My '99 got wrecked on Saturday - what can I expect from the insurance company?

[FBS]

Some lady in a minivan blew a yield sign as I was turning left onto the same road.  I'm sore but OK, since I was wearing all my gear.

My bike still runs, doesn't leak anything, but it's still banged up. 

-Bars are bent
-Gauge cluster is broken
-Left crank case cover is cracked
-Frame is bent
-Brake pedal is bent
-Tank is dented
-Various bits and pieces are scratched up

The accident is 100% her fault, so I'll be getting a hold of her insurance tomorrow.  I've never been in a wreck at all before, so I'm not sure what to expect.  I assume I'll be taking the bike to the local dealer for a repair quote? 

My biggest fear is that they'll total it for maybe two thirds what it's worth.  The bike has 7100 miles on it, new tires, and was in pretty damn good shape before she hit me.  So I'm curious how the insurance company is going to approach this.

If any GSers have experience with older/cheaper bikes and insurance companies feel free to share.  Same goes if anybody can tell me about how much it would cost to fix all this stuff.

[FBS]

Pictures:

[tripleb]

my guess if the frame is bent it will cost a fortune to fix it so you might be looking at it being totaled for insurance purposes.

[joshr08]

Man that sucks.  it never matters how good of a rider you are if your surounded by jacka$$es on the road.

if they do total it buy it back and fix it if thats the only part thats bent its a 20 dollar fix.  as far as frame being bent.  inless its bent somewhere else other then the removable section of frame. from the looks of it and its always hard to tell exactly in pics but i would say 300 or less to get it back on the road.

[commuterdude]

it's totaled.....be sure to tell 'em how VERY sore you are, and DON'T take the first offer.

[jetboy287]

That sucks bud, just happy you're ok, i have the frame piece you need if you decide to fix it just let me know, and like commuterdude said dont take the first offer they send you're way, they will try to low ball you if they can
James

[commuterdude]

Ok, they are going to call YOU.....they will say, Mr. FBS, we are very sorry to hear of your accident, in order to help you out we are prepared to send you a check for.......(1/3rd of bikes value and $300.00 for your trouble), How does that sound?   At this point you must start to make a gurgling, painful soft laugh, as you have breathing difficulty and cannot get enough air in to fully laugh in their faces....this is not a MUUHAAHAAHAA, but rather a muted, despondent, death rattle....then barely croak, thanks but I will have to (cough hack hack) TRY to sleep on that....HANG UP.   Then the next time they call refer them to your ATTORNEY, and relate how sorry you were that it took so long to get to the phone, as you are not used to your wheelchair yet.......

[fred]

Yeah, I agree that they'll likely total your bike and give you very little money for it. Make sure that you get them to pay for all your gear and don't settle for the first check they offer you. Getting a lawyer involved might not be such a bad thing. If they do total your bike, just buy it back from them for cheap and use the difference to fix it. You should be able to get it back up and running, assuming your frame isn't bent. Keep in mind that if you do fix your bike after the insurance company totaled it, you'll basically never be able to sell it again because people will see the salvage title and offer you parts bike prices, no matter what it looks like...

[scottpA_GS]

Glad you are OK..

You should get enough money to buy my GS

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=47305.0



And buy my project GS with it and have all the parts you need for yours and then some.... 

[FBS]

All right.  I've got a claim number and an assigned adjuster from her insurance company who should be contacting me in the next couple of days.

Wish me luck...  I really hope they don't try to screw me

[The Buddha]

I got 1500 without the bike or 1295 with the bike for an accident in 2006. They didn't even bother getting my title and salvaging it.
I kept the bike, ignored the scratches, kept the $$ and sold the bike for 1300.
Best part, I wasn't even on the bike when it happened, this genius in an SUV backed up, knocking it over it in a parking lot. Nothing much was damaged ...
Cool.
Buddha.

[commuterdude]

All right.  I've got a claim number and an assigned adjuster from her insurance company who should be contacting me in the next couple of days.

