It was going to happen I guess... I went down yesterday

[JerryD]

Low speed riding through an intersection all of 50 yards from my garage at less than 20mph and a guy in a white van pulled through the intersection right as I was entering (he had a stop sign I did not, residential street).

Grabbed a handful of brake, locked up the front and the bike went down.  No contact made with the offending vehicle.  He stopped, then drove away without so much as a "are you ok?"

So the run down of busted parts...

Rear brake pedal, bent to hell needs replacing
Front brake lever, scratched pretty bad, needs replacing
Bar end cap, needs replacing
Right side grip, needs replacing
Right side corse logomania tank panel. cracked at air intake from bar making contact, needs to be repaired/repainted

Now this is the part that worries me.  The steering stops welded to the frame, two of the 3 welds that hold it to the frame are cracked allowing the bars to turn further to the right than to the left.  As I'm going through insurance (assuming damage is enough to warrant it) I'm not sure what they'll make of that.

My local dealer/shop had one comment when I told him about those cracks... "shit" he said "I think we'll call frame on that"...

The good news is I walked away with only a bruise and a damaged boot.  ATGATT!

Stay tuned...

[zooom]

sorry for your misfortune.....hope it all turns out okay.

[pennyrobber]

Good to hear you weren't injured. Sucks about the bike. Know that there's a good chance they might total it due to the frame.

[JerryD]

What a waste it would be to total this bike

I'll know more in a couple of days.

[bikepilot]

Glad you are ok, try and get some track time or something to help make limit-braking second nature.  If I had to guess they'll probably total the bike.  If it were me I'd skip insurance and fix it up myself - wouldn't be all that much to buy everything but the frame and the frame damage doesn't sound bad - just adjust the stops a bit to compensate or get it welded up. 

[JerryD]

I'm trying to figure out how I managed to put the bike down and can't figure it out.  I don't think I grabbed that much brake and I wasn't moving fast at all. 

There's no skid mark on the road.  It happened pretty quickly I dunno what else I could have done.  Maybe cold tires played a role since I'd just left for work in the morning and as I said, was only 50 yards or so up the road from my house when the incident happend.

I walked away that's the important thing I guess.

[Greg]

This is exactly why I want my next bike to have ABS.
Glad you are OK

[Polpetta]

Sorry about your bike, glad your ok

[Adamm0621]

I would definitely recommend fixing it without getting the insurance involved.  My first Monster was totaled out due to those damn steering locks as well.  I don't understand why they are a part of the frame to begin with.  It seems like such a simple alternative to have something bolted on, and negate the possibility of sustaining frame damage.  It's like amputating an arm for chipping a nail.

Glad you're alright.  Good luck.

[jvax]

I'm trying to figure out how I managed to put the bike down and can't figure it out.  I don't think I grabbed that much brake and I wasn't moving fast at all. 

There's no skid mark on the road.  It happened pretty quickly I dunno what else I could have done.  Maybe cold tires played a role since I'd just left for work in the morning and as I said, was only 50 yards or so up the road from my house when the incident happend.

I walked away that's the important thing I guess.

The only way I see it happen is if the steering tilted slightly to the right after the front locked.  I know it's for a split second, but as soon as the energy of the moving mass of you + the bike leaves the straight line, the front will slide gradually more to the right and the steering will tilt further to the right, and as you loose speed and realize you're coming to a stop, you find yourself too deep and too late in the fall to put your right leg out on the tarmac to support the weight of both of you going down.  Speaking from experience!

Glad you're okay.

[rideserotta]

If it were in my neighborhood I'd track down the vehicle and have him pay for damages. He ran a stop sign. May be tough because you didn't do anything at the time but I'd try. A car that runs a stop sign and causes an accident commits a crime and the person should be held responsible.

[DarkMonster620]

Hey JerryD,

This sounds familiar ...

It happened to me, entering my garage at even slower speed ... Had to replace Rh OEM rear set but, I 're-aligned' the brake lever and still works fine ...

Sorry to hear about the insurance wanting to total the bike ...

Hope it all works for the best !!!

[The Mad King Pepe']

The good news is I walked away with only a bruise and a damaged boot.  ATGAT!

First of all, glad you're OK and ALWAYS ATGATT!

Low speed riding through an intersection all of 50 yards from my garage at less than 20mph and a guy in a white van pulled through the intersection right as I was entering (he had a stop sign I did not, residential street).

Grabbed a handful of brake, locked up the front and the bike went down.  No contact made with the offending vehicle.  He stopped, then drove away without so much as a "are you ok?"

Been there, done that. November last year morning commute to work, lovely lady decided to make a U-turn (on double yellow). Too much (front) brake + cold tires and down we went.

Personally I think Insurance Co. tend to want to total bikes too easily. You might want to read here (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=43012.0) for something similar. I didn't bother to involve mine since I didn't think it would be worth it and the only thing I expect from an insurance co. is an excuse to raise my premium (been there as well).

Depending on the cost of repairs and how much you're attached to your bike you could decide not to total the bike and just fix what you need. The stops can be welded back on and the rest of the stuff seems mainly cosmetic.

[JerryD]

If it were in my neighborhood I'd track down the vehicle and have him pay for damages. He ran a stop sign. May be tough because you didn't do anything at the time but I'd try. A car that runs a stop sign and causes an accident commits a crime and the person should be held responsible.

As much as I`d like to have chased the guy down at the time my leg was trapped between the bike and the road and I wasn`t really jumping up.  Once I did get up and got my bike back on it`s wheels he was too far up the road to catch on foot and my main concern was the bike.

He got away with this one.  Generic white GMC van, only about a million of those on the roads.  I`m sure he does live in my neighbourhood but I have zero proof and no witness who came forwards.

[justinrhenry]

Was this him?

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/General-news/2010/September/sep2710-white-van-men-are-better-than-you/