Sunny day + Nearsighted Granny = Broken VFR

So, Im new to the board, and new to VFRs in general. I bought a new (seriously 0 miles) 2010 VFR1200 DCT from Sun Honda a few weeks ago. Friday morning an old lady ran a stop sign in mid U turn and collected my front end.
Now I believe that there might have been fork, wheel and tire damage from the impact but the pros at Sun did not find such evidence. I did not hit the car hard enough to be thrown from the bike so maybe its true. Anyone have any experience in this area?

 

Definitely get a second opinion from another place or two just to be sure.

 

Wedged in the front of the car and no front end damage?
Stranger things have happened I suppose.

I would definitely be getting it carefully assessed. If it was my bike I would be dropping the fork legs to check absolute straightness against a straight edge.

 

You have to be kidding, forks have to be bent

 

Are you alright though? Even though you didn't get thrown off

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your not suppose to hit bad drivers instead ride around them

 

It's not very cost effective to shop around, the bike is not roadworthy. The right brake rotor took a hit and broke. So it would be a tow bill added to every estimate along with the cost of labor to put the estimate together.
In the accident I attempted evasive moves to the left lane but the woman wanted it more I guess. I was able to walk away with nothing more than sore hips and thighs where I gripped the tank. Thanks thigh master!

I was assured by the insurance adjuster yesterday that if the bike exhibits any issues after I pick it up, the parts will still be covered. I was just befuddled as to why they would not include something so critical to the estimate.

 

HondaGhandi, welcome to the forum, and I am sorry we had to first meet under the circumstances of your accident. I am glad you are well though.

If you had the thought of upgrading the suspension, in the midst of upgrading your fork a suspension shop could handle any repair and provide documentation of the issue.

This shop is highly recommended here, and a re-spring and valve upgrade can provide much better performance at a reasonable cost:

http://www.daughertymotorsports.com/vfr1200.html

You could get Sun's estimate in removing and reinstalling the fork. While upgrading now would be efficient since other repairs are being done, the lead time on the upgrade would cut into your riding season. If this bike is your primary transportation that is a consideration as well.

 

Thanks Knight. I had not considered that, but maybe a project for next winter when Insend the ECU out for a Reflash. As for this year my budget is blown just buying the bike and gear. I haven't ridden in 20 years so I'm coming back into this slowly. Hopefully this mishap will be my last.

 

If the driver of the car ran a stop sign and then proceeded to attempt a U turn. It is then the driver who is at fault and the resoponsibility lies with the driver and her insurer to pay for the damage to your bike.

Sun has been on this forum more than once with poor reviews via Google. The reviews are followed by wordy bullshit apologies and promises to be better next time .

A foot either way from where your front end inserted itself in that car even at low velocity would have been a Tbone. Think highsiding over the hood or faceplanting a door post or window..

If the impact broke a brake rotor and "the pros" are telling you that all that may be wrong with the bike is that, I have a bridge in NY that I can make you a really sweet deal on.

BTW this Knight dude is full of shit and has little or no real experience other than what he reads and regurgitates taking credit of originality and savvy. Maybe he secretly works for Sun in public relations..

 

Im not worried about whos insurance is liable in this case so much as peoples experiences with Sun Honda or similar situations. My insurance company called today and assured me that if there are any issues after the repairs, they will make it right. My bike is brand new with 200 miles on it and it should look and feel like that again when I get it back. If not, Ill either fix it myself or take it somewhere that understands physics.

 

I would be telling the repairer and insurance company that the front suspension does not feel right, it does not have the same compression/rebound characteristics as it did before.

Therefore you want it properly checked and the forks certified as straight by the repairer. Getting them to put their name and signature on something they haven't checked may either convince them to check it properly or if they flat out refuse, will give an indication of how confident they are on the lack of damage.

For me, the chances of the forks not being bent is about the same as the idea Noah actually loaded two of every animal onto a wooden boat - look up Eddie izzard on the beleivability of Noah's ark.
http://youtu.be/7tcjZl0vk9Y

 

Good job aiming for the car's crumple zone, Ghandi! Looks like you had a soft (-ish) crash so maybe the damage is limited to the brake rotor.

I would say it will be near on impossible to determine if the fork tubes are bent without disassembling them and using a straight-edge. The wheel is easy to check in place, just by spinning it and using a dial indicator to check for run-out side to side and hop up and down.

 

Jesus Billy, who shit in your cornflakes.

 

Whoa, you're kidding, you didn't do a double twisted triple axle move, Wow. Good save SMH one lucky dude. No way there's that little of damage. I'd be all over that driver making sure they don't get away with this. Do a back up with your agent in making sure it's handle correctly they have folks that will come to you just for this very reason you speak of not being able to take the bike here and there. if they are half way competent they should make this right. I've seen things like this and the bike is totaled from an unseen frame being bent, so don't let your guard down. sorry to see this, but you had an angel with you.

 

Lol RVFR, I feel the same way. When I opened my eyes I couldnt believe I was still on the bike and not in orbit. Im scheduled to pick up the bike April 1st so I will bring my GoPro and pick that thing apart. If its not a brand new bike, and doesnt ride like a brand new bike, itll be going to another shop for re-evaluation. Sun was not willing to cover the work past 30 days which is a huge red flag to me that they are not confident in their diagnostics.

Funny story about the insurance, the lady and I both have American Family, and the same agent. So theres no getting out of this one for her!

 

Give me a couple of days to check. I'm on a grits and eggs roll.


https://sillykhan.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/caitlyn-wheaties-box-2.jpg

 

Wow, I would be taking to how ever many places I had to tell someone says there is cuz it's was brand new not your fault!!

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Did you mean confidant or competant? Your AmFam agent should be able to provide you with the cagers driving record. Agents are not all the same. My first AmFam guy went into commercial insurance, Guy #2 chucked it in and is teaching English in Vietnam. Guy #3 turned a question I had over to his chica Friday who is not a certified agent. He perked right up when I told him to cancel all my policies.

Wanna have some fun? Write of your experience with Sun and post it on thier site. Be wearing hip boots when they respond..

 

Man, this sucks to have happen to any bike, let alone a brand new one! ...glad you're okay though.

As for the forks, even if they're not bent, they took a significant hit (enough to destroy a rotor ...and that's a lot of force). Even if (IF) the sliders aren't bent, I guarantee the bushings inside the fork tubes are deformed out of spec! I would insist that the forks be torn down and inspected at a minimum, and new bushings & seals installed even if they tubes are verified straight. You don't want any play in the front end of your motorcycle!

Any mechanic worth their salt would insist on a detailed inspection before signing off that the bike was okay. With a front end hit like that, the inspection should include forks, wheel, brakes (disks and rotors), steering head bearings, the frame geometry at the steering head, etc..

Hope you can get this resolved to your satisfaction!