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Front end collision

4K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  Beethoven 
#1 ·
Hey folks, last week I made a slow impact into the back of some woman who I thought had already made the turn. I was rolling to a yield sign, probably 10-15mph, waiting for traffic to pass before I make my turn. As I was looking left and rolling to the sign, I thought the woman in front of me already went so when I turned my head forward to go, I was already smacking into her.

It was pretty embarrassing and just plain stupid of me but it happened.

Anyways I think the front fender went under her bumper sort of and her bumper wedged between the fender and the headlight. The fender is done for, some scuffs on the headlight along with cracks on the fairing part beneath the headlight, and a crack on the right side fairing near the bottom of the fins along with other scratches is the most damage I can make out of it.

My question is, could there be some damage of any structural components that I cannot see without removing the plastics? If it's just plastic damage, should I have a shop do it or buy the pieces myself? My deductible is on the high side and the insurance aint cheap as it is so I'd like to keep it off if possible.

I plan on taking it to a shop to get an estimate of course, but I wanted to see if you guys could give me some recommendations on how I should manage it. Thanks.

Here are some pictures to get yall an idea on the damage:











 
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#2 ·
You can get all new after market plastics off eBay for 3-5 hundred. Not sure exactly how good they are but it is a cheap alternative to get you back on the road till you save up to get factory if you don't like them. Looking at the pics the only thing I would think is possibly damaged would be the forks and/ or the triple clamps being bent. And a tip on the plastics, they're not difficult and the owners manual gives instructions how to take them off. As soon as I remove one I thread the screws back in the hole a little so I don't lose them and I don't have to remember where they went.
 
#4 ·
It comes with the territory glad your alright and not extensive damages. If isn't any damage to the radiator and forks, you should be just fine. At 10-15 mph, the front tire/fender was probably the cushion that sustained most of impact.
 
#6 ·
Fender mod sounds good, I like the way it looks.

Yea for a split second, but it's weird, no other damage occurred anywhere else on the side. The bar ends didn't touch the ground, the pipes didn't, I don't even think the pegs touched the ground by looking at them.

My body basically slid forward against the gas tank and I went to the right. I don't think it completely dropped. Looking from a side view, that piece that's all scratched up seems to be the part that sticks out the most aside from the pipes. Still not sure how it got that scratched up there.
 
#7 · (Edited)
For some reason I couldn't see the pics on my other PC; now that see the pics, it pretty much looks like fairing damage which is a good sign because it could've been a lot more expensive.


I remember many years ago the same kinda accident happen to me but it's because I was too busy checking out this beautiful girl and not paying attention to the damn road. :big grin:
 
#8 ·
Ha, that makes it even more painful.

Looking up the prices of replacement pieces, I might as well have a shop do it and pay the insurance. Each piece is about $2-300 a pop it seems. Luckily I'm about to store it for the winter. I may just take it apart piece by piece and figure out what all I need when I get the time. I'm not sure if I have any local motorcycle repair shops near me. The one auto place I went to didn't work on motorcycles.
 
#9 ·
If you go through the insurance be prepare to have your premiums go north. As far as fairings, since it's winter keep your eye on eBay and CL. Plenty of time to score those pieces there.
 
#14 ·
The C14 frame can be damaged by impact and I recommend you remove all the plastics and inspect the cast aluminum frame for cracks or breaks. The frame is very strong but very stiff and, as is the case with cast aluminum, it tends to break rather than bend.

Also you'll want to carefully check the fork tubes to ensure they are not bent and also check the triple-tree for bends and cracks.

It's probably all OK, but the last thing you want to do is have a structural failure while your riding down the road.
 
#21 ·
Had a guy back up into me at a stop light. Try to locate parts locally or on ebay. Make sure they are OEM. The guy who backed up into me had his insurance company send my bike dealership $2600 to fix it. Stuff ain't cheap
 
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