6

9/1/2008 2:25:45 PM

What do you guys recommend for a first time rider to buy?

9/3/2008 6:30:14 PM

life insurance.

9/3/2008 6:30:51 PM

lol

9/3/2008 6:32:09 PM

Life insurance is definitely a good start. After that, get some gear. Then get something cheap that you won't feel so bad about when you drop it.

9/3/2008 7:13:53 PM

anyone rock a moto-tard or know anything about ktms? i'm thinking about getting a 690 or a 640 SM

9/7/2008 4:37:35 PM

my SV needs fork seals (it's rideable, but they leak...hey, you can't have everything for what i paid for it)...i just ordered a set of these fork seals: http://www.shopracersupply.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/32556/vpid/5479785/vpcsid/0/rid/128114

and a set of Race Tech fork springs (.85 kg/mm. stock is around .7)

i'll put some heavier weight oil in the forks, too.

9/9/2008 12:41:28 AM

i still don't get why motorcyclists say forks?

does a fork have 1 prong? no do you have 2- multiple pronged suspension devices no... then why is it plural?
wouldn't it just be a fork???

9/9/2008 7:42:55 AM

Well, I'll find out in a day or two if my SV is considered repairable by the other guy's insurance company. Head on collision FTL.

9/9/2008 12:58:14 PM

^are you ok?

I just got my 600rr on the road yesterday. Had some title issues that had to be taken care of.

9/9/2008 1:34:51 PM

Oh yeah, I'm fine. I got one nasty bruise from where the handlebar hit me real close to my balls! It was a close call man, an inch or two lower and it wouldn't have been fun.

I got hit head on by a truck that came around a corner in my lane and did not see me (There is a second theory I have that I'll detail below). This was a relatively low speed accident in a parking lot. I slowed down and it appeared that I was going to just squeeze between him and the parked cars on my right, so I stopped braking so that I could maneuver to the right and then back to the left. Unfortunately he saw me less than 1 second "before impact" and that caused him to freak out and jerk the wheel. The problem was that he jerked the wheel to his left, which turned the truck right into my path and left me with nowhere to go but into the truck. The timing could not have been worse because a large truck was parked to the right, just in front of where I was about to get in a wreck. The back of the truck was sticking out into my lane and on top of that it had a trailer hitch sticking out even further. Since I knew I was fucked and I was already leaned over to the right, I just leaned over even more and hit him.

My front wheel hit his left front (Driver's side) wheel. The impact spun the bike counterclockwise and threw me off. Luckily it threw me straight ahead right past the driver's side of the truck, rather than into the parked truck with the trailer hitch or under the rear wheels of the truck that hit me. The damage that I've found so far:

- Radiator is punctured in at least one place, possibly more. Directly after impact coolant sprayed out onto the road and it is continuing to leak out of a hole punched in the front of it by the front wheel or the guard covering the front wheel.
- Both front forks are bent and the bottom of the right front fork is scraped and gouged.
- The front wheel is scraped/gouged on the right side and it may be bent since it took the full force of the impact.
- The front fairing is cracked next to the right headlight and the paint is scraped off on a good section of the right side of the fairing.
- The rear brake peg is snapped completely off.
- The right foot peg is scraped up and seems to have more play in it (To the left and right) than it should. It also seems to have more play in it than the left foot peg does.
- The muffler is dented, scraped and gouged.
- The handlebar end cap is scraped/gouged.
- The front brake lever is scraped/gouged.
- The right mirror housing is scraped/gouged.
- The right turn signal housing is scraped/gouged.

And finally, I cannot seem to get the bike into neutral now. I couldn't when I moved it after the wreck and I couldn't today when I put it on the tow truck. So, I guess it's possible that the transmission could have taken a shit due to the impact.

On that note, Bailey's towing (While expensive) does a top notch job if you ever need to be towed away from the scene of an accident or something. They use all of the proper straps to prevent scratching your bike in any way and they use that tricycle thing to stabilize the front wheel. When somebody else's insurance is paying for it, you might as well use a quality company. The guy that hit me had offered to let me use his trailer, but I decided that I didn't want to risk further damage during transport. By using a good company the chances of damage are reduced and if something were to happen it's more likely that it will be covered IMO.



Theory two:

He got out and started yelling at me immediately, claiming that I was going too fast and that I was in the middle of the road. I wondered at the time, if he purposely jerked the wheel into me, trying to scare me and "punish" me for going what he felt was too fast. Smaller objects appear to be going faster than larger objects traveling at the same speed. It's the same concept behind why a 747 looks like it's crawling in when it's on short final, even though in reality it's going faster than most other aircraft do when it lands.

