Write off?

[number24]

Here some pics of my bike:
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/44wannabe/Insurance%20pics/Tankscratch.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/44wannabe/Insurance%20pics/Tailscratch.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/44wannabe/Insurance%20pics/Rearalignment.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/44wannabe/Insurance%20pics/Exhaust.jpg

The rest of the pics are here: http://http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w29/44wannabe/Insurance%20pics/

[dam]

Ouch!

What happened?

[number24]

Got hit from behind by woman on her phone, playing with her sat nav, while i was sat at red lights.

[Mr Cake]

If your subframe is bent you've had it, goose. Same thing used to happen to R1s until they started bolting their subframes on from 2002 purely because of the amount of insurance write-offs. That and they're ridden exclusively by pricks*

C

*Yup, I snapped the back end (and exhaust) clean off mine in '07 and just bolted on a new subframe. Perrrrrick :D

[gary tompkins]

Take it to these guys to get it checked

http://www.motoliner.com/

[Mr Cake]

Without a doubt it can be pulled right but the insurance company aren't going to shell out for that sort of job. Especially with the other bits and pieces that need replacing, I dread to think how much an exhaust can is from Ducati. That there, because its welded to the main trellis, is chassis damage and even if its put right it'll still fall under that Cat "x,y,z..." write-off umbrella. That's not to say it can never be used on the road again, mind.

It's your pride and joy, but to the insurance company its an old M600 :(

C

[number24]

Cans are 1100 for the pair. Yeah im gutted, i loved that bike. Here's hoping i get a good PI settlement so I can get something a little bigger and maybe newer.

Worst part is the thought of trying to find an M600 with 2.5k on the clock for the money I paid - it just wont happen.

[Mr Cake]

If its a Cat C or D you might be able to buy it back from them and either put it right and keep using it, or sell it as a Desmo Due hack.

Dave

[Stafford]

Defo buy it back if you can and build it into another frame.

Oh and start collecting cuttings and info on prices (from dealers) of similar bikes for sale now to use as evidence of the current market value.

[He11cat]

How easy is it to buy back ? Any older bike now they seem to write off ..
I'd want to buy my bike back if I could .
That sucks!!!

[gary tompkins]

It's still worth negotiating to buy the bike back if a write off

It could be repaired or broken up and sold as spares... still a lot of value there

[He11cat]

How does it work though?
I've always wondered sorry to sound stupid.

[makemdan]

Your bike is probably uneconomical to repair which would mean a Cat C write off. Cat C bikes can be returned to the road without any inspection. Probably an idea to get a new MOT though. Bear in mind that many buyers are put off by the HPI result and even if not expect to get at least 30% less than you would get for a bike that isn't on the hit list.

As monster frames are steel they can be straightened relatively easily by the right person. They use computerised jigs and checks so when the bike is returned it is very often straighter than when it left the factory. You have to find the right person and that almost certainly isn't your Ducati dealer. Mine was a total waste of time and wasn't even keen to order me a £1750 frame replacement. My damage was A LOT worse than yours. As well as fork and frame damage the headstock had been stretched into an oval shape so the head bearings had dropped out. Things looked bleak until I trailered it down to John Warrington in Malton. His gear checked the shape of the frame in seconds and he welded a new headstock onto the frame. Took a while but a few weeks and £350 later my bike was back on the road. All I had to do was remove the lights, electrics and drain the fluids. Malton is in North Yorkshire so probably a bit far for you but there have to be similar guys where you live. Local race circuits are usually a good source of info - they tend to bend bikes there more than road riders I think. Main thing of course is that you're not injured, always most important!
Good luck with the project.

[Pomp1]

If the frame has been touched is a Cat.B. Some insurances will let you buy it back, most of them won't. Either ways they'll want proof that the frame has been destroyed. Some will require a picture of the cut off headstock, like so
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/996/DSCF2669.jpg

[steeevvvooo]

As above, ask the insurers if u can buy it back. Even if you would rather take the cash and buy something bigger (I know u were injured as well so may be a decent payout!?) you can sell on the recovered bike as spares or a project depending on how much the insurance want for it. It might give you more cash to get a new bike as you might be able to shift it on with a premium.

I for one am looking for a project as I'd love to get involved with DD. Again, dependent on price, you may get a good price breaking it as I know it was in great condition.

Hopefully you can keep it, but you should be aware of the options..

[makemdan]

If the frame has been touched is a Cat.B. Some insurances will let you buy it back, most of them won't. Either ways they'll want proof that the frame has been destroyed. Some will require a picture of the cut off headstock, like so
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/996/DSCF2669.jpg

This is only true for cat C and D. Cat B can only be purchased by someone with a local authority vehicle dismantling license, if an insurer sells to someone else they are breaking the law.The buyer must as you say destroy the frame and prove it.

Steel framed bikes need not be cat B'd if the frame has been touched, alloy framed bikes almost always are written off if the frame is bent but scrapes and scratches don't necessarily matter. See my post before yours, I bought the bike as a cat D write off which means it was deemed economical to repair its the bike on my pic in its repaired state with the front end off Capo's S4R.

