I crashed my bike - what should I do with it?

[lprising]

Sorry for the cross-posting but I am desperate: Yesterday I got into an accident - I rear ended a car (don't want to go into details now). I am OK but the bike is in a very bad shape - I think. If you look at these pictures, what do you think? As you can see, there is heavy bodywork damage. I was able to start up the engine (by pulling the clutch, because there is no neutral/light). With the engine stopped I tried all the gears, they seem to be working - but it still felt like it was not going to neutral. Or is it just the switch? How can I figure it out? The frame does not seem to be bent - basically I did an emergency braking and wiped out on its right side, then slid into the cars bumper in front of me - that did the left side's damage. The right antler is broken off - the left one is intact, I just removed all the bags to take them home. As I live in a condo, of course I can't even bring the bike home - it is in a pound now but I will haver to have it moved soon - maybe my workplace... What do you think I should do with the bike? Of course as stupid as I am, there is no collision coverage on the insurance, so the wreck is pretty much mine. What a pain! I just installed the crash bars and the Hellas among other things. Sould I try to sell it as it is (could I?), or is it worth it to try to fix it? Anybody interested in it give me an offer - I am in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. RThanks for the imputs - I feel completely clueless now. Pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lprising/sets/72157605160567875/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COG # 8086 - North East (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) 2002 Concours 42,000 km (26,500 miles) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tipover bars, Hella FF-50 driving lights, Handlebar risers, NAPA Bakelite Socket and NAPA H4 85/100 W bulb with relayed dedicated wiring, GIVI Top bag w/backrest and brake light kit, EC Signal Light Conversion Kit, Accessory cigarette lighter plug sockets, TailBrite Reflectors, Half tank bra, Bergmen tank quick disconnect, Fuel Gauge adjustment (220 ohm resistor), Grip Puppies, Garmin Etrex Legend C GPS, AudioBoss AB-1M Intercom

 

[smithr]

Ouch, bummer. Glad your ok. Sorry the bike is not. Hard to get things fixed if you have no garage. It is hard to see any real damage from pics. I had almost no damage and I opted to take what I could get from the bike and buy one that was not damaged but then again the insurance paid me more then I paid for the bike in salvage. It is not as bad as I was thinking and given time and money it looks fixable. I feel your pain

<p align="left"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20211686@N05/">My Photos
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[joemcgraw]

If you have a unit-specific spot in the condo parking lot maybe something like a temporary shelter would suffice as a garage? The bike's condition, especially if you disassemble it further (and more gently will act as a theft deterrent. Link to <$300 portable shelter

 

[PatM]

It's hard to tell from the pics if the frame has been damaged. My guess is upper cowling (fairing) lower plus sub-assembly. This last part is pretty expensive and very hard to fix. Mine was bent + a cracked upper cowling and the winshield had to be replaced. Cost + labor was about $5000. My insurance paid for the damages. Plastic is expensive. I guess the first thing to do is to get an estimate. Patrick Ride safe. 1998 Kawasaki Concours Windsor Green COG# 7292 CDA# 0135

 

[richreed701]

I'll echo other sentiments and state that I am glad you are OK, and bummer about the bike. No doubt you will beat yourself up over the next 6 months (years)(decades) about the accident so I'll only offer that Shit Happens, take it as a lesson and The Man Upstairs (or Karma or Fate or whatever Deity or Grand Scheme Of Things you believe in) has decided you are worth keeping around. Learn from it. One thing I hope you do learn is that not having Comp and Collision on a modern motorcycle with bodywork is false economy. The cost of adding this protection is minimal, compared to the liability, and by opting for high deductable, even lower. OK, "Dad Lecture" over. Don't really know what you are looking for from us, my man. If the frame is not bent and the fork tubes servicabe, it is probably worth rebuilding. Likely the fork got tweaked, and is now binding. Loosen the triple clamp pinch bolts, align the clamps as best you can by eye, then tighten the top pinch bolts, and compress the fork several times to force alighninment, then tighten the lowers. If after this exercise the fork sliders still bind on compression, you've got at least one bent tube and it will need to be replaced. As far as the frame, the best you can do without expensive alignment equipment is to eyeball the frame as best you can. Use a flashlight. Look for cracked paint, especially at welds. Check all the motor mount fasteners, especially the lower rear, the one that always broke back in the 90's. If at this point you are satisfied the frame is intact, it's simply a matter of plastic replacement. I wouldn't worry about the transmission, as all bets are off with Kawasakis shifting with the engine off and the bike stationary. Try getting the bike on the C-Stand and turn the rear wheel while shifting. This should prove all is well. Regardless of the shape of the bike, it's a simple matter of how much is it gonna cost to get the bike back to where YOU are happy with it. It's time for a non-emotional approach, with a pen, paper and calculator. The internet is a great tool to help you decide the true cost of DIY, and it wouldn't hurt to get an estimate from a dealer. At least you'll have a yardstick to measure the cost of recovering the bike. Don't forget to consider options such as a custom rebuild, with the fairing replaced by a headlight bucket, and a Storz handlebar kit with superbike bars. If you can't come up with a friend or Kind Stranger with garage space, consider renting a storage locker big enogh to fit the bike. As long as you are not arc welding or painting in there, or setting up residenece, most places will let you do some work in the locker. Around here in Seattle lockers this big go for around $45 a month. This could be a viable solution until you get the bike serviceable again. In the end, you may find that the most economical thing for you to do is to part the bike out. For that, get an eBay and PayPal account, and start advertising. Most motorcycles are worth more in pieces than they are en toto. The Original Rich Reed COG #7 1986 Kawasaki Ninja 1000R 1977 Yamaha XS650 Standard 2004 Little Blue Chevy "Over the hill it's five bucks. Here in Idaho it's a hundred and eighty."