How easily are Monsters damaged???

[bmonty72]

I had an accident on my 2006 S2R on Monday morning.  Long story short...Dodge truck bumper 1, Ducati Monster 0.  I was in the Lefthand lane behind some slow traffic, center lane was mostly clear, Righthand lane was baced up with cars exiting this highway to get onto another.  I signaled and changed lanes to the center lane.  I saw the truck ahead of me but it did not have breaklights on.  I scanned left and right to make sure no one was also thinking of cutting into the centerlane.  I look back at the truck ahead of me and I am coming up on it HARD.  I hit the brakes and am dropping speed fast.  Finally the back wheel locks and begins to skid.  My bike fell over when it hit the back of the truck.  I stayed on the bike (or the bike stayed on me) for about 15 or 20 feet.  I have yet to determine if my ankle is sprained or broken.  The bike looks to have very minor damage...mirrors, signals, shifter peg are done. There are some scrapes on the left engine case, the left bar-end is well ground and a small nick on the tank where the handlebars contacted it.  I can't tell if the handlebars are bent or not.  I am concerned about how easily the triple trees or frame can be damaged.  anyone with any FHE with lowsiding monsters please chime in.  SHould I just try to fix what I see?  My dealer wants $200 in labor to look at it and give me an estimate.  Do I go ahead and file an Insurance claim and watch my rates go up???  Help...any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. 

[cyrus buelton]

I'd get that ankle checked out first

[MikeZ]

Glad you made it out relatively ok.
If the frame isn't bent or cracked you should probably be ok.
$200 just to look at it for an estimate?  That's crazy.  Any other dealers you could try?
How long have you been w/ your Ins. Co.? Any other claims w/ them?
Most of the work sounds like easy fixes other then the scraped engine cover.

[Cynic]

I'd get that ankle checked out first

+1

But as far as your bike goes...

Sadly I have low sided my bike... well more than once.  (in my defense I was just learning and haven't crashed or droped bike in almost 2 years!)
But I have to say that most likely with only superficial damage like you describe the forks/frame etc. should be fine.  I have never had to replace any of those from any crash of mine.  However, I would recommend having a professional look at it just to be sure and safe.

[Spidey]

First, I'm glad you're relatively ok.  Definitely get that ankle checked out.

Second, $200 for an inspection is insane.  What's their rate?  I can't imagine what would take 2-3 hours to diagnose.

Third, it's had to tell from your description how the accident occurred. There's a big difference between a lowside and a front end impact.  I wouldn't be too worried about damage to the triples or frame if it's just a lowside.  However, if you had a front end impact (it sounds like you hit the truck?) then I'd definitely want a professional to check it out.  In generally, Ducs crash pretty well.  The frame are pretty sturdy.  You'd likely notice the front end damage if there was significant damage.  Does the front wheel roll properly?  Are the forks obviously tweaked?  Are there any knicks or scratches on your wheel, rotors or fork legs?  Have the streering stops broken off?  Does the bike track straight?  If it's just some rash and a tank ding (your handlebars most likely are bent), that's fairly easy to fix on your own.  It wont' be back to 100%, but you can get most of the parts in the classifieds or on eBay.

Personally, I'd have the shop take a look at it before filing an insurance claim (but not for $200).  If it's just what you've described, then I'd just fix it on my own and not claim anything.

Good luck, and get thee to the doctor.

[bmonty72]

I'm a firefighter/EMT.  The crash occured in the Fire District where I work.  I went to the ER on Monday Morning.  I've had X-Rays, then an MRI, and am now waiting to get into the Osteo-somethingorother.  My buddies went by and picked up my bike and took it to the fire station, I stopped and looked it over on Monday afternoon, but i was on Hydrocodone at the time...

I am going to try to get by there today and get the bike to the dealer.  I guess if it is hurt bad enough to file a claim I'll just add the diagnotic fee in to the claim, if it can be fixed without filing a claim, I'll save on insurance premiums way more than whatever the dealer charges for 2 hours labor.  I was just guessing what their labor fee may be.  I assumed 3 hours at approx $60/hour.  I'll let you guys know.  As far as lowside vs. front end impact...it happened VERY quickly, but I am pretty sure I made impact and that is what knocked me over.  The other driver claims to have felt me hit her and that was her first indication of the incident.  I slid on my left side but Both mirrors are make-the-beast-with-two-backs-ed up?  Perhaps my right arm came up and hit the right mirror?  I really would want my bike back to original condition....I'm just vain like that....Wish me luck!!! Thanks for the quick replies....

[herm]

i would get in touch with the insurance company ASAP since there was another vehicle involved.

[Bun-bun]

No FHE, but I've been told by a dealer, and two friends who ar claims adjusters that Ducatis are very easy to total because parts are so farkin' expensive from the factory.
Tank: $1800
Rearset: $400
Mirrors: $75/each
Etc.
And if the stops break off, they consider that frame damage, and automatically total the bike.

Do you own the bike, or are you making payments?
If you own, file a claim, then buy the bike back, fix it, and keep the extra.
If you make payments, if you file a claim, the insurance will pay the bike off and you get whatever's left, which may not be enough to buy the bike back, much less fix it up.

Good luck.

[Scottish]

Yeah contact your insurance company, it is insane how easily Monsters total out. But Ducati wants something like $1,800 for a gas tank, and your insurance company will repair to "as new" condition. Which means every part with even a nick is replaced, they don't repair. Do you have full coverage? If not pm me, I can give you some ppointers on rebuilding it. If so let the insurance take care of it. Now go get your ankle looked at.



BTW: If you are covered by insurance, and they do total the bike. If you're not interested in rebuilding it, I'd be interested in picking it up from you. After building my bike it has become a hobby of mine. When I can find one I can afford. Let me know the buy back price if your interested, we can see if I can make it worth your while....

[superjohn]

I agree with everyone else here. Plus, I've said it before and I've said it again, if it's just minor damage that you can cover yourself, don't bother involving your insurance company. I never want to give them a reason to up my rates again. When I dropped mine it bent the bars, and scuffed up the bar ends, but other than that it was fine. I know a lot of people who've low sided and the frame was OK afterwards.

[bmonty72]

I took it in to the dealer today for the estimate...He said he's back logged and will get to it in less than a week.  He said the fee for the estimate will be waived if I leave the bike there for repairs,,,That sounded fair.  He also said that if I brought him aftermarket parts, he would install them for me...i.e.  CRG mirrors in place of OEM Ducati.  I will see what all he finds by this time next week.  He said that it looked pretty good and he doubted that it would be totaled.  Thanks again, I would really prefer to keep Insurance man out of it if I can.  I have a dollar limit in my head if it exceeds that for all the necessary fixes I will file a claim..otherwise I will try to do it over the winter....THanks guys DMF Rocks because of you!!!!!!!!