So I had to wonder if he decided that I was going to fast and "put pressure on me" by coming into my lane. Then when I didn't satisfy his desired speed for me, he jerked the wheel towards me to scare me, not realizing that he jerked it way too much. While this seems less likely, I can't rule it out because people have done a lot of crazy shit to me out on the road. Since you can't brake hard and maneuver at the same time, I had to make a decision as to what I would do as he approached (Before jerking the wheel). Since it looked like I would make it by him and he was still partially in my lane, I chose to maneuver. If I had decided to brake, I would have had to straighten the bike out somewhat while I was in the middle of that right hand turn. That would have put me right in front of him, since I barely had room to pass him in the first place, and then I would have eaten some ford grill. Another funny fact is that he didn't stop or slow down before or even after he hit me. He was probably going 20mph, while I was probably only going 15mph when I saw him initially and perhaps 10mph at impact. He nailed me, continued on at the same speed and parked. Then got out and walked up quickly, like he was going to do something or whatever. Then his friend found one of my Glock 26 magazines full of hydrashoks on the ground.

But then he calmed down and said something like, "I could have killed you." After a while he said that he didn't see me until the last second, which meant he never could have even determined my speed. So I don't know whether he didn't want to admit that it was "theory 2," or perhaps it was "theory 1" from the beginning and the reason he said I was going to fast at first was because he didn't want to believe it was his fault. It was weird. He was a cool guy after he calmed down though.

[Edited on September 9, 2008 at 2:15 PM. Reason : ]

9/9/2008 1:59:07 PM

That sucks man. Glad you're ok though!

Keep us updated on the situation. I'm curious to see how this turns out!

9/9/2008 2:42:29 PM

Holy hell man. Glad you're alright.

9/9/2008 5:32:07 PM

Quote :

"Then his friend found one of my Glock 26 magazines full of hydrashoks on the ground."

did the impact eject the mag from the 26, or do you carry spares that fell out?
I only ask because if the impact ejected the mag, you need to change holsters

[Edited on September 9, 2008 at 5:48 PM. Reason : 1]

9/9/2008 5:47:37 PM

Quote :

" if my SV is considered repairable by the other guy's insurance company"

[NO] way, dude

Quote :

"He got out and started yelling at me immediately"

i would've probably busted that motherfucker's head in right there. i'm generally pretty easy to get along with, but i can get fighting mad in a hurry if someone does something stupid that almost gets me dead when I'm riding a motorcycle, and hitting me head on with a truck certainly qualifies.

9/9/2008 6:43:58 PM

Quote :

"did the impact eject the mag from the 26, or do you carry spares that fell out? I only ask because if the impact ejected the mag, you need to change holsters"

It was a spare G26 mag. I had a G17 mag too, which stayed in place. The shorter G26 mag had more freedom to move around in the area I was keeping it.

Surprisingly it didn't even receive a scratch! And that's a good thing, because I am picky about scratches on my firearms and magazines for some reason.

Quote :

"[NO] way, dude"

Yeah, that's what I was thinking initially, so I already have a few bikes lined up to purchase if mine is totaled. The adjuster says it very well could be totaled but he's not sure. People who have seen it say they don't think it's totaled and people who have seen me list the damage do think it's totaled. I think the reason for that is it doesn't look that bad when you see it. In fact, from 30+ feet away it looks completely fine unless you notice the wheel sitting in a funky position. But once you actually look at it, there's damage to so many parts (Even if there's minor damage to a part, the whole part will have to be replaced) that I'm not sure it can be repaired at what his insurance would consider a reasonable cost. So, basically it looks relatively ok if you don't really inspect it, but it very well could be totaled.

I should know whether or not it's toast within two days at the most.


Oddly enough I'm looking at a few CBR-600RR's and a few ZX-6R's. My torque may no longer be bigger than yours.

[Edited on September 9, 2008 at 9:10 PM. Reason : ]

9/9/2008 8:46:28 PM

Haha, nice.

I just found an unhooked 02 sensor, and I cant find where the hell this thing plugs into the harness at....it's pissing me off!

9/9/2008 10:17:34 PM

So does anyone think that my bike may not be totaled? This is assuming that the transmission is not messed up and it's just some minor linkage issue or something that's preventing me from getting it into neutral. I believe the bike's value is in the range of $5000-$5500, but I could be wrong. It's a 2007 with a bit over 1200 miles on it.

What does it take to total a bike? Does it seem like those parts I listed plus labor would total it?



Oh and I've lined up a completely stock 2004 CBR-600RR with under 5k miles at a reasonable price. He is holding it for me until I find out the situation with the SV. If mine is totaled I will be purchasing the RR.

[Edited on September 10, 2008 at 7:39 AM. Reason : ]

9/10/2008 7:39:09 AM

Sweet. Lets take it apart and find out where the hell these 02 sensors plug in!

