It's Dead Jim! Carnage from Road Debris - Squeamish Beware

Now that you've gone and told everybody what happened you can't use the ole' "It fell off my trailer during transport" excuse LOL


Rollin

 

It was this thing! I pulled it off of the side of the road. This was exactly where it happened and it's what I glimpsed right before it happened.

Oh well, I'm going to get another engine and swap it in during the coming weeks. I'm guessing if I use my throttle body and all external components from my 98, I could swap in a 2001. How do I tell if it's a Cali engine?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The only way I know is to check the VIN.

 

now just match it up with the long gone truck

 

If that UFO broke a chunk off your pan it might still have traces of your oil and paint from your fairing on it.. What is it?

 

Tink - mello dud has a Cali 5th gen '98 and I had a regular '99. He said that there was a noticeable difference is the top end.

 

That's a road reflector thats imbedded in the asphalt. If you live in an area that snows they become loose from plows. This happened in the last few months around here to car. Local media was all over it.

 

A little snow here but not like some places.. If the incident with the car was similar (holing the pan and causing the engine to blow or seize) establishes maybe not precedent but pattern. That's a hell of a big chunk to hit at freeway speeds on a bike. Swerving on any freeway at speed during drive time is not a great idea anyway. Anyway, a good thing to have in one's hip pocket when the next round with the insurer's bell goes off.

 

Yep, it was a road reflector. They are working on the lanes in that area and probably were pulling some up and replacing/moving them. So this one must've fallen out on the road from one of the trucks. I suppose it could be the snow thing but it seems unlikely since it's fall right now.

I'll probably confront VDOT with it. There is oil residue on one of those spiky metal tines.

Still looking at engines, I'm leaning towards a semi-local 2001 engine from ebay. Just need to find out if I can ship it to my work in order to save money on the shipping. Thanks for the replies!

 

You are very lucky surviving that....very unusual. ..good luck wit the engine swap.

 

Where you at Rocker? VDOT?

 

Late Summer and Fall would be the opportune time for replacement and maintenance as opposed to Winter. A governmental agency (VDOT) will have records in the form of work orders maybe even replacement specifics. My call? It was not your fault that that bigass chunk of iron was in the middle of a busy freeway.

Good luck on that engine swap. I think I'd be checking the frame and motor mounts for alignment. It might be best to just total the bike, buy it back. part it oot and get another one. A VFR of course and not a Harley..

When speaking to your insurer, see if you can talk to the "bike guy". If you are dealing with one of those folks who only have one name in Emails or on the phone, they operate from scripts and have no power of leeway.

 

VDOT stuff: Virginia Dept. of Transportation

Public disclosure of work in progress ect:

http://augustafreepress.com/lynchburg-vdot-district-traffic-alerts-sept-29-oct-3/

If these dates are online, then it's likely other dates were too.

 

Apparently this is a problem in any cold weather state that uses this design. The raised road reflectors once loose can become projectiles at any time. The highway dept here has known for years about the issue & is working on replacing them.

LINK; I-93 Road Reflectors Scheduled To Be Replaced


Rocker1500 you really dodge a bullet. If that hit you in the chest.....

 

Now who is going to say that Geico didn't know aboot all this when they told Rocker his insurance was the wrong kind..

My call? Geico doesn't want to take on all the various DOTs in states where these gadgets are not only causing bigass mechanical problems but almost killing people.

Can we say Class Action suit?

It was a dark and stormy night...