Hey All,

So, I dropped it. Leaving work last Wednesday, came over a speed bump and the front tire came down into a pile of slush inexplicably sitting in the middle of the driveway. I had enough time to think "Huh, that looks like.." and then the bike and I hit the ground and slid. We didn't hit that hard, bruised my shoulder a bit but didn't even scuff my coat. The bike didn't fare as well though. Broken shift pedal, broken side fairing and the forks appear bent. That last one is the one that has me stumped. How can a spill at ~10mph bend forks? I've checked everything I can think of though and it really seems like either the forks, axle or some combination of the two is bent. Also, the left brake rotor has a bit of a tweak to it - not a whole lot, but it can be seen... The good? news, I guess, is that I have full-coverage insurance on the bike so, at least some of the fixing will be covered.

I'm seriously considering going naked, but I must admit having a fairing is nice when you ride most of the year in Seattle. However, there are parts I can't do without, like a shift pedal brake rotor and forks. Does anyone have a good source for these? I see them on eBay, but I don't know if I'd trust ebay forks.. any experience there? Other sources? Brake rotors appear to cost actually all the money that has ever existed unless they're cheap knock off stuff from China. Is there a middle-ground? Good rotor that I don't have to re-finance the house to purchase? Shift pedal? seems like eBay should have that, no problem.

Depending upon what the insurance pays, I might look into a front-end swap... My forks have valves and springs from Jamie in them already though, it would be a bit unfortunate to swap out the front end and loose the custom setup. I suppose we'll see how much the insurance gives before worrying about it too much.

Is there anything else you think I should be inspecting for damage? I've read that the lower triples are fairy easy to damage. Anything else?

Any experience dealing with GEICO on a motorcycle claim?

few pics of the damage:





Bars are perfectly straight in this picture:

 

Forks are likely just twisted in the triple clamps not bent.. loosen clamps bolts and straighten, reset them like you were installing them fresh.

 

Fairing stay often is bent in any crash that pushes sideways on the headlight area to upper part of fairing.
You may find various fairing tabs, guides, locks broken off as you get the fairing off and apart.
The foot peg mount may be bent
The left radiator may be dented/twisted
Any run out on the brake rotors (dented or bent) means they are junk and need to be replaced... Some will suggest the chinese knock off ebay rotors will work and they might, I just do not trust the steel or the button hardware or fitment.. so would suggest good used or EBC new rotors

 

That's called crashing not dropping it, slight difference. Haha

 

That's what I thought originally, but I tried straightening them per the manual and they won't square up.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll look into them. I have no interest in cheap knock off brakes. I'm just amazed by how much the OEM ones cost, that's all. Even the EBC ones are pretty pricey.

Yeah, I suppose

 

Ouch!

Disks aren't something to be skimped on as they serve rather an important function on a 150mph motorbike ;-)

As mentioned, get the front end of the floor, loosen of all the retainers for forks apart from the very top - otherwise they'll plop out...

Would be handy if you picked up the broken fairing segment as that still looks repairable* - otherwise you'll need to find a decent secondhand panel (getting rare now) or getting a new un.

Left gear change footpeg hanger is easier to replace than r/h brake side as wheel and swing arm spindle has to come out.. Handy trick is use the rear wheel spindle in the other side as you remove the swing arm spindle to keep it one place.

Best keep an eye on ebay for any parts / VTRs breaking / put a parts wanted list up here once you're sure of the bits you need.

* www.vtr1000.org ? View topic - Plastic repair & prep on fairings with pics

 

Thanks for the reply! I really appreciate it.

I have no intention to cheap out on brakes, I'm just floored when a 4.5mm thick rotor intended to stop a ~500lb 150mph Honda motorbike costs twice as much as the brakes on my ~3000lb ~150mph turbo Porsche. It just seems silly, that's all.

I have tried twice already, but I suppose I can give it another try, just to be sure.

I had the same thought, I even looked today when I came in to work, but all I found was some red painted dust. I might be able to make something up, in a former life I was pretty good with fiberglass

Thanks for the tips! Do I really have to replace the whole foot peg assembly? Can't I just replace the gear lever? Seems like the kind of thing that should come apart to me...

 

Probably more Porches on the road than VTRs... shame car ones don't fit.

As for fairing anything is possible with the right materials, skills and time.

Depends if the hanger bent in the impact or not - if it is sometimes can get away with applying some heat and carefully bending it a fraction back to how it was.

Gear lever might come up singly on ebay or come as a whole with another hanger.