Rear ended what damage should I look for

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FJR1300Mark

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Happy 4th! well it started out that way.

I was stopped at a traffic light, there were three cars in front of me and two had stopped behind me. When the light changed I put the bike in gear and just started to go when the bike jumped and it was two feet in front of me. I was standing up behind the bike. The guy behind me was out of his car instantly asking if I was ok. I was going about 2 mph and the car behind me took off a little quicker. Thankfully only about 7 mph. He hit the back tire and pushed the bike out from under me. I don't think I hit the pavement but my left hand may have. The bike went down on the left side. There was some antifreeze on the pavement.

The guy that hit me was really sorry. Said it was his fault and told the police the same. The police sited him for following too close and causing an accident.

Damage to me is limited to my first finger on my right hand and a little pain in my back. I'm hoping they both go away by tomorrow.

Damage to the bike is minor. I drove it home. But there is cosmetic damage.

left mirror and housing are scraped.

alternator cover is scraped pretty badly

left faring has a corner that is scraped

left foot rest scraped a little

The rear tire has a small slit or cut.

Rear licence plate holder is deformed a little.

clutch handle is bent slightly

It leaked out some antifreeze - i'm guessing from the overflow container.

I will be taking it to the dealer on Friday to get the estimates.

What else should I be looking at to check for damage?

The speed was so low I'm thinking the only damage is the scratches on the surfaces.

Is the dealer the best place to get it fixed? I would take a car to a body repair shop, but I've never had to repair a bike cosmetically before.

Your input on what else to look at would be appreciated. Thanks.

Bike is an 07 with 2058 miles.

 
Happy 4th! well it started out that way.I was stopped at a traffic light, there were three cars in front of me and two had stopped behind me. When the light changed I put the bike in gear and just started to go when the bike jumped and it was two feet in front of me. I was standing up behind the bike. The guy behind me was out of his car instantly asking if I was ok. I was going about 2 mph and the car behind me took off a little quicker. Thankfully only about 7 mph. He hit the back tire and pushed the bike out from under me. I don't think I hit the pavement but my left hand may have. The bike went down on the left side. There was some antifreeze on the pavement.

The guy that hit me was really sorry. Said it was his fault and told the police the same. The police sited him for following too close and causing an accident.

Damage to me is limited to my first finger on my right hand and a little pain in my back. I'm hoping they both go away by tomorrow.

Damage to the bike is minor. I drove it home. But there is cosmetic damage.

left mirror and housing are scraped.

alternator cover is scraped pretty badly

left faring has a corner that is scraped

left foot rest scraped a little

The rear tire has a small slit or cut.

Rear licence plate holder is deformed a little.

clutch handle is bent slightly

It leaked out some antifreeze - i'm guessing from the overflow container.

I will be taking it to the dealer on Friday to get the estimates.

What else should I be looking at to check for damage?

The speed was so low I'm thinking the only damage is the scratches on the surfaces.

Is the dealer the best place to get it fixed? I would take a car to a body repair shop, but I've never had to repair a bike cosmetically before.

Your input on what else to look at would be appreciated. Thanks.

Bike is an 07 with 2058 miles.
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Take the bike to the dealer for a real estimate and don't settle with the insurance company until after you have that info in hand. Don't go to a car repair shop, they don't know squat about motorcycles. One of the things to look for in a rear end collision, even a minor one, is a bent rear subrframe. If your hand and back hurt tomorrow, go see a doc and keep records so that can be added to the insurance claim. In 30 years, I've been rear ended twice at slow speed, and it suxs.

 
Mark,

Sorry to hear about your accident and glad you are OK. One thing to keep in mind, Soft Tissue damage(IE Back injuries) may not Show up for 6 mos.

You may get your cycle claim paid but hold off on the medical portion of your claim until a little longer to make sure no latent physical injury gets missed. I think you can hold off on this claim for up to a year...ask an attorney to be sure.

Good Luck and wish you a Speedy recovery on both fronts.

