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Head-on Collision - What do I look for?


Survived-til-now

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Survived-til-now

As I realised that I wasn't going to be able to stop in time, a sort of fatalistic "Oh - F**k" calm overcame me. The front of the car that had just pulled out in front of me disappeared from view beneath the instrument panel, there was a bit of a crunch and I stopped, upright, still on the bike, put the footrest down and went to have a chat with a sweet young lady who said she hadn't seen me....

 

So before a moderator transfers this to "Ride Well" - I'll get to the technical question?

 

Front mudguard has some minor scratches right on the nose but I cannot detect any other damage. The impact was just a few mph into her plastic bumper (a sort of side impact that did nothing more than loosen her bumper (couldn't swerve - oncoming traffic). I have ridden the bike to work today. I can take my hands off the bars at any speed - no deviation at all. No odd shakes under braking. Cannot see anything. The place where I thought there might be something to show up, i.e. the bolt that sits up into the suspension yoke is still slightly forward (it would have been bent back by the impact).

 

Could I really have been that lucky? I rang my dealer and they have offered to test drive the bike for me to check it out but nothing more sophisticated than that - and I know my bike's handling better than them after 50,000 miles....

 

Or am I kidding myself and there has been some horrendous damage that will suddenly cause the bike to fall apart?

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Afternoon Andy

 

You might have gotten lucky. Actually you were lucky to not have hit harder and been hurt.

 

The places that usually show the most damage is the control arm at the ball joint area and the fork tubes.

 

Look for any cracked paint on the control arm around the ball joint area, and as you already have at the ball joint stud/nut angle.

 

Difficult to tell on the fork tubes without removing them and rolling them on a flat surface.

 

Slightly bent fork tubes might not be evident by riding but can in time effect bushing life and could effect smooth fork compression.

 

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Over here there are companies that can very accurately measure your bike. From side to side, front to back, etc. and compare them and see if it "looks" like something is out of shape. I know they have templates of the more popular Honda's etc., but I don't know if they have BMW or would need to find the same model and take measurements from it for comparison.

Like D.R. said, you're lucky, it could have been worse. But it could have some serious damage, for that reason I have at least take it to your BMW dealer and have them give it a going over.

Did the young lady have insurance?

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If anything, the wheel would be back so taking a wheel center to wheel center measurement and comparing to a known good one should be worthwhile, in addition to the visual inspections noted previously.

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Over here there are companies that can very accurately measure your bike. From side to side, front to back, etc. and compare them and see if it "looks" like something is out of shape. I know they have templates of the more popular Honda's etc., but I don't know if they have BMW or would need to find the same model and take measurements from it for comparison.

Like D.R. said, you're lucky, it could have been worse. But it could have some serious damage, for that reason I have at least take it to your BMW dealer and have them give it a going over.

Did the young lady have insurance?

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Survived-til-now

My thanks to you and Dirtrider.

 

I am taking it to my dealer; not so much for the "test ride" they offered but more to be able to do exactly as suggested - compare it against another 2005/2006 bike.

 

The young lady does have insurance and I have told my insurers that I'll let them know if there is to be a claim from me. I suppose I ought to be demanding all sorts of laser tests etc etc but I'll see what my dealer reckons. I feel real lucky to have got away so lightly and I just don't have the appetite to start some sort of insurance vendetta, it would cost them dearly. I guess I'd feel differently if I were in a hospital bed, but I am not and I don't feel like being ungrateful to Lady Luck.

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I wouldn't take any chances. I just saw an R12RT at my mechanic's shop last week. The owner did pretty much what you did. His accident happened last fall, and all he did to "fix" what he thought was wrong at the time was to change the painted piece of the front fender (a few scratches there). Last week he brought it to the mechanic for routine maintenance, but as soon as the tech turned the bars he knew something was wrong. Also, just looking at the headstock from the side told you something was amiss. My mechanic's ballpark estimate (before doing a more detailed one) was about $3000. That's not to say your case is the same, but just to point out that what a lay person thinks is minor may turn out to be something much more serious when a pro checks it out.

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Survived-til-now

I took the bike to the dealer and they took it into the workshop and checked it over, then did a short test ride. They say it's OK. I offered to pay for the front wheel to be dropped and the suspension disconnected so that they could check the sliders for any stiction but they said I would be wasting my money......

 

So I have closed the potential claim with my insurer so that's that (after only 5 days they were pressing me to say if I was going to claim or not (and that is Aviva)).

 

 

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I hope that works.

I would not rush a claim settlement, that works in their favor.

Easy enough to remove tupperware, visually inspect for cracks or bends.

Check thoroughly with a flashlight.

String can be used to give a pretty close measure or trueness.

There are so many places tha can be impacted by a collision that it takes hours to check a bike.

Your dealer didn't do you any favor.

They should check it top to bottom, isn't is the other side who is paying?

Best wishes.

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AdirondackJack

Andy-

 

Tallman makes a good point about not closing out your ability to make an insurance claim just yet. I was in the insurance world back at the dawn of recorded time, and many times I observed situations where claimants were sorry they were "satisfied too early" with settlements. There is no doubt here that you should have the young lady's insurance company pay for a thorough and professional "physical exam" for your bike (not the brief exam done by your dealer already)by an accredited authority (probably not your dealer, but a dealer known for this kind of examination).

 

Even then, I would suspend any final decisions until the smoke clears (at least 1-2 months), so that you can ride the bike for awhile and create you own "comfortability" track record before signing off.

 

Obviously, any of what I have counseled here is moot, if you have already signed off.

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