Low Speed Wreck, Lots of Damage

[jcthorne]

True- I have been searching cycletrader and they are out there, just have to travel to get them.

Gotta wait and see what the ins co says... might be a week til they have someone come out.

Dont forget that if there is not a comparable unit locally, the cost of transport to get the unit to you is part of the claim when figuring price for settlement. Not just KBB.

 

[daveinva]

I can attest to off-camber roads being a real :cus: on the Spyder. Many a mountain curve has surprised me with a "weeeeee!!!" moment as a result.

That said, my observations:

1. It's not really necessary to do it while riding casually, but when riding technically, I *always* shift my weight to the inside. Even a single butt-cheek's worth of slip on the seat is almost always more than enough to keep the wheel planted.

2. The Spyder does have a *little* slip before the traction control kicks in. It won't kick the tail out as far as an actual drift, but there's enough there to help you around corners-- it just takes practice to figure out where the "sweet spot" of braking, cornering, and acceleration is.

3. An aftermarket anti-sway bar and upgraded shocks is always an improvement. The only downside to them, I feel, is that while it increases your performance margin, it simultaneously reduces your safety margin. Meaning, with a stock Spyder, the Nanny will kick in long before you hit the edge of the envelope. With a better bar and shocks, you'll be able to take corners at greater speeds before the Nanny kicks in-- which means that, when the Nanny finally *does* kick in, it's trying to save you in a more challenging situation with a lot less margin of error. Thus, when riding, YOU are even more responsible for your safety margin. Caveat emptor.

Anyway, my biggest piece of advice while riding is to always expect the unexpected (which, I guess, makes it all expected, no? ). Every blind corner will be off-camber, covered in gravel, infested with deer, and half-blocked by a logging truck driven by a dozing 95-year-old wondering why he can't get his Jitterbug to text. Do that, and you'll be safe! :doorag:

 

[Kratos]

Yeah, that's a total loss. You'll be in another spyder no problem. And like you've already found, the deals are definitely out there.

 

[ChasCS]

One extra benefit, if available to yours

My insurance company, offers a depreciation waver for $50.00 a year.

Well worth it, if ever needed...

Chas

 

[rgk]

Who is your insurance company?

My insurance company, offers a depreciation waver for $50.00 a year.

Well worth it, if ever needed...

Chas

That sounds like a good deal.

 

[ARtraveler]

First of all, glad to hear that there were no physical injuries.

The crush factor in accidents these days absorbs impact and in a lot of cases helps save more severe passenger injuries.

Due to the high cost of repairs, a good argument to keep full coverage on the :spyder2: even after they are paid for.

Please keep us posted on how the claims process goes.

 

[Flanker]

I am very glad no one was hurt.

A wheel lift can be unnerving, but it is rarely reason to make much more than a minor correction. In almost every case, the wheel will come down with no harm, no foul. The perception of a wheel lift is much worse than the reality.

It may well be that the passenger was surprised by the off camber, felt like they were losing balance, grabbed a hand rail and hoisted themselves against the lean. The farther back and the higher the weight, the more affect it has on how much the Spyder leans.

Again, glad everyone is ok. But it doesn't hurt to mentally prepare for as many 'Surprises' as you can. Like, what will I do if an animal runs out in front of me. If you're mentally prepared it can greatly improve the outcome if it ever does happen.

Ditto!

 

[DanLong]

small update, insurance guy was here today. Never saw a Spyder before so it's being towed up to the dealer tomorrow to have them give an itemized list of what it needs.

 

[ChasCS]

Wow, this is happenning quickly.

Hope upon hope it's not a write off...

Chas

 

[DanLong]

got it towed up to the dealer yesterday. They haven't torn into it yet (there are 2 other wrecks ahead of ours!) but the tech called me and said it looks like the frame is bent along with the front end stuff that we had figured on. He said it'll most likely be repaired, not totaled. That would include replacing the frame, not fixing it. It'll probably be a week before we get any idea of the estimate. He said that the insurance company will consider it a total loss if the estimate gets to around 80% of the value. Fingers crossed!

My wife is doing better. She's got a nice bruise on her calf where the passenger kicked her, a sore knee, and her hand is sore.

 

[Bob Denman]

The frames cost about $1400... :shocked:
And he's correct; once the repair bill reaches 80% of the machine's ACV, the Companies usually total them...
Good Luck!