[number24]

I'll enquire about a buy back. Certainly going to be taking off the carbon pods and belly pan before it goes anywhere.

[utopia]

Its a 600, is it?
You weren't slow at the trackday, were you?
I had trouble staying with you on my 750...but then it was my first trackday.

I bought my Dominator back when it was a cat D (if memory serves). In the end it wasn't too bad and I fixed it up dead cheap.
I may have been lucky...I dealt directly with the insurance assessor, who came to my house to view the bike....it was never inspected by a dealer as the damage seemed obvious at first sight, but turned out to be mostly cosmetic.
You might get favourable treatment as yours, like mine, was a completely non-fault accident.
And the payout for my injuries paid for my new monster...:biggrin:
If you can buy it back cheaply enough, it might not matter that it has an accident record, as you could just keep it for ever, so resale wouldn't be an issue....???
Or think of DD racing maybe...??

[number24]

DD racing is definitely something I'd be keen to get into but I play a fair level of ice hockey so finding the time would be difficult. A buy back is definitely an option id consider though, a friend of mine does spraying so could probably get it all resprayed for less than a 100 quid.

May i ask who you used for your PI claim? Im going through PM Law at the moment and they're not filling me with confidence.

It was my first proper trackday too, you seemed tog o pretty well around there yourself!

[ladybird]

seems the silly innattention season has started early then, schools aren't even out for another few days ...

I've bought back one of my monsters twice now, it's the tank they've tried to write it off over as the metal ones 'list' at 900£+

They have taken the buy-back out of my settlement for what they think it would be worth or something - but then again I've always been fully comp, I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not.

hope you get it sorted, try to avoid them sending it to these muppets (http://www.sudden-impactuk.com/) though as they didn't spot my bent bars or frame and had the bike for 3 months

[utopia]

I'm insured with Devitt, and the claim went through the solicitors that they used with their legal protection scheme. They were pretty effective. However I can't remember their name and a quick look through my paperwork hasn't produced any result. I'll post up if I can find out more.

[littlejimmy12]

Exactly the same accident and damage happened to me and my S2r8 2 years ago, car full of girls bumped my up the ass while I was stationary sitting at traffic lights!!

My PI claim took about 9 months to settle, most of these types of claims are dealt with by claim handlers as they are inevitable just settled by the respondants insurance company. It does take a long time. The process of making the claim has several stages to go through before the insurance company will write the cheque. Be patient, it will be an uncontested claim, you'll receive on offer which you can either accept or decline. Ironically this happend whilst I was studying personal injury!!!

[gary tompkins]

May be worth talking to a few DD racers to find out what a full season costs

You might be in for a shock

[steeevvvooo]

May be worth talking to a few DD racers to find out what a full season costs

You might be in for a shock

I've been doing just that for a few weeks! ;)

Alastair - PM me of you want some details of what I found...

[number24]

So the assessor finally came today, 16 days after the accident. My reckoning is that Aviva got notification that I've got a hire car and it's costing them 50 quid a day because all of a sudden they seem to be doing something.

Assessor reckons it's an economical write off and will call me tomorrow regarding value / buy back options etc.

On a side note, my back is still giving me grief and I'm having to go to physio twice a week. Fun fun fun.

[steeevvvooo]

amazing how quick they move when it's costing them money!

Good luck for tomorrow...

[number24]

So we agreed on 1500 quid and I get to keep the bike. Im happy enough with that and I think i get it fixed for a hell of a lot less. Unfortunately it is now deemed to be a Cat C writeoff. Oh well. I still have a bike. Will take it over to Rosso Corse for a check over when the cheque arrives.

[ladybird]

Goodo, one hurdle down, one to go :)

[pegboy]

Well done ali my is still going on from 29th June even though the drive has admitted liability and the insurance guy has assessed the bike three weeks ago on Thursday. Drives me crazy just the thought of calling them as they really all as bad as each other half the time they dont even speak English. What the **** is that all about? I wonder some times

[number24]

It's madness, although the guy at Aviva (assessor) seemed really nice and called me when he said he would. My own insurance doesnt even do that!

[He11cat]

Sorry for being dim.. you get £1500 and the bike back or have to buy the bike back out of the £1500?

[pegboy]

It's madness, although the guy at Aviva (assessor) seemed really nice and called me when he said he would. My own insurance doesnt even do that!

What's worse Aviva is dealing with my claim!!

[Rally]

A little trick to remember; If the bike is at your house, when you come to settle, don't forget the £10 a day fee for storage! It means you get the wreckage for free usually as an exchange. :D

[number24]

Sorry for being dim.. you get £1500 and the bike back or have to buy the bike back out of the £1500?

I get a cheque for 1500 AND the bike.

Rally, I don't think I can claim that as it's on my mums driveway...

[steeevvvooo]

I get a cheque for 1500 AND the bike.