Wish me luck...  I really hope they don't try to screw me

I have a friend in the insurance biz...THEY ARE GOING TO TRY TO SCREW YOU, THAT IS THEIR JOB.  Ok now I got that out of the way, GO AND SEE AN ATTORNEY.    DO NOT SIGN OR AGREE TO ANYTHING THEY SAY UNTIL YOU SEE AN ATTORNEY.   IF YOU DON'T  They will be laughing about what a sap you were at lunch while they are planning how to spend the bonus they received for screwing you.    Be honest w/ your attorney, no need to lie about what happened, but LET YOUR ATTORNEY HANDLE THE INSURANCE CO.   Ok that's all i have good luck.

[bill14224]

Yes, the insurance company will try to low-ball you.  It's all part of the game.  If your injuries aren't serious you won't hit the lottery, but in a case like this I would ask my attorney to negotiate a settlement with the insurance company.  It won't cost a lot if there isn't much to investigate and it doesn't go to court.  The lady is at fault and there's no dispute about it.  That's where it gets lengthy, messy, and expensive, and you shouldn't have that problem.  Investigating and court time is what costs big money.  It probably wouldn't make sense to take it all the way to court if your injuries aren't serious, but your lawyer can make sure you don't get cheated out of what you deserve.  Since he'll probably only need to write a few letters and make some phone calls, it'll keep your legal fees relatively low.

Your bike sure looks fixable to me.  That frame piece can be replaced in 20 minutes.  I know, I just painted mine.  Just buy one and a tach off a junk bike, along with the bits and pieces.  That frame piece isn't sold separately, so you can't buy a new one.  Buddha can fix your tank.  I'll bet you can get the bike good as new for under $500.

Glad you're still in one piece, and this is another case of the dreaded woman in a minivan not paying attention! 

[joshr08]

you can get that frame peice all day long off ebay. 

150273388608
280200133335
theres 2 id numbers for frame rails that would replace yours first one is 45 the second one is 40 both are buy it now im not with either one of these sellers just showing you these 2 that can be replaced and cheap.

[FBS]

Thanks for the advice, guys.  My parents know an attorney I can get in touch with. 

I know the bike is fixable, it ran fine on the way back to my place (one of the front reflectors was bent and catching on the fork every time it compressed, so for a while I thought I had suspension damage). 

I love the GS and it's been a great bike, but if it all works out after this I may sell it and upgrade. 

[GeeP]

Ouch!  Good to hear you're OK.  I hope you got a police report.   

The bike does look surprisingly fixable.  You'll need to inspect the upper forging where the lower frame attaches.  If it is no longer symmetrical with the opposite side, you'll need a frame.

Check your forks.  They could be bent.

Work her insurance over for all they're worth.   

[joker79507]

Insurance will probably total the bike because of the frame.  In my experience anything with a bent frame gets totalled but hopefully they dont take the bike.  Een if they want to they usually give you a option to buy it back.

[commuterdude]

I bent the frame on my Tacoma and they totaled it out....the specified reason was that due to liability concerns they would have to put a brand new frame under the truck.   They won't see the GS dropout section as a separate frame piece most likely....bent frame on bike = totaled.

[joshr08]

you can get that frame peice all day long off ebay. 

150273388608
280200133335
theres 2 id numbers for frame rails that would replace yours first one is 45 the second one is 40 both are buy it now im not with either one of these sellers just showing you these 2 that can be replaced and cheap.

did you miss the part where here are 2 of them on ebay on is 45 and on is 40 bucks you may not be able to get one at the dealor but you can get one off ebay.

[FBS]

Commuterdude simply said that to the insurance company, frame damage is frame damage.  They'd have to pay for a new part anyway, and you can't order the bolt-on part separate from the main frame.  Therefore the bike would cost more to fix than to replace.

So the plan will be they total it > I buy it back > I fix it for a few hundred bucks > I keep it / sell it and upgrade