 

[ChasCS]

What a drag

I hope she feels better soon too, mentally as well as the minor hurts. You both must be so let down right about now, at this time.
But hey, look forward a few weeks or so, and you will have this, as only a near past memory.

When you get the new bike, please throw away those nasty pics of the awful accident...

Wishing only awesome good luck with what ever transpires next, & rooting for you of only the very best outcome. I'm sure we all are...
Fingers crossed.

Chas

 

[Dgjason]

My wife is doing better. She's got a nice bruise on her calf where the passenger kicked her, a sore knee, and her hand is sore.[/QUOTE]

Good luck with everything Dan. If you are like me I would rather be injured than my wife.

This post reminds me of the "I have been noticing" post. Great info, commentary and caring.
Doesn't get any better than that...:clap:

 

[jcthorne]

The frames cost about $1400... :shocked:
And he's correct; once the repair bill reaches 80% of the machine's ACV, the Companies usually total them...
Good Luck!

I know for a fact that the rule for State Farm is 75% of the difference between ACV and Salvage. For most vehicles its a small difference between the two as salvage value is usually around 5 to 10% of ACV but...for some vehicles with very high salvage values, the damage can be rather small and cause a vehicle to be totaled.

If they replace the frame, be sure they include the cost of a BRP provided replacement VIN tag or you will have lots of difficulty later. Good shops know this but it is easily overlooked and you don't get them overnight due to the red tape and paperwork involved. Do not accept the repairs if you cannot identify the VIN ON THE FRAME as yours and matches the title.

As this is an 'at fault' repair being paid by YOUR insurance, there is no recovery of diminished value in most states, but the bike once repaired with a new frame is lower, much lower in value than an undamaged one. It will be reflected against the VIN on the tracking services and insurance data bases.

I do wish you all the luck in getting the repairs done correctly and quickly and your riding again soon.

 

[Tango]

Glad everyone is ok. IMHO Pray for it to be totaled. ray: Better off on a new one. nojoke Tom :trike:

 

[flaggerphil]

Could the passenger have been leaning the wrong way?

 

[Roadster Renovations]

Probably frame damage

First of all, glad no one was hurt, Thank God!

I am by no means an expert on the bike, but I have had mine lifted with an unobstructed view and there is not a lot of frame support. A lot of tubular and square stock thin wall steel, which is great for it's flexibility, but is not strong and once it has been bent almost impossible to straighten and it will always be weak in that area possibly effecting tire alignment and handling. So even if they fix it, you may have problems in the future because of it.

I know this is after the fact, and I am not sure if anyone else but me did this, but when I first started riding my Roadster, I went over into a large open parking lot and purposely caused the front tires to raise by accelerating and sharply turning. This gave me an idea of how well the nanny worked, what was required by me to correct it, and what I could get away with. Once I was comfortable with one up, I added my wife so that we could see exactly what the bike did in certain situations. This has been invaluable several times, the latest was a near miss pulling out onto a two lane road with blind corners. If the guy had been running the speed limit (who does nowadays) we would have had plenty of time. As it was, towing a fully loaded trailer, I had to stand on the throttle to get out of the way and quickly make a 90 degree turn to not run off the road. I waited until the last moment to turn knowing that as soon as the left wheel left the pavement, the nanny would slow the bike down. If that had not been done right, either the bike or the trailer would have been broadsided. As it was, it was close. The left wheel raised at least 12-15". Training the wife to lean with me also greatly helped keep us from flipping.
I know you probably had already done those things and I said all that more for the new riders to maybe save them grief.
Again I am so glad you guys are alright. And I hope they can fix the bike. Just accept nothing but a complete return to original condition.

 

[DanLong]

Update- the estimate is in, $7900.

Our dealer says BRP makes them buy x amount of parts each year, so they asked if we'd be willing to let them order our parts as part of that order. The only issue is they don't do that order for a couple more weeks. We figured that we'd let them do it considering my wife isn't a cold weather rider and if we get it back in Nov or January, won't make a difference because she won't be using it anyway. The dealer is going to take care of us with some other things in return. Some mutual back scratching to benefit all.

 

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear that you've got a workable plan... working! :thumbup:

 

[SpyderAnn01]

My insurance company, offers a depreciation waver for $50.00 a year.

Well worth it, if ever needed...

Chas

Is yours limited by the age of the Spyder? I have it but it is only good for the current model year and one year older. So the 2012 would not be covered under my coverage.