Rally, I don't think I can claim that as it's on my mums driveway...

sounds like a result to me! You should be able to get the bike back to it's previous state and have a little cash to spare (hopefully) :thumbsup:

Now... want to sell the bike to me for a project and then you can buy something else with your payout? ;)

:edit: sorry, couldn't help myself! :D

[number24]

Ahhh steeevvvooo... what to do with you? Unfortunately not, whilst I would love to and then buy scrapps' 900 I really cant afford the insurance on anything else. I can the bike repaired relatively cheaply as my friend owns a spray painting company so that's that covered. Just new cans and clip on bars really.

[rac3r]

There is one being broken on ebay if that's of any help

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DUACTI-MONSTER-600-DARK-2001-BRAKE-LEVER-BREAKING-BIKE-/160626231430?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item256611c886

[rac3r]

These look nice :D

http://www.hpcorse.com/EN/moto/28/monster-600

[utopia]

That sounds like a decent deal to me.
My experience was very similar to yours....assessor was a nice guy and offered me a similar sum and I kept the bike, which I guess was probably of a similar value. Mine was only a cat D though.
When I checked it over in detail, I found that the damage was actually either quite cheap to repair, or worth leaving alone and putting up with in the case of damaged plastics etc.
Then, after a much longer time, I got a further £4k settlement for injuries, which were mostly flesh wounds in my right leg, and some residual loss of movement and feeling after a year (though this continued to improve over the next couple of years and is relatively slight now).
I would say that your injuries sound like they might be worth a similar sum, and maybe the claim might get sorted sooner, as whiplash is more immediately obvious (I'm guessing).
The upshot is that in a year or so you might get a tidy sum to spend on your next monster....:woot:
Thats what I did with mine....:biggrin:
I could probably have claimed more, for loss of earnings and stuff, but I just went back to work early and hobbled. I don't like the claims culture, beyond what is reasonable.

So how are your injuries now then ?

[steeevvvooo]

Ahhh steeevvvooo... what to do with you? Unfortunately not, whilst I would love to and then buy scrapps' 900 I really cant afford the insurance on anything else. I can the bike repaired relatively cheaply as my friend owns a spray painting company so that's that covered. Just new cans and clip on bars really.

haha :p

Wasn't trying to be cheeky, but I know it was in great condition before the off so thought I'd ask :thumbsup:

Hope the injuries heal soon and you can get it back on the road before the end of the summer

[gary tompkins]

What was the verdict on the suspected damage to frame, swingarm and rear wheel?

[number24]

Its VERY slight (less than 5mm) and was to the rear sub frame, not the swingarm or front frame. Should pull out fairly easily. Im still going to get it checked properly first though. Im finding all the other damage is fairly minor; scratched paint, rear light lens, singular clip on.

Injuries were getting better quite rapidly after i got anti inflammoatories but they seem to have plateaued now leaving with constant lower back pain / stiffness and a painful neck if i turn my head too quick. Im back at work as I hate sitting around doing nothing, it's a slippery slope to slow recovery / depression IMO.

Im due to see an injury specialist soon so hopefully it wont take too long to get a settlement. Depending on the amount I may be looking into a new monnie, in which case I will let steeevvvooo know!

[number24]

PS Rac3r - Loving those 'zorsts!

[alan c]

Good luck in getting yourself and bike sorted asap :spin:

[gary tompkins]

How are thing progressing now on the bike and injuries?

Did you get very far with the repairs?

[number24]

Hi Gary, to be honest with you the bike is still sat on my driveway and i haven't done anything with it. I havent had the time with work and holiday.

The injuries side is progressing slowly, the third parties insurance has denied liability so my lawyers are going to try and get the to agree to settle out of court.

This all takes a very long time, doesnt it?!

[ladybird]

Hi Gary, to be honest with you the bike is still sat on my driveway and i haven't done anything with it. I havent had the time with work and holiday.

The injuries side is progressing slowly, the third parties insurance has denied liability so my lawyers are going to try and get the to agree to settle out of court.

This all takes a very long time, doesnt it?!

Glad the injuries are progressing, make sure you complain to the doctor regularly, in my first accident I didn't complain enough apparently so they couldn't be assured I was still in pain...

And yes, it takes bloody ages and if you're lucky they'll force encourage you to settle 50/50 after 2 years of back and forth.

[slob]

When they say "settle out of court" do you mean pay out 'without prejudice'. I've had this and it took me ages on the phone to get my insurers to give me my no claims bonus back (despite the fact the 3rd party had paid 100% of the claim), since they were saying liability was still disputed. Ducati Insurance and RSS were really helpfull. The underwriter doesn't care at all, they just want to take your money (and not pay out).
Since you were hit from behind (phone user... without due care/dangerous driving) whilst stationary at a red traffic signal, 3rd party have no choice but to admit liability, dig your heels in! Any witnesses?

[number24]

Yeah, there were witnesses. Im going to dig and push it.