[deadwood]

Hey all,

I need some advice. I am a new rider and the second day i got my bike i parked it infront of my apartment and it was hit by a car from behind. I parked parallel to the curb and did not have it in gear as i later learned how to park a bike correctly. Anyways when i came back out to my bike it was 10 feet from where i parked it and no one was around. So i contacted my insurace company and reported it as a hit and run. I took my bike to the local Yamaha dealer and got an estimate. The estimate cost me 168.00 (refunded if i get the work done at the shop) and the bike was estimated at 3250.00 in damage. So the insurance company cut me a check and now im at a cross road. Here is a run down of the damage.

- cracked light housing panel
- broken left turn signal
- scratched clutch lever
- severly scratched stater cover which now is slowly leaking oil
- all the fairings are scratched
- scratch left handle
- Cracked headlight housing assy
- scratched kick stand
- scratched foot peg (rider and passenger)
- scratched rear fin

A lot of my friends are riders and some of them have worked on bikes for a while. The all told me that the bike damange is not 3250.00 and that it should only be 1200 at most. Most of them tell me that i should take my bike to another shop and get another esitmate done, pay off what it would be (1200 or so) and then keep the rest of the money.

My original plan was to take the bike back to Yamaha and have them do the job and just pay my 500.00 deductable. I am unsure what to do now. Any advice would be much appreciated. I am really lost on this one. With cars its easy but this is my first bike and i feel like im feeling my way out in a room filled with fog.

 

[erndog]

i would buy the parts and do it myself ebay, forums and craiglist are your friends when in need of parts

 

[tripage]

Do the work yourself. It will give you a chance to work on your bike. Learn the in's and out's. You will see how things work and learn about what you are riding.
Most of the scratches if not too bad can be DA sanded and powder coated over and you will never know.
Pics.... T

 

[nitrosportman]

+1 do it yourself its just nuts and bolts you'll even have you some money to go buy a good torque wrench

 

[danaatscootdotnet]

I'd replace the broken stuff, leave the slightly scratched bits, get a set of aftermarket case covers and spend the rest of the cash on a steering dampber, suspension, pipe and PC.

 

[nitrosportman]

oooh high quality milled aluminum bike parts make me hot :hump :nocontrol

 

[Paytheon]

The only part that will be a pain in the butt will be the headlight assembly. Even that isn't that difficult to do. It's all cosmetic stuff you can easily do yourself.

 

[Knightrider]

do it yourself...also while it may be 1200 bucks in the opinion of your friends they arent factoring in the labor at +/- 65-70 bucks an hour not to mention OEM tends to cost more than aftermarket and especially used (ebay) If it were me i would get the major stuff like stator cover and anything else that is bent or broken (headlight if cracked) and then leave the scratches alone...Y? because it bein your first bike you WILL lay it down again and there is no sense in replacing everything just to mess it up again. but thats just my opinion.

 

[S76HELI]

do it yourself your not taking apart your engine!!but keep all screws/parts that go together with each other..thats one thing i have learned..i have read numerous threads of these new 2008's being hit by cars after being parked..whats up with that??

 

[gravis86]

I'm almost in the same situation you are. I just haven't received the estimate yet. But if there's no engine damage and only cosmetic stuff, I'm gonna do the repairs myself and use the rest to help pay off the bike.

 

[MaxxxEdge]

Where in the 818 are you? I have a good hookup that could probably save you major $$$.

 

[rahb0sse]

do it yourself your not taking apart your engine!!but keep all screws/parts that go together with each other..thats one thing i have learned..i have read numerous threads of these new 2008's being hit by cars after being parked..whats up with that??

Mine almost got nailed in a parking spot at Starbucks... The guy came flying in and was gonna park and came about 2 inches from hitting it...

 

[Trust Me]

everything you mentioned above will add up to be more than $500, so pay your deductible and let the dealership do it.