R18 hit while parked

PistolPeteSTL

PistolPeteSTL

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Whelp, attended a BBQ festival over the weekend and my bike was hit by a van while it was parked. Hit on the left side and knocked over onto the right. The factory engine guard did a good job overall, but still damaged the muffler, head pipe and valve cover on the side of the nap.

I'm worried it's going to be totaled because BMW parts are so expensive. Even little pieces like mirrors and handlebar ends are pricey, and both sides were damaged as well as the handlebar bent. When I added up all the bits that were damaged, the parts alone come to over $7k. Now, some of that, like the fork covers and front fender can likely be repainted and don't have to be replaced, but I sure hope they don't total it. Just got the police report today and filed with the van's insurance to get the process started.
 
Oh no, that's terrible... I'm sorry to hear that.

The first month into my first R18, a deer popped out in front of me a couple of miles from home after ~500 miles of riding. I crashed going 30 mph into a ditch full of leaves....
I drove it home but when the dealer tallied everything up... the total repair was going to cost over $26,000. They tallied up everything with even the smallest damage... and yes... BMW parts are super expensive...
Suffice it to say the bike was totaled... But with that insurance money I was able to find one a few months later for a good price. I didn't end up losing much.

Hopefully things will work out for you well!
 
Vyk said:
the total repair was going to cost over $26,000. They tallied up everything with even the smallest damage... and yes... BMW parts are super expensive...
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Yeah, that's what I am worried about. I guess I will see! At least my local dealer has some low mileage used bikes in stock if I end up needing to replace it.
 
Sorry to hear about both issues. When financing with BMW I wonder if there is a way to add GAP insurance or some such thing. My insurance is through State Farm.
 
It might be better to total the bike and start fresh.

A few years back, my wife got T-boned at an intersection in our late-model Subaru Forester. Damage was $16K, and the insurance company decided to have it repaired. We got a loaner for 3-months, and the car never worked right after that: warning lights kept coming on and the Eyesight system get going on the fritz. We ended up selling the thing a year later.

I can only imagine how bad you feel right now. I'm sorry to hear it. But, there might be a silver lining in writing the bike off.

Hope it all ends well.
 
About 15 years ago I had a similar thing happen to me. I used to commute to work on my (mint) Yamaha XJ900. I parked it up as normal in the works private car park and when I got back some time later I noticed it had been moved to a different spot. As I got to it I saw the RHS mirror was bend and scratched, the bar end, RHS chromed exhaust dented, foot pegs scratched, upper fairing cracked. It turned out a woman called Janet had reversed a works van into it and knocked it over. So off I marched to find her……I confronted her (reasonably politely considering what she had done) but instead of doing the decent thing and a-p-o-l-o-g-i-s-i-n-g she tried to blame me for parking it there!! I couldn’t believe it. So we had a slanging match and even though our paths crossed occasionally I never spoke to her ever again. I tried complaining in work but got nowhere with that ( vehicles parked at your own risk and all that) so ended up mending and bending things as best I could. I didn’t go through insurance because the bike was too old really but it wasn’t the point. It was my bike. I do really feel for you and hope things work out ok.
 
Rufus said:
About 15 years ago I had a similar thing happen to me. I used to commute to work on my (mint) Yamaha XJ900. I parked it up as normal in the works private car park and when I got back some time later I noticed it had been moved to a different spot. As I got to it I saw the RHS mirror was bend and scratched, the bar end, RHS chromed exhaust dented, foot pegs scratched, upper fairing cracked. It turned out a woman called Janet had reversed a works van into it and knocked it over. So off I marched to find her……I confronted her (reasonably politely considering what she had done) but instead of doing the decent thing and a-p-o-l-o-g-i-s-i-n-g she tried to blame me for parking it there!! I couldn’t believe it. So we had a slanging match and even though our paths crossed occasionally I never spoke to her ever again. I tried complaining in work but got nowhere with that ( vehicles parked at your own risk and all that) so ended up mending and bending things as best I could. I didn’t go through insurance because the bike was too old really but it wasn’t the point. It was my bike. I do really feel for you and hope things work out ok.
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That's why small claim court exist. If youre in US... but there might be smth similar in other parts of this world too.

