On Saturday, I pulled out of a drive into the path of a car moving at under 35 mph. The car hit my 09 Heritage Softtail half way back on the left saddle bag, knocking me off the bike to the right and the bike fell to the left and skidded across the street. After making sure everybody was okay I rode the damaged bike two blocks to the Harley Davidson dealership I had just left. Damages noticed by myself and two fellas riding with me was; engince guard bent and scratched, left mirror broken off, front and rear turn signals and the left spot light. The left saddlebag was scuffed, but seemed to cushion the blow as the rear fender was untouched as was the trailer hitch which follows the contour of the fender.
Today, my insurance adjuster called to tell me he met with the dealership estimator and said they wanted to replace the fuel tank because of a small scratch hidden in the front, replace the rear fender and replace the frame because they were concerned the damaged engine guard may of cracked it where it mounts.
The bikes insured, but I'm not sure I want to replace stuff that doesn't need to be replaced. The total cost is over $10,000, my share is the deductible. I cannot imagine the frame needing to be replaced. It wasn't a hard hit and I would think the frame would be stronger than the engine guard. What's a Harley frame made from? Is it mild steel that could be repaired or is it some special steel that should be replaced?

 

I'm sure it could be repaired, but I'd go for the new one. You never know if the impact might have twisted it even a little? If a Harley dealer is doing the work, I wouldn't worry to much about having it torn apart.

 

My understanding is it's normal for the insurance to want the frame replaced if the highway bar's mounting tab on the frame is bent.

They want to make sure they don't get sued later if a problem developes from a bent frame that wasn't found when repairs were made.

 

I will say that most places write the frame as they can't tell if its bent till it is stripped down. In most cases they do total mostbikes due to this and this was told to me by an adj last year. They should pay for a bike to ride while yours is in the shop

 

your cost is the same, why wouldnt you want it replaced? be safe and leave it to the pros.

 

it's made from the bones of crotch-rocket riders.

 

I agree

 

Better to be safe then sorry. I would be pushing for a total and a new bike.

 

Cost is the same to me, but it sounded like a scam. Insurance premiums go up because of things like this and I didn't want to be a part of a scam. That's the reason I asked. I've never wrecked a bike before, so I didn't know if this was normal or not. Thanks for everyones help.

 

That much damage, the insurance company will most likely look into total loss and pay off vs. repair.


Like others have said, your deductible is the same, your rates will go up regardless of the amount of damage....

I would be pushing to get everything I possibly can get replaced. If the insurance does a repair, I would want the bike brand new coming out of the shop and not have to worry about future problems or failures.