9/10/2008 8:19:54 AM

If my SV is totaled then we can definitely take a look at the totally stock 2004 RR, as long as I get it y0.

What do you think btw? Does the SV seem totaled from the information I've given? Do you know what it actually takes to total a bike?

[Edited on September 10, 2008 at 9:37 AM. Reason : ]

9/10/2008 9:30:58 AM

Quote :

"because I am picky about scratches on my firearms and magazines for some reason."

shit, carry enough and you'll be pissed about the rust you notice forming.

9/10/2008 2:11:41 PM

Normally, there's a point where the repairs/parts exceeds a certain percent of the value of the vehicle, usually anywhere from 50% to 80% depending on the company, and once the bills reach that point, they total it. I doubt they'll total your bike, but it's hard to say without actually being the adjuster.

9/10/2008 2:44:56 PM

Between the bent forks, bent wheel, and cracked fairing, I would be willing to bet it gets totaled. Fairings are really expensive, and forks and a wheel won't be cheap if you buy new rather than used. Also, if they don't total it, make damn sure nothings bent where the forks attach. Any frame damage = almost certain total.

9/10/2008 3:05:52 PM

My money is on them totalling it.

From what I've heard, it doesnt take much to total a bike since repair parts are so expensive.

Especially if they have to replace a fork and wheels, etc.

Hell, body fairings sometimes cost half as much as the total price of the bike if you get them from the dealer.

9/10/2008 5:33:59 PM

Quote :

"shit, carry enough and you'll be pissed about the rust you notice forming."

If I get my Glock to rust, I'll pay you $5.

Note that I keep the metal parts cleaned, oiled (Where necessary) and I wipe it down with a silicone cloth regularly. I also try not to allow the gun to touch my skin directly so that sweat doesn't get all over it. My S&W 642 will beconcealed deep enough to get sweat on it though, so I can believe that it may at least get discolored. Unfortunately it was broken brand new. It only fires 2 out of 5 shots, every single time with any type of ammunition due to light primer strikes on 3 out of 5 rounds. So much for revolvers being better than semi's. Both of my Glocks have never, not one time, failed in any way. Same with my Kel-Tec PLR-16, Mossberg 590 and H&R Pardner pump.

[Edited on September 10, 2008 at 7:21 PM. Reason : ]

9/10/2008 7:20:41 PM

without seeing the bike, i will go out on a limb and say that the chances of it not being totalled are somewhere in the vicinity of zero. i'd go ahead and buy that RR if you want it and don't get an answer about the SV soon. It's totalled, dude.

9/10/2008 11:08:41 PM

I talked to the dealership yesterday and they said they should have an estimate by today barring anything unusual. The guy I spoke with said that usually when the front forks are bent as much as they are on my bike, there's some kind of damage to the steering head on the frame. I looked at it when I tried to get an idea of everything that was messed up and it didn't appear bent, nor did I see any kind of stress fracture or anything. But obviously it could be bent to a degree that isn't noticeable to the naked eye.

Honestly, even if it's not bent I get the feeling it will be totaled. The price to repair all of the damaged parts after labor and providing me with a rental has got to be incredible. Even if the only stuff that's damages is the stuff I noticed when I looked it over, they'd have to replace the following:

- Radiator
- Front Fairing
- Front Forks
- Front Wheel
- Brake peg
- Right foot peg
- Muffler (Which means the second half of the exhaust system)
- Right Handlebar End Cap
- Front Brake Lever
- Right Mirror Housing
- Right Turn Signal (Which means both because they're aftermarket flush fitting turn signals)


I'm thinking that all of that plus labor is going to be a pretty big number and the likelihood that there's nothing else wrong is also pretty small. I also had a lot of trouble getting it into neutral, so if there's a problem with the transmission then that's going to add an incredible amount of cost in parts and labor.

[Edited on September 11, 2008 at 7:46 AM. Reason : ]

9/11/2008 7:44:22 AM

I haven't heard of many actual bike collisions that weren't totals... just lay downs etc.

9/11/2008 8:11:11 AM

^

9/11/2008 5:22:09 PM

Total Cost to Repair: $5590.27

The adjuster submitted paperwork to the guy's insurance company today stating that it is a total loss. He said he doubts the insurance company will disagree with that.

So I'll probably have that RR by sometime next week unless something unusual happens.

[Edited on September 11, 2008 at 10:30 PM. Reason : ]

9/11/2008 10:28:42 PM

my new bike

9/15/2008 11:47:31 AM

Nice ZX-6. Why the advertising for Monster?

9/15/2008 6:46:21 PM

I saw a bike just like that by campus the other day

9/15/2008 7:02:33 PM

monster sponsors the kawasaki race team. that, i like monster drinks, and the decals break up the solid green very nicely.

also, the decals can be removed pretty easily to go back to stock anyway.

