Bike accident, but I'm ok -- Pictures

[rock_rebel]

So I went for a ride yesterday to get some coffee and gas, only to be sideswiped by a woman in an SUV. Her right signal light was blinking but she wasn't turning right. She turned left instead and struck me from the side. I have a battered leg but otherwise I'm ok.

Had a look at my GS500F today at the shop. Signal generator has been completely ripped out sake for a few wires. Back brake lever and handlebars are bent, but save for a few scratches the rest of the bike looks ok. There were no witnesses but the woman admitted she was in the wrong. Now only if she will tell that to her insurance company. I'm kinda in a panic. I really want to spare my bike, as I paid a really good price for it considering it's milage and condition. I guess the best choice would be to write it off and put the money towards another bike, but I don't really want another bike A 650cc bike is pushing it a little because I don't want anything bigger. It's almost winter so I have time to decide

Should I write this bike off or get the insurance company to buy parts for it? I don't know if I won the claim yet as the insurance company won't say who was in the wrong, but I know I wasn't. I don't signal one way and drive towards the other. That's just stupid. If she lies to the insurance company she probably will change her mind once she finds out I'm taking her to court, but I hope it doesn't come to that.

I was looking forward to further modding, but now I might be out of a bike, period.

[adidasguy]

Glad you're doing OK.
Bike doesn't sound too bad. Handlebars bent? Now's the time to replace them with clip-ons or the 1989 factory ones. Sounds like the repairs won't be that much. Brake lever can probably be straightened until you get another one. Lots of them on ebay. Scratched fairings: buying new ones from a dealer is not that expensive. Since there's no shipping, it can be cheaper than buying parts from ebay. Or you could buff the scratches and give her a new paint job.
I vote fix her. Your message sounds like that's what you want to do.
If there is a police report indicating she was in the wrong, you win.

Make a parts list of what you need. I might have some of what you need. Others might have spares laying around. There are a lot of us here who would love to help you get back riding. You shouldn't have to spend a lot of money because someone bashed into you.

[reload]

as long as it wasn't a salvage bike already you should be fine, regarding the monies.

glad your not hurt.

[rock_rebel]

The only thing listed on my vehicle registration is that the engine was rebuilt. Nothing about the actual bike being salvaged.

I just got my license on Monday too. What a way to celebrate 

The bike is pretty solid anyway, but this time GS vs. huge SUV = no win on my part.

[Chuck500]

Glad to hear you are OK.

I hope you got her insurance and contact information.  If so, call her insurance and file the claim.  Wait to hear what the adjuster says before deciding to scrap or not.  Break lever should be cheap, even from the dealer.  (I know the clutch lever is about $15).  Other parts are not too bad either.  One good thing about the GS is that the p[lastic parts are not ridiculously expensive.  Check all the brackets to make sure they are not bent.

Good luck,

Chuck

[scratch]

Glad you survived.  What did you learn from this incident?

[Anaconda]

Glad you survived.  What did you learn from this incident?

Never be near SUVs or Minivans, they are just plain and simple dangerous.  Either stay behind or pass them

[johnny ro]

My driving lesson for this is that blinkers are evil. When someone blinks assume they are trying to kill you.

Same for when they are not blinking.

Position yourself on the bike and the bike on the road accordingly.

And watch for the final swipe when they pull their trigger, be waiting for it.

Whenever anywhere near a  car.

Its maybe even worse when you are on a bicycle.

Ride defensively.

[mister]

The only thing a flashing blinker/indicator tells you is....

It works.

On a highway, a blinker left on tells you...

Driver ain't paying attention, what else are they not paying attention to? Stay clear.

When a vehicle slows - regardless of blinker - do not make a move to pass them on either side until they have committed the vehicle on a direction.

Michael

[Twism86]

Glad your hot hurt bad. I know what its like to be hit by morons on the road. At least your "attacker" stopped and didnt take off. You should be able to get the $ needed to fix her up from either insurance company (unless you have liability only). I vote fix her if its only cosmetic.

A blinker means the car is about to do something.... 50/50 chance it will be stupid or not. Like Mister said, the safest place is behind them, stay there until they make up their mind.

[rock_rebel]

I have liability only, but that shouldn't make a difference because I know I wasn't at fault. The bike is fixable, needs a new signal generator and crankcase cover on the ride side. New back brake lever too. Other than that the bike is ridable again.

