need some advice...insurance co wants to salvage my bike

[agypsy]

hello folks,

so i had a crash on my rockster. the insurance company did an estimate on the damage and from their estimate they believe it will cost more to fix than it would to just call it a loss and give me money. they're offering $6500 and said if i salvaged it myself i would only get $4500.

the bike is in san francisco but i've been in los angeles for the past month (for business) so there's been no time for me to actually ride the bike and see for myself whether or not the damage is all that bad. also i've been recovering with fractured ribs and sprained ankle so i wasn't able to ride the bike before i left for LA.

a PP member, tomasa aka "tomn" rode the bike home for me from the tow yard. he said the engine had some vibrations but wasn't sure if it was normal boxer vibs or not as he's never ridden an R1150R. but he said it didn't seem like the frame was bent.

from what i could tell while the insurance guy and myself were closely examining the bike:

• the left fork tube might be damaged because we noticed that there's an indentation on the telever where the fork hit it. BTW, does anyone know how much force the telelever's can handle before they need replacing?
  
  also, i think i'll need to replace the bearings within the center of the triple tree where it connects to the front of the frame (i'm not sure what that area's called). i can feel it grinding at the end of it's travel when i turn it to the right.
  
  then there's the headlight housing which probably needs replacement as it's off center and there's only a bracket that it's welded onto.
  
  the tank has a slight dent where the handle hit it.
  
  handle bar is bent.
  
  it's possible there might be engine damage as i mentioned above. i did hear the bike tumbling with me.

also the bike has a full remus exhaust system with y-pipe and power commander. she was running real good with that set up!
i dont have a lot of free time (or tools for that matter) to fix it myself.
should i try to get another estimate from a bmw dealership which will cost more money but might be worth the effort?
take the money and run?

feel free to ask me about details that i might be forgetting....

thanks

[signit98]

Salvage it yourself and you'll likely have some money left over... or take the big check and buy my 11S cheap... either way, I don't think you have any engine damage, as it would be rather evident... oil leaking, case crack etc.

Get the report from the adjuster and see what he claimed to be damaged... that'll help make the final decision, Russ

[Steve Carlton]

$2,000 seems like a lot to pay to keep it. I wouldn't try and fix it. You'll still have a salvage titled bike, which hurts the value by about a third. And it could wind up being a can of worms; not good if you don't have time to fiddle with it.

The insurance should also give you tax and pro-rated registration on top of the bike value, minus the deductible. Does the value they're giving for the bike sound like retail market value? That's what they're supposed to give you. If they're not, you can bump them up.

[agypsy]

Originally Posted by signit98

Salvage it yourself and you'll likely have some money left over... or take the big check and buy my 11S cheap... either way, I don't think you have any engine damage, as it would be rather evident... oil leaking, case crack etc.

Get the report from the adjuster and see what he claimed to be damaged... that'll help make the final decision, Russ

ralf, you're right, i didnt see any leaks at all. and yes, i'm going to get the report...thanks.

ps: i'd consider another S but let me see how this pans out.

[agypsy]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

$2,000 seems like a lot to pay to keep it. I wouldn't try and fix it. You'll still have a salvage titled bike, which hurts the value by about a third. And it could wind up being a can of worms; not good if you don't have time to fiddle with it.

The insurance should also give you tax and pro-rated registration on top of the bike value, minus the deductible. Does the value they're giving for the bike sound like retail market value? That's what they're supposed to give you. If they're not, you can bump them up.

hey steve, thanks for the help! good points to consider. not sure about the retail market value but i did a quick check on ebay and there's a couple going for about $7500.

[tomn]

Agyp:
that bike is tight, take it to a non-dealer bmw fixer and get an estimate on top of a dealer estimate, I'd fix it and ride on anytime.
How are the ribbs? ready for barbeque at my place yet? your choice of racks!

[ckcarr]

You are not a wrench as your saying above. You don't have free time nor a lot of tools.

This would imply (I'd hope) that you are making decent money in your real-life job. So you can afford these little steps backwards when they occur. Wrenching is because you do it for a living, and/or you enjoy it as a satisfying hobby, or you can't afford repair costs.

Dump it, take the check and move on.

[signit98]

Originally Posted by ckcarr

You are not a wrench as your saying above. You don't have free time nor a lot of tools.

Dump it, take the check and move on.

I will have to agree with Craig... he - as usual - has thought this a little further through than I did... I was looking at this situation from my perspective!

[Kiriath]

This sounds easy to me.

If you want a wrecked bike for 2k, take the bike and the money.

If not, just take the money.


Now why would you want a wrecked bike for 2k? Because you either likes to mess with wrecked bikes, or you think you can salvage more than 2k from it.

This does not sound like the kinda situation your in though.


If I were you, id take the money and run.

[lightfighter]

Originally Posted by ckcarr

You are not a wrench as your saying above. You don't have free time nor a lot of tools.

This would imply (I'd hope) that you are making decent money in your real-life job. So you can afford these little steps backwards when they occur. Wrenching is because you do it for a living, and/or you enjoy it as a satisfying hobby, or you can't afford repair costs.

Dump it, take the check and move on.

ive done the salvage thing, both to create phoenix rigs and to sell parts for cash, and though i eat this kind of project for sheer joy and economy equally, i wouldnt recomend it if you have reservations about it. the half of you that thinks it is a bad idea is probably right.

[agypsy]

Originally Posted by ckcarr

You are not a wrench as your saying above. You don't have free time nor a lot of tools.

This would imply (I'd hope) that you are making decent money in your real-life job. So you can afford these little steps backwards when they occur. Wrenching is because you do it for a living, and/or you enjoy it as a satisfying hobby, or you can't afford repair costs.

Dump it, take the check and move on.

hey craig, very logically put. i've realized, at this point, i have an emotional attachment, which maybe (only) appealing to my irrational side...

having a hard time letting go..hence my posting this thread...

[agypsy]

i must explain why i haven't been replying in a timely fashion...

i've been in europe for the past 3 days, so i've been in a kind of time warp...

[SergioK]

Originally Posted by agypsy

hey craig, very logically put. i've realized, at this point, i have an emotional attachment, which maybe (only) appealing to my irrational side...

having a hard time letting go..hence my posting this thread...

Yup, I felt the same way when my ins. co. totaled out my bike. After clocking more than 45k miles on it and just as many memories, I had a tough time letting go. But, in the end, it makes allot of sense to just walk away from it, unless you want that can of worms that will inevitably create some not-so-fond memories.

[arcteryx33]

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