2005 FJR & rider down

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Well, I was able to get out of bed this morning, so far so good. Thanks for the thoughtful posts, gives me more ideas to consider.
I have taken the ERC class, although it was 3 years ago on a KLR650. Maybe I should take it again with this bike.

What bugs me about the whole thing is that I had seen the guy and ruled him out as a threat for some reason. I am usually very conscientious about other vehicles approaching.

What's with the Habu avatar?
I was with the 9th SRW at Beale AFB, CA in the mid-eighties, not a very important/glamorous position. It was my favorite assignment, and one of the best times of my adult life. Plus, SR-71's are way cool, and they've made records that may never be beat.
The main thing is you're OK and have learned something from this.

SR-71's are definitely one of the coolest jets ever. Had one make an emergency landing at Ellsworth AFB when I was stationed there years ago. After it was repaired, they put on a little show by doing a low-level run and then a steep climb with afterburners. That was incredible!!!

 
Thanks again everyone for all the sympathy and suggestions.

I felt pretty bad about things for a few days, even though the police report states the other driver was at fault. I wondered about continuing riding, about my children, about my priorities, and also about how my moto-riding made me feel and how that could change. I went over the accident in agonizing detail again and again, and although I am not at fault, I still feel guilty, like I contributed to it even though I did not, at least not directly.

The bottom line is that I will ride and enjoy my FJR again. I like it too much to give it up entirely. I will think more about commuting, and I will do that again too, but I will pick my routes and times more carefully and avoid heavy traffic areas/times if possible.

I am feeling better now, not being badly injured was a big plus here. The insurance companies are talking to figure out who's gonna pay for what, and Dairyland (my insurance) sounds very interested in taking care of me 100+%. I am leaning toward letting Dairyland take care of it all, because I really don't feel like arguing with the other guy's insurance about covering specifics such as accessories and gear. It could cost me a raise in rates next year, but I don't really care at this point. I want the bike to be fixed just so, and Dairyland is my best bet for that.

The damage adjustor that Dairyland hired came out today and looked over the bike with me:

Likely NOT totaled, damage mostly on right side of bike except for an egg-sized dent in the left side of the tank where the bar-end contacted it on the initial impact. You know, I can't turn the handlebars enough to make it contact, but the dent is right in line with the bar-end. I had just put on a pricey Geelong's carbon fiber tank protector that the dent just touches. The forks must have twisted big time at impact, but they seem OK now except for a slight twist. I'll need 1 top-gun bar-end, 1 skyway slider and 1 moko bracket(bracket snapped from the impact with the ground, and bobbin pushed back into the fairing. Adjustor says slider saved me from a lot more damage), right FZ-1 mirror, windshield, upper right fairing, lower right fairing, fender, maybe the center cowling piece, maybe the main stay the cowling mounts on, some lightbulbs for my tach are not working, maybe will need new headlight assembly depending on the mounting tabs, rear brake lever/pedal, right saddlebag, right exhaust can (small blemish). Ummmm, I think that's it except the thing that worries me most: The right footpeg, brake pedal and master cylinder are mounted together to what appears to be a cast aluminum tab off the main frame. Well, that frame tab was broken off. The adjustor seemed to think it can be re-welded, which I guess will be OK, but I don't know. All in all, I am grateful it's not worse than it is, but a small part of me would rather it was totaled so I could just get a new(to me) one.

To answer a couple of questions: Yes, the guy responsible stopped, as did a witness. Said he was sorry, but he never admitted responsibility. The accident occured right after I turned on to a "parkway", with 2 lanes in each direction, center median and traffic in both lanes on my side. I was out in front of the traffic in my lane(far right), and the guy shot out directly in front of me as I was accelerating away from the intersection.

Main lesson learned: Never dismiss anyone as a threat until you are at home with the garage closed :)

 
glad you are ok Crew, reading the above makes me think twice sometimes. But then again, you will be shoping for tomatos in Santa Monica and get killed by a Senior citizen driving through the crowd at a farmers market killing 8.

Just take some time to relax and take it easy.

