Man Down!

[bigredduke]

I suppose it had to happen sometime, law of averages and all that. I haven't dropped a bike since 1978 but today it happened!

I was following a line of traffic on a dual carriageway which was travelling much more slowly than usual. The traffic speeded up and then suddenly the Honda Accord in front slammed his anchors on & I went into the back of it and the bike slid from under me onto it's right side.

The front mudguard, carbon fibre fairing, headlamp are all wrecked. The front brake lever is scuffed as is the rear rh rear footpeg. The handlebars may be bent, they don't seem right and the throttle doesn't return properly.

The frame and front fork crash bobbins are scuffed so no doubt they saved the bike from much more serious damage - definitely worth the price I paid for them!

The driver said " the traffic speeded up and then suddenly slowed down, so if I hadn't braked hard I would have gone into the car in front"

I know convention is that if you go into the vehicle in front then you are deemed to be at fault - is that always the case?

He also said it was a company car so I guess he doesn't really give a f**k about the car or insurance anyway!

My right wrist is a little sore as is my hip but not as bruised as my ego!

Any advice out there? I just hope I can get the bike sorted before the weekender!

[madhatter]

Damn Mate, really sorry to hear about your tumble! :(

I think you are on a "no-win" situation as you ran into the back of the car. I assume the car driver took your details so he can claim from your insurance.

Looks to me like its just bad luck mate.

[Tigerlily]

Really sorry to hear about your tumble Paul.

Glad you're OK though and fingers crossed for getting the bike sorted out.

[JMo]

What a booger...

As madhatter says, I imagine it will be considered your fault... unless you can prove the chap in front maliciously jammed his brakes on to try and knock you off (I'm sure it's been known) - otherwise they'll just say you failed to maintain a safe stopping distance...

Hope it is just cosmetic damage, and your insurance is fully comp... even the superficial bits are expensive...

Glad you're not hurt at least!

xxx

[bigredduke]

Having had time to examine my poor crashed bike, I think the front forks may be twisted, they certainly don't seem to be in line when viewed from the side and there is a dent in the tank where (presumably) the switch gear has bashed it in addition to the damage reported earlier.

Obviously, I want to get it repaired asap. I have fully comp insurance through equity red star. Has anyone had a similar experience who knows how long these things usually take?

My only similar experience was with my car - a deer ran out in front of us on holiday in France and damaged the front end, Churchill insurance were superb, organised a courtesy car and dealt with everything. I suspect that as usual, motorcyclists get a second rate service, I have already had to make more 'phone calls for my bike incident than I did for the car.

I am concerned that it won't be ready for the weekender - I have read posts about how long it takes to get bits for Ducati's. I don't really want to turn up in a car sans Monster!

[Didge]

Bad luck mate. You almost became a possible member of our 'Battered, Bruised, Beaten & Defective Bikers Club', so count your lucky stars.
Good luck on getting her up and running.

[spacemonkey]

The forks could possibly just be twiste din the yokes. Slacken the yokes and straighten the forks then re tighten. This often works. Also do the same with the handlebars as the clamps can twist on the older bikes before the bars bend, might be similar with yours.

[JMo]

Obviously, I want to get it repaired asap. I have fully comp insurance through equity red star. Has anyone had a similar experience who knows how long these things usually take?

I am concerned that it won't be ready for the weekender - I have read posts about how long it takes to get bits for Ducati's. I don't really want to turn up in a car sans Monster!

When I had an incident with a hedge a few years ago, it took 5 weeks to get the bike back on the road, but much of that time was due to having to get the bodywork repainted (don't ask me about that again, please) via an 'approved' paintshop...

Some parts can take a while, and if you are claiming on your insurance, most assessors will say anything remotely damaged will need to be replaced - thus you can end up waiting for tiny (and essentially unnecessary) bits to arrive, before the bike is reassembled... It's probably worth getting them round to look at the bike, but maybe dicussing with your dealer about delaying the repair work (or at least the paintwork) until after the weekender? I made this mistake and missed the 2003 weekender because of it...

Of course if your bike is unridable, that is not an option, but as Spacemonkey says, loosening everything off up front and realigning might sort it, although you may need a new front axle (I did) as these are prone to bending, and knocked the fork alligment out once it was bent...

Good luck, and hope to see you back on the road soon!

xxx

[bigredduke]

Thanks for that - good advice methinks. The insurance assessor is coming on Monday to look at the damage, the insurance co. may not let me ride it part-fixed though (or not cover me). I'm hoping I can get it to a dealer straightaway to get it ready for the weekender. Would it be too much to expect a replacement whilst mine is in dock? I don't think my insurance will provide one.

[JMo]

If your policy doesn't cover you for a loan bike (which a lot don't - espeically if the accident was your fault, and would you really want that extra amount on your claim anyway?), then I guess it depends on your relationship with your dealer... if all that is required is cosmetic (paint) work, I can't see that the insurance company wouldn't let you ride it - I can undertstand if it was any mechanical work that still needed doing though...

However, you best bet might be that if they can't get it all sorted in time, to see if you can borrow a demo bike/part-ex Monster - if only for the few days over the weekender?

Fingers crossed for you anyway...

xxx

[bigredduke]

Well, the insurance assessor paid a visit yesterday and gave the bike the once over. The first thing he did was check the tread depth on the tyres - be warned! I then took the bike over to Ducati Leeds on a trailer for an estimate. They have to send it to the insurance co. and await instructions.
It has taken nearly two weeks just to get to this stage!

Once again, compared to my experience of these things as a car driver, it seems the motorcyclist is treated in an inferior fashion even though I pay more for my bike insurance than I do for my car!

When I claimed on my car insurance as a result of a deer running out in front of the car whilst we were in France on holiday, Churchill insurance were great, I took the car in to a local repair shop, there was a courtesy car provided and personal convenience was kept to a minimum.

When I took out my bike insurance, I don't remember being offered NCB protection or a courtesy bike - are these things simply not available?

Isn't it about time we complained a bit more and refused to accept a second-rate service just because we enjoy two wheeled transport?