 
I would really not bother looking for damage. I would take the bike to a reputable shop for a thorough inspection. The other insurance company will surely have no objections to such an inspection. On the other hand, the medical issues may be harder to detect in the immediate future and consequently as dificult to obtain a fair settlement. I had a motorcycle accident at age 19-20 that did not manifest itself as a permanent problem until last year (age 43). At this point in time, it's just my problem to deal with.

 
I can feel your pain , literally. I was in an accident 10 days ago. I am a mechanic so here goes. Make sure your motorcycle dealer removes all the plastic and inspects every tab, hole and clip. The frame needs to be checked by a frame shop not just the dealer. There is a possibility the transmission and rear end may have been damaged because of the sudden impact with the bike in gear. I hope you are feeling better and get this fixed soon.

 
Thanks for the well wishes and I'll have the frame checked too. I feel fine but I'll have a doc check me out too.

I'll post back with what the dealer finds.

 
I'm glad you are okay, and although the driver sure screwed up, seems like his was an okay Joe too.

You got some good advice. Backs are weird, make sure you ask a Dr. before you say you are okay...he will know what tests to do to check you out.

 
I was rearended on my 04 FJR which became a sandwich between an older Buick (rear) and a new Chev 4 X 4 (front). The impact, while low speed, was significant. I would not sign off on the insurance clain (well over $10,000) until I had an axial and radial run-out check done on both wheels. The front wheel proved to be out of spec. Your hit would not have produced near the impact to your bike that mine did as my bike could not roll forward. Might be worth having your wheels checked, they are damn expensive to replace. Glad you are essentially OK.

 
Dropped it off at the dealer today to get the estimate.I walked the service manager around the bike to show everthing I saw.He noted it was a read end hit and said they would put it up on the rack to look at it.The distance between the gas tank and the left and right faring are not quit the same. I never messured them before, but they looked identical. the right is a little wider than the left now.Could be plastic or could be frame. I should know on Tuesday.I'll post when they tell me what they find.

And thanks to Chris who happened by and stopped. He has an 05 FJR and helped me get the bike out of the street. Thanks Chris - don't know if you are a forum member but thanks.

 
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Dang! Glad your not hurt. The wife saw just such an accident. The light turned green, second car in line slammed the front. Some people just don't have any concentration. Hope it's successfully fixed. TJ

 
Hope you are ok Mark. I posted my mishap under Insurance. I was stopped at a stop sign at local Target store. I got a rear quartering hit directly to rear tire which pushed bike forward and down to left. I fell off and was ok, but left side has same damage as you described. The left case saved muffler. Target store gave me a DVD of the incident from their security Vid. I had two Yamaha dealers find damage that I had not noticed, but the rear wheel is fine. I will take the uninsured driver to Small Claims court seeking the $5000 max for small claims.

Rob

 
Summarizing, I'd tell dealer to leave the bike like new: anything not right, replace it; as easy as that. And yes, I'd make sure both the frame/subframes and final drive/tranny are checked as well.

And on the medical front, unfortunately, nobody will guarantee you'll be fine many years from now, but in the great majority of mild cases like yours, if something will cause you problems in the future, there should be indication of that now. Just get appropriate tests wherever it hurts and where your body hit something, and do it on thier dime, not yours. Involve an attorney if you want, but I wouldn't if they cooperate fully. Many live from cases like that, and they keep the majority of the awarded money anyway, raising our insurance rates to the roof.

If you had been sent to the hospital, that's a different story, as future complications are more likely. Glad that's not your case. Heal well buddy.

And as a lesson here, I usually click 1st when cars start advancing as well. Guess we better change my method. From now on I'll click gear as soon as light turns green, and watch my mirrors. Bet that guy was on his stupid cell phone. Later gang.

JC

 
Got the estimate from the dealer. $1800 and a few weeks to get fixed.

The insurance claim has been a little of find the right phone number.

If I go through my insurance then I pay the $500 deductable and I may get it back from the other guys insurance company in the future.

If I go through the other guy's insurance they pay for it all.

Monday tomorrow I start the negotiations to see how easy or hard it will be to get it back like new.

a few months and 2000 miles should come back like new.

I'll post more once the insurance is settled.

 
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