9/15/2008 7:57:34 PM

them tars look like dooky tho, get you some DC3's

9/15/2008 9:07:11 PM

just took the msf this weekend. i see a sv650 in my near future.

9/15/2008 9:17:42 PM

I agree, the colors of their advertising match the bike, but I guess I'm just not a fan of free advertising.

Your bike is extremely nice though, congrats. As far as the tires go, they look just fine. I certainly wouldn't waste money buying another set before you destroy these. It's not like they last that long anyway.

9/15/2008 11:12:55 PM

agreed, im a big fan of the pirelli's (the sport demons and diablos are nice)

i will definitely put about 5k on the stock tires before i think about new ones.

9/16/2008 8:33:27 AM

looking at picking up an '81 seca 750 for $600

in running order (i need to check the mileage)...i would assume some tune-up work would be necessary, but so far, everything looks pretty squared away

good idea/bad idea?

9/16/2008 9:59:27 AM

^first bike?

9/16/2008 10:25:13 AM

yes and no...i had a nighthawk 650 a few years back (it was given to me) and i learned to ride on that...then i never rode it again and sold it on craigslist

i could stand to have a refresher, i think...the 750's a big bike

9/16/2008 11:15:12 AM

so what's the verdict on this bike? worth picking up, assuming it's in good running order with just basic maintenance necessary? my understanding is pretty much any honda or yamaha is fine, as they age gracefully

9/18/2008 11:15:32 AM

I dont know much about those bikes, but for $600, if it runs and needs minimal TLC, I'd take it.

Should be a fun bike to zip around on.

9/18/2008 3:17:21 PM

Quote :

"The adjuster submitted paperwork to the guy's insurance company today stating that it is a total loss. He said he doubts the insurance company will disagree with that."

i highly doubt you'll have any issues, but you don't want that bike back. if they try to say they'll pay to fix it, tell them to kiss your ass. any bike that's been in a front end collision like that stay far, far away from, i don't care how straight they say the head tube is. even the slightest tweak will cause nasty handling problems like death wobble at higher speeds.

even if it does happen to be straight, the frame in that area has been fatigued. it could be fine for the life of the bike, or it could crack on the next bump. not a chance you want to take, for safety and resale...

^^^get it... if it runs, you can't go wrong. keep it for a few months to learn, then sell it in the late winter/early spring for what you paid or more.

[Edited on September 18, 2008 at 3:35 PM. Reason : .]

9/18/2008 3:33:49 PM

anyone know the guy on the motorcycle that got hit on gorman near the varsity parking lot about 6 pm today?

i think he was ok. was up and pushing the bike around. (i assumed that was the rider...not really sure)

9/18/2008 7:24:48 PM

Quote :

"i highly doubt you'll have any issues, but you don't want that bike back. if they try to say they'll pay to fix it, tell them to kiss your ass. any bike that's been in a front end collision like that stay far, far away from, i don't care how straight they say the head tube is. even the slightest tweak will cause nasty handling problems like death wobble at higher speeds. even if it does happen to be straight, the frame in that area has been fatigued. it could be fine for the life of the bike, or it could crack on the next bump. not a chance you want to take, for safety and resale..."

Yeah, it's already been decided that it's totaled. Plus, I'd have fought it if they said it wasn't for the very reasons you mentioned. It's fucked. Everything on the front end was toast. Triple tree, both forks, etc. I'll probably have another bike by next week.

[Edited on September 19, 2008 at 12:48 AM. Reason : ]

9/19/2008 12:47:51 AM

Here's my new ride.

She was ugly as sin when I bought her. Cracked/missing fairings all around. Bald tires. Windshield from another bike (that didnt fit).

I put all new plastics on, a new set of Diablo III Corsa's on today, Puig double bubble windscreen, Clear alternatives integrated rear brake light/turn signals.

I ordered a set of blinker mirrors that'll be here in the next few days.

What do you guys think?

BEFORE:


Tire Swap this morning:


Pretty much finished:


[Edited on September 19, 2008 at 6:43 PM. Reason : .]

9/19/2008 6:36:09 PM

Nice.

Btw, it looks like I'm having to choose between an RC-51 and a ZX-10R now, lol. The ZX-10R is stupid fast, I definitely don't need it but it would be interesting. We'll see what happens y0. Both of the 600RR's I had lined up seem to have sold.

[Edited on September 19, 2008 at 10:15 PM. Reason : ]

9/19/2008 10:13:08 PM

Sucks about the 600rr's...

Be careful on the liter bikes, yo

9/19/2008 10:23:08 PM

rc 51


Honda ftw

9/19/2008 10:25:53 PM