if that is not the case. Do not argue with their adjuster but do not feel forced to accept what you are told either. Time is on your side. Take all you need to fully document your loss. When you are feeling better start contacting dealers around the country to locate a used motorcycle that was broken in with the same care as your 2007, and one with a similar maintenance records. Ask the dealer to include a warranty in the quote along with tax, title prep and delivery costs. The reasonable total replacement costs, including any travel costs and time off work to go collect the new bike will be the true "actual cash value" which you should insist upon to determine your settlement. Don't pad the cost but do not cheat yourself either. Ultimately it is you who will determine the "actual cash value" not the adjuster. You will then have the right to relinquish title and accept the offer and buy back the salvage and repair it yourself. If you do the latter be sure to keep a careful record of all part purchases, labor and shipping. You will need that in the event that you suffer a subsequent loss. Be sure to obtain your own written salvage offers to make sure that you pay a fair salvage price if you decide to buy it back. Your state may require inspections and costly certificates on any salvage being re-titled. Be clear on what is required before you go that route. Consider buying an advanced "intelligent" brake light modulator if you do not already have one. Although not the case in this instance, riders may wish to practice the golden safety rule of not tuning the handlebars when stopped at an intersection. The biggest danger of being rear-ended is being propelled in to on-coming traffic. Glad that this did not happen here.
Sadly it has indeed been declared a total loss. Now remains to see what the other parties insurance is willing to pay out (ugh)
Do u have uninsured motorist policy? if so, you may be able to recover damages from it that the other guy can't/won't pay. It may be worth a call to your insurance company and a question or two.
G'day Giles, I feel your pain , was he drunk ?. I have been there done that, my motor ended up in an ultra lite plane. I hope you find a new bike soon.
