Multistrada salvage buy-back / insurance rant

[Pinocchio]

Since the agreement with my better (and saner) half was, "only one motorcycle at a time or I'm getting a cat"  : I decided to sell the BattleStrada now that I have the $4R$ to play with. One money pit is enough for me, and two mistress substitutes are too many for my  Mrs. to stomach, apparently.

I've been prepping the Multi for sale, so I was at AMS weekend before last ordering a special cable tie that attaches the MTS' taillight wiring harness to a frame lug in the rear of the bike. While I was showing the tech what remains of the old fastener, I described the damage from my 2006 low-side, and asked him if he thought the reason the rear fairing plastics don't fit right is because the frame is bent. At that moment, Jeff happened by, and said, "I know the frame's bent. I put an alignment light on it and measured it."  Jeff had done the initial damage survey. So, why was I only learning about the frame damage almost three years after the crash?!?  Turns out Jeff had told the adjuster that the frame was bent, but the adjuster disagreed and concealed it from me, not wanting to admit the bike was a total loss. 

Armed with this new evidence of the duplicity of their adjuster,  I called Progressive last week and reopened the claim. A different adjuster came out to the house yesterday (the original adjuster isn't with Progressive any more - couldn't take the pressure, the current adjuster said). He took some pictures and seemed convinced that the frame was bent, and promised he'd do his best to put this 3 year-old claim to rest. I asked him the name of a local frame shop that Progressive had worked with in these instances, and he said, "we don't do that. You wouldn't want a bike that had a repaired frame." I agreed with him, and told him that I wasn't the type that would conceal such a fact from a potential buyer.

So it looks like I may be getting a settlement offer tomorrow or early next week.  I intend to part out the Leo Vince EVO II slip-on cans, the PowerCard, silver CRG Roll-a-Click levers, the DP/Garmin GPS mount (I'm keeping the Street Pilot III), the ZeroG ST windsreen, the pillion cover, and the Sargent rider's seat. I'm also going to tell MotoWheels that the POS ExBox replacement horizontal header pipe was still leaking and popping before I took it off, and see if they are willing to give me either a refund or store credit on some S4RS goodies.

Progressive will probably offer me a salvage buy-back, which might be a lucrative option if I could could find a buyer who wanted a salvage-titled bike to build into a streetfighter; barring that, the BattleStrada Galactica is about to get the Deep Six.

John

[webspoke]

Wow, good to hear they are making it right, but what a cold-case scenario. I'm surprised (as I'm sure you are) that word did not make it back to you from AMS during/after the repairs.

[caffeinejunkee]

I'm surprised (as I'm sure you are) that word did not make it back to you from AMS during/after the repairs.

+1 that is odd to me as well


Glad to hear it will work out, though

[hiero]

wow, that's pretty amazing, 3 years later? 

so uh, are you saying you might have some CRGs for cheap? 

[♣ McKraut ♣]

sorry to hear about the loss, man...but at least you have another ride you're already breaking in.

how well did the powercard work?  i'm wondering if something like that would help the popping condition i have on my s4r... let me know, i might be interested in taking it off your hands if it worked decently at richening up your air/fuel mix.

[Pinocchio]

Wow, good to hear they are making it right, but what a cold-case scenario. I'm surprised (as I'm sure you are) that word did not make it back to you from AMS during/after the repairs.

That's because AMS didn't do the repairs. Progressive adamantly refused to pay AMS' labor rate, which at the time was $100/ hr. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had signed the work order anyway, because the frame damage would have come to light and stopped the fraud that Progressive perpetrated. Instead, I let the adjuster's supervisor and his boss, Progressive's North Texas Regional Lines rep, convince me to take the Multi to another shop. The parts hanger that worked on it at that shop never spotted the frame damage. But, as Paul Harvey used to say, that was only part of the story....

Buy me a pint sometime, and I'll tell you the rest of it. 

John

[♣ McKraut ♣]

That's because AMS didn't do the repairs. Progressive adamantly refused to pay AMS' labor rate, which at the time was $100/ hr. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had signed the work order anyway, because the frame damage would have come to light and stopped the fraud that Progressive perpetrated. Instead, I let the adjuster's supervisor and his boss, Progressive's North Texas Regional Lines rep, convince me to take the Multi to another shop. The parts hanger that worked on it at that shop never spotted the frame damage. But, as Paul Harvey used to say, that was only part of the story....

Buy me a pint sometime, and I'll tell you the rest of it. 

John

when i dumped my m750 in arkansas, progressive was pretty much shit to work with.  and they also refused to cover the AMS labor rate; i think they wanted the max at $75.  but they ended up totaling it out.  cannot recommend progressive for autos or motorcycles.

[Pinocchio]

when i dumped my m750 in arkansas, progressive was pretty much shit to work with.  and they also refused to cover the AMS labor rate; i think they wanted the max at $75.  but they ended up totaling it out.  cannot recommend progressive for autos or motorcycles.

+1 even though Progressive's North Texas Insurance Lines Manager, David Burkamp, told me last week they've done market research since '06, and they are now paying AMS' rate "on that side of town" (?), i am going to look elsewhere after settling this claim.

Oh, and the take-off PowerCard is for 1000DS pre-O2 sensor motors only, sorry!

[Pinocchio]

so uh, are you saying you might have some CRGs for cheap? 

Oops, sorry, hiero. In the fit I was throwing over Progressive's crappy service, I overlooked the mercantile aspect of your post. 

The CRGs are for sale, yes. They are the large-bolt Ducati variety, retailing for $109 and change, hardly used. Measure your bolt and PM me with your model info if you want them, so that I can confirm that they will fit your application. Once we know that they will fit, you can make me an offer.
John

[NorDog]

Sorry to hear about all of this.  However, I must say that I had a wonderful experience with Progressive in San Diego.

On Cinco de Mayo 2006 I high sided my HD at about 73 mph on Interstate 8.  The front tire caught a wierd rectangular pothole in the fast lane that was at a diagonal orientation to the direction of travel.  It was wet and dark and I never saw it (until I went back the next day anyhow).

The whole right side was ground down.  The bike didn't flip, it just slide on its right side.  In addition to all the right side bits, the tank, both fenders, and frame were toast.  The adjuster was going to total the bike, but I made the case that the bike was new (about 1300 miles) and the model was discontinued.  She found a way to make it work and had everything replaced.  Plus, her general availability on the phone, and in meeting me on my schedule was great.  She gave me a check for my helmet and jacket.  I got to keep the jacket and all the parts taken from the bike (though San Diego HD found a way to screw me out of my frame).

[Pinocchio]

I dunno... no offense, but it was just a bike. And why should i be so intent on keeping it, anyway?

Call me a cynic, but bikes are just machines when you get right down to it -- expendable and replaceable, they are the ultimate in consumables. We talk about flogging them and low siding them and throwing them down the road....Motorcycles are mistress substitutes, after all (at least good ones are)...and motorcyclists are a fickle lot....

(This is not going to make me popular among the White Knights on here, I suppose. Flame away if you must...)

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

[NorDog]

Just a bike?  That's like saying, "That lady over there is just my mother."