[mp183]

I had an incident where a guy stopped all the way to the left and had his left blinker on.
He was turning left into a dirveway. I went to pass him at 5mph.  All of a sudden he turns right and knocks me over at walking speed.
As I'm getting the bike up a woman going in the opposite direction yells at him
that he had his blinker on.  He looked really cheap and ralized that it was his fault.
By the time the police arrived he would not admit that he was at fault.
Just kept shut.
As he was leaving he asked me where such and such street was.
I realized what happened.  He was going to go into that driveway and make a U turn.
At the last minute realized that two doors down was a better driveway into a doctors office on the right side.
He just changed direction to get to that driveway.
Good thing there was no major damage.
Does not pay to pass even if they are standing.

[rock_rebel]

If she doesn't tell the truth then I will sue and she will have to tell the truth under oath, in court.

[adidasguy]

I found a couple rear brake foot levers as well as left and right foot pegs if you want them.

[Electrojake]

So I went for a ride yesterday to get some coffee and gas, only to be sideswiped by a woman in an SUV. Her right signal light was blinking but she wasn't turning right. She turned left instead and struck me from the side. I have a battered leg but otherwise I'm ok.

Sorry you got tagged by the typical soccer-mom in a mini van/SUV. Its good to hear you got by without a major injury.
Every time I read one of these bike accident stories I get aggravated. It isn't the bike that will hurt you, it's the traffic. And yes, the same goes for avid bicycle riders.
I know this may sound a bit over-the-top but I frequently tell my Daughter, "If street riding ever becomes fun and not work, if it ever gets relaxing and not nerve wracking, then your not paying enough attention". Which is exactly why non-motorcycle riders cant possibly have a clue about how to co-navigate intelligently with bikers on our busy streets.

Sorry, I didn't mean to preach here. You may very well have more experience on the streets than me and I wish you well. Its just that cagers seem to not realize that life is fragile and its all around them while they drive.
And thanks for having the courage to post the details of your mishap.
Its appreciated.
-Ej-

[rock_rebel]

So it turns out I'll most likely be partially liable for the Accident. Although the driver of the SUV was signalling right but turned left, I passed her vehicle in a non-passing lane, which would make me partly at fault. At most my insurance company will pay half to get her car fixed, and her insurance company will pay half to get my bike fixed. I have a list of the parts I need to get the bike running again. I'm missing the signal generator disk, and I need a new engine cover, and a brake lever. The cable that connects the generator to the electrical system has also been snapped off, so I'm guessing I need a new wiring harness as well, or maybe part of one?

Here is the part I'm referring to:



The black circle is the signal generator and the blue circle is the cable I snapped off.

Easy fix, right? 

[rock_rebel]

bump

[mister]

Rock,

Get a copy of your state's road rules. Within it should be the rules about passing a turning vehicle even if there is no lane. Of course, if you don't want to push it, then accept the insurance company ruling.

In my state it is okay to pass on the sidewalk side IF the vehicle it turning across traffic, or is stopped.

Michael

[rock_rebel]

There is no passing lane at that intersection, so I was in the wrong in that regard. This doesn't however rid the SUV driver from any wrongdoing, as she was signaling the wrong way. She would have to cover half the cost of repairing her vehicle, as I do to my bike. The cost of bike parts however will be considerably less than repairing the bumper of a 2008+ SUV.

I went to a local shop today where my bike is being stored. An insurance adjuster hasn't been around to assess the damages yet, but I took some time today to have a look at the parts I need to get the bike working again. The crankcase cover is toast, as well as the signal generator. No big deal. The generator connects all the way back to the wiring harness so I'll just need to replace that part and not the harness like I thought previously. One thing that's kind of bothering me is that there's a small dent in the gas tank. Can't really notice it but my fingers can definitely find it. Maybe I'll get it pushed out sometime if it doesn't cost that much. I think I can find the three important parts on ebay but I need to wait for that woman's insurance to cover their half of the damages. The parts I need are:

Crankcase cover
Cover that goes over the signal generator
Signal generator

Much appreciated if someone has either of these parts lying around and are willing to sell. Otherwise ebay is my friend.

[raivis]

i dont like being the bearer of bad news but has insurance looked at you bike?   mine was about $600 from being totaled when it fell over in a storm. mines an 06 with low mileage.   hope you have better luck with insurance.    and i think they screwed me on the pay out.   doesnt look like they paid for the decals.