God Bless,

 
Coax the adjuster into Totaling it and letting the pickups insurance buy you a new 06, That way you and I can ride the faster and more powerful (stator) 06 and make Scab and southern FJR even more jealous. :D

 
(bracket snapped from the impact with the ground, and bobbin pushed back into the fairing. Adjustor says slider saved me from a lot more damage),
The right footpeg, brake pedal and master cylinder are mounted together to what appears to be a cast aluminum tab off the main frame. Well, that frame tab was broken off. The adjustor seemed to think it can be re-welded,
Crew glad your still with us bro !!

The two items above are major enough to be concerned about the frame. It needs to go to a good shop that has access to a Computrac machine that will check the frame to see if it is straight and true. It sounds like the frame too a good hit it two places... insist with your insurance co the frame is Computrac'd, if it's not straight the bikes a total.

 
Glad to hear you're OK, both physically and your mental attitude. Unfortunately we have to choose between doing what we enjoy and staying safe. Everyone draws that line somewhere between the two places for themselves.

I quit using the bike for commuting a few years back. I found that my head was not into the ride but kept drifting off into work and other stuff that was ahead of me for the day. Since I got the FJR I started communting by bike again, but have re-learned how to do it safely. The FJR demands that I focus on riding a lot more than my previous cruiser style bike did. There is no doubt that I have experienced more close calls per mile while commuting than riding at any other time.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
oh man that just sux! I'm glad your ok. Such situations make you shake your head and think why am I doing this, do I want to keep riding, etc. I had a close encounter just last week, I almost ran up under the ass end of a pickup truck. I got stopped w/only a foot or two to spare. I think that it somehow makes us better riders, more conscious riders from such experiences. Not eveyone is so lucky, but those who are seem to live to enjoy--for the most part--RIP Larry Grodsky. Hope your confidence and bike both heal very soon! The bright side is that you now have time to catch up to TWN while your bike gets fixed.
Crewdude! those type things will mess w/your psykee, like I indicated above, you'll end up shaking your head over what happened and start asking yourself why am I doing this. We all take on and accept that fate. My MSF instructor told us right off the bat, there are two kinds of motorcycle riders, those who have crashed and those who are gonna, if you cant accept that, then don't get a motorcycle.

I also commute to and from work, most every day and have had two very close calls in less than 8 months. One was my fault the other was not. My suggestion is for you to cut back on your commute for a while until you feel better about it again, with time the desire will return. What I do to make my commute safer and more enjoyable is where I work they provide flex time which allows me to come in at 7 a.m. and leave at 4 p.m. That way I miss the heavy rush traffic where I live (Jackson, MS) which isn't all that heavy of a populas. I would not commute if I had to ride during morning and afternoon rush time.

When my wreck comes, I hope it isn't serious, like yours, and I hope I will get back on it and keep riding like you. There's no way to know until after it happens. Good luck w/your personal recovery and the recovery of your steed!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Coax the adjuster into Totaling it and letting the pickups insurance buy you a new 06, That way you and I can ride the faster and more powerful (stator) 06 and make Scab and southern FJR even more jealous. :D
Don't think I haven't thought about it! A new '06 would be sweet, but I'd have to pony up the difference between what my '05 w/8500 miles is worth versus a new '06. Don't really have that kinda scratch laying around right now, so we'll have to see what happens.

Computrac is a great idea...I have no idea if any shop around here even has one, or is competent enought to use it...

I'll post the results of the appraisal and insurance adjustment.

 
Crewof1,

looks like things will be successfully concluded for you. Glad you're ok.

I just finished reading "Ride Hard, Ride Smart" by Pat Hahn. He devotes a chapter about "picking your time to ride", one of them being by using flex time (like Donaldb) to keep him out of the worse traffic.

 
Coax the adjuster into Totaling it and letting the pickups insurance buy you a new 06, That way you and I can ride the faster and more powerful (stator) 06 and make Scab and southern FJR even more jealous. :D
Don't think I haven't thought about it! A new '06 would be sweet, but I'd have to pony up the difference between what my '05 w/8500 miles is worth versus a new '06. Don't really have that kinda scratch laying around right now, so we'll have to see what happens.

Computrac is a great idea...I have no idea if any shop around here even has one, or is competent enought to use it...

I'll post the results of the appraisal and insurance adjustment.