I used it multiple times against individuals that caused damage to my property but didnt want to pay.
 
Funny, or not, back a few years ago somebody tried to park in the same spot I had my new (2007) gsa parked in. Didn’t take much of a tap to knock it over. BMW estimate was thousands to get all the scratched parts replaced and that baby has near to no plastic. First get-off did 10x the damage but still looked and worked fine.

There in lies the big difference between the big adventure bikes and their big street bikes counterparts; plastic bolt on parts. They are designed for looks and wind, not the ground.
 
Gr8adv said:
Funny, or not, back a few years ago somebody tried to park in the same spot I had my new (2007) gsa parked in. Didn’t take much of a tap to knock it over. BMW estimate was thousands to get all the scratched parts replaced and that baby has near to no plastic. First get-off did 10x the damage but still looked and worked fine.

There in lies the big difference between the big adventure bikes and their big street bikes counterparts; plastic bolt on parts. They are designed for looks and wind, not the ground.
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Oh yeah, my GS has been over a few times while doing light off roading. A couple scuffs here and there but nothing I ever felt the need to repair. I run Pelican cases as panniers and they take a drop really nicely, can barely tell at all they were down.

Meanwhile, my R18 has dozens of scratches down the exhaust and looks terrible. Of course, it looks like it went down pretty hard and maybe was drug along the road for a meter or three, so it may have went down harder than my GS has ever.

Thanks for the kind words! Hopefully I'll start getting this sorted out in the next couple weeks.
 
I have two exciting updates! The insurance company tells me the woman driving doesn't have insurance through them, while the woman ensures me she does. This could get entertaining.

Also- the damage estimate came back and it's $10k. That's higher than I was figuring, but the tech found a bit of damage I hadn't seen once it was on the lift. Man, BMW parts are not cheap! It wouldn't se so bad, but since it was hit on one side and landed on the other there are just a bunch of individual parts that got damaged, including the front fork uppers and one lower which require a bit of labor to get off and back on.

I fear I am going to have to turn this in to my insurance and deal with the rate bump that comes from it, which sucks.
 
Cost plus salvage is getting close to a total.

I would ask your insurance person what the total damage would have to be for a total. Make sure your bmw person comes in under that. (Assuming a total would not be in your favor). When you get the cash you can repair what you want and live with what you want. Likely you will come out ahead as I am sure some if it you can do yourself and pocket $175/hr and some of it you will be able to live with.

GL
 
Gr8adv said:
Cost plus salvage is getting close to a total.

I would ask your insurance person what the total damage would have to be for a total. Make sure your bmw person comes in under that. (Assuming a total would not be in your favor). When you get the cash you can repair what you want and live with what you want. Likely you will come out ahead as I am sure some if it you can do yourself and pocket $175/hr and some of it you will be able to live with.

GL
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Yeah, I am sure I couldn't replace the bike for what the insurance company would offer if it is totalled. On the other side, if it isn't totalled, then I have a bike with an accident on the title, which would make it worth less and harder to sell if I decide to do that down the road. Neither seems like a choice full of joy. I'll probably mull over the options over the weekend before I get my insurance company involved.
 
PistolPeteSTL said:
Yeah, I am sure I couldn't replace the bike for what the insurance company would offer if it is totalled. On the other side, if it isn't totalled, then I have a bike with an accident on the title, which would make it worth less and harder to sell if I decide to do that down the road. Neither seems like a choice full of joy. I'll probably mull over the options over the weekend before I get my insurance company involved.
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Not sure you will have much room left for more money but…

You are correct that the bike will have a lower value after the accident. Your insurance is suppose to get you back to market value. Market value as you have stated will include said deduction. They won’t ever tell you that but if you go to battle you will win and get additional funds due the accident ‘value’. With documentation from a dealer or reputable sales agent they will comply.
 
I tend to look around a bit when parking. Having my bike knocked over by a car is an enormous burden.
 
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