Got Rear-Ended Yesterday

Sad to say that I got rear-ended yesterday and my bike is pretty messed up. I’m ok thankfully, a little banged up, but nothing major. 

I was fully stopped behind a Volkswagen who was also fully stopped (light was red), and a Ford Ranger hit me from behind, sending me forward into the Volkswagen. A witness said that the Ranger didn’t slow at all before hitting me, and she thought I was dead on impact. 

I’ve already filed an insurance report, and a collision report with the city/police. I’m typing this in the waiting room at the urgent care, gonna get checked out “just in case,” though I think I’m gonna be fine. 

I'm really sad about my bike though. Besides my cam chain tensioner coming loose again, she’s been super reliable and so much fun. Here’s hoping I can get her repaired and insurance covers it. Or a new bike I guess, but this one would be hard to replace. 

 I try to place myself for a hole shot if I can. I'm afraid there will be more of this kind of thing in the future. 
Steve

The important part is that your medical check up found no major problems. From the pic you posted it is hard to tell how much damage was done to the bike.  Unless some sort of bent frame or front end I would think you should be able to fix it with the money you get from insurance. I would assume the driver that ran into you was cited?

Front and rear of the bike are pretty messed up. I still don’t know the full extent, I’m worried about the swingarm, rear wheel, front wheel, forks, and more. The headlight, cockpit, front fender, rear plastics, rear shocks, and pretty much all the lights are toast. I think the engine and exhaust was unscathed, and that might make it a good chance the frame is ok, which gives me hope that it’s repairable. 

No citations issued. I didn’t request an ambulance, or police as I wasn’t hurt bad enough. 

All involved were really nice, thankfully the guy that hit me wasn’t a jerk about it or anything. But he admitted to being distracted, and I think really never should’ve been behind the wheel.

I think most of what this will come down to is the adjuster’s assessment on my bike, whether or not it’s totaled, and whether or not the insurance offers to pay me enough to fix it or replace it. 

In Australia, if you are hit from behind its automatically a ticket, I think its called "undue care and attention", they'll then check your phone, If it was being used,  more fines ensue.
This is the reason I have ALWAYS lane split at lights, and sit to the left, {maybe right in the USA} of the lane when stopped if no other traffic is behind me. I'm glad you were relatively unhurt, this is a bikers worst nightmare. Watch everything.....  Stay safe...

For some reason it brought back a memory of Al Capp's comic strip L'il Abner from many decades ago.  Fearless Fosdick is standing there with a cannon ball sized hole through his chest while saying "It's merely a flesh wound!"

The bike will need some TLC but looks repairable.  Luckily in this case the driver was also OK.  Hopefully you aren't too stiff and sore tomorrow.

The insurance company will total your bike.  You might want to research and document value using whatever resources you can find to make sure you get a good settlement.  Often times the insurance company will offer you the opportunity to buy the bike back at essentially scrap value.  When one of my bikes was likewise totaled I bought it back and parted it out for more than the insurance charged me.  Don't tell them you "feel fine," make sure they know about any pain and suffering you are feeling because that often leads to a better settlement.  I say all this from personal experience after both a motorcycle and bicycle accident caused by someone else.

I get what you’re saying. I wish it was easier to value the bike. On the one hand I only paid $1400 for it, and the “agreed value” with my insurance company is only $2000. But that’s just based on what I paid and that it’s 31 years old. How do you truly put a value on a bike that was essentially custom from the factory? How do you explain that even if they gave me the full amount minus my deductible ($1625), that there is no way I could purchase a similar spec and quality bike with that much? 

I mean, name or show me any other bike that I could purchase right now with 49 HP, 40nm of torque, dual semi-floating front disc brakes, 4-into-1 exhaust, 3-way adjustable shocks on a box-section aluminum swingarm with eccentric chain adjuster, and tapered roller headset bearings all stock from the factory. And even if we don’t get so specific, something that is close in power and on a par build-wise. I know I’m preaching to the coir here, but my point is, this bike’s “agreed value” doesn’t reflect what it really is. It’s rare, so people don’t know what they are, thus they don’t sell for a lot, but that doesn’t mean it’s some cheap bike. 

If the adjuster says it’s repairable, I’m gonna insist that it gets repaired completely. If they say it’s totaled I want enough to replace it with a truly comparable bike. 

Stereordinary post=859142

If the adjuster says it’s repairable, I’m gonna insist that it gets repaired completely. If they say it’s totaled I want enough to replace it with a truly comparable bike. 

Sorry to hear about your accident.  I'm glad you were not hurt.

As far as insurance goes, I would be prepared for a very unsatisfying and disappointing experience.  My car was totaled by another driver about 8 years ago.  I spent weeks arguing with their insurance company about the value of my car.  I figured it would be about $5k-6k to replace it with an identical car, but they offered $3,700.  They would not budge.  Every example I sent them was rejected with many excuses.  It needed to be within +/-1 year, within my same county, similar mileage, and on and on.  Plus dealer prices didn't count because those had a markup, and they would only give me the "Actual Cash Value", whatever that means.  This was an 18 year old car, but one that was produced in large numbers, so there were plenty of examples for sale.  But they rejected every argument I made.  In the end I think I only got them to move the price up by about $200. 

In your case, with such a rare bike, I can't imagine how you'll be able to find comparable sales to show what your bike was really worth.  

I think probably the best thing you can do is focus on the fact that you made it out safely and without injury, and not let the insurance industry ruin your day. 

Most importantly, you survived, and it seems without much injury. From the photo your bike looks fixable, but it might cost you a fair bit out of pocket - insurance companies are not in the business of giving you money, I think. Best wishes on the repairs. 

The other guys insurance will pay for the bike, so no deductible comes into play.

Check KBB, ebay, any place that will have sale records to understand value.  If you have receipts for stuff you added that can bump the value further.

wrote:

The other guys insurance will pay for the bike, so no deductible comes into play.


 

+1

I while back my daughter was hit from behind and her car was totalled, I had the same sh#t fight with the insurance company, but I don't give up that easy. I rang around and found an insurance assessor who assessed insurance for accidents of government vehicles, he gave me a figure to go for and told me to mention his name, I did exactly as told me, and I was given exactly what I wanted. I'd try and find someone similar in this case, in the end this guy totalled your vehicle and you want it replaced, or enough money to buy the exact same bike, that's how you have to put it to them.....