You close to Atlanta ? Home of Computrack :D

https://www.gmdcomputrack.com/

 
[ Crewof1

Highlander posted this address for you

Kent Soignier

1051 Vaughn St

Clarston Ga 30021

877 297-8464

And thanks to Highlander for posting this there's a shop 1 1/2 miles from me here in Corona at Race Tech, I posted this as theres guys here localy that could maybe use this info.

Glad your ok and the bike can be fixed and your mending and like others said dont berate yourselfe for this, it could'nt be avoided.

rogerfjrfaster :D

PS my bike is still in the shop :angry2: as switch is on back order then they can get to the rest of the problems after they get it running.

 
I finally got an estimate done. Both Yamaha shops that I talked to were swamped with work and couldn't get to it for a while. I finally decided on the shop that I had the best feeling about after talking to the service department. The first one I went to brags about being a "5-star service center", but the first question out of the guy's mouth was, "Did you buy it here?" and it was downhill after that ("Waaallll, it'll be at least 6 weeks before we can even start, and you'll need to give us at least 8 weeks after that to git 'r dun."). The one I ended up with is a multi-brand dealer, but didn't ask where the bike came from and didn't treat me any different than any other customer, as far as I could tell. They are a recommended shop from a few other guys I know. Neither shop has any particular FJR experience that I know of.

Both dealers said they would replace the entire frame because of the broken right footpeg tab. The one I ended up with admitted it could likely be fixed just fine without doing that, but how did I want it written up? I told him, "Write it up like you were fixing your own bike."

The bad news is on the north side of $7000. :blink:

nadaguides.com says the bike(2005 Non-ABS, 8750 miles) is worth $10,070.

The other guy's insurance says they will fix it, not total it. I may just tell the adjuster that I will let Dairyland fix it and I will sue his client for the rest, and since the police report is in my favor and they have admitted responsibility, their client can also pay my lawyer fees and court costs. Also he can pay for the extra gas I'm buying this past month(and wear and tear on my truck), since I commuted to work daily on the thing. And oh yeah, what about the panic attacks since the accident caused by post-traumatic stress disorder?

I hate all this sh*t I'm having to deal with now because of that moron, it is really souring my motorcycle experience. I'm trying as hard as I can to stay positive about this. <_<

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Get your Insurance Co to sue for the differences you stated. It will take longer than taking the offered money to settle, but that is what the insurance co wants. Drag it out and you give in.

Was your 5 star PPS or big #1? Neither has ever impressed me. Check out Russels Speed Shop on 3rd Ave in B'ham. He only works on crotch rockets and don't know if he would consider our couch rocket, If you got a cruiser don't even dial the #. I had him do some service for me on my old Katana and I liked him. I was also refered to him word of mouth.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Get your Insurance Co to sue for the differences you stated. It will take longer than taking the offered money to settle, but that is what the insurance co wants. Drag it out and you give in.
I think I might wait and see what they have to say before re-starting my claim with my insurance co. I do want them to know that I won't sign any releases until AFTER the bike is fully repaired and I am totally satisfied with the settlement. As far as what my insurance will do if I get them to fix it, I think that's going to be up to them. Heck, I've never had a claim with them, I don't know if they'll even treat me right.

Was your 5 star PPS or big #1? Neither has ever impressed me. Check out Russels Speed Shop on 3rd Ave in B'ham. He only works on crotch rockets and don't know if he would consider our couch rocket, If you got a cruiser don't even dial the #. I had him do some service for me on my old Katana and I liked him. I was also refered to him word of mouth.
My "5 star" was [SIZE=14pt]#1[/SIZE], I won't darken their door again. I know better than to go anywhere near PPS unless I HAVE to have some Yamalube, like, NOW.

Russell has mounted tires for me, but I pulled the wheels and brought 'em in. If I ever have any frame work done, he will be my first choice. Does he do crash rebuilds?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Does he do crash rebuilds?
He offers custom paint and graphics I know. You'll have to call him on the frame

and if you have to wait 8 weeks and then 6 more truck it to D&H. I can help you get it there if you don't have the means.

Be wary of Icon. I haven't heard any bad news on them except (hearsay) the owner is/was in financial trouble and not paying the staff for a few weeks and a lot of em walked.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top