Well, no $h!t, there i was.....about a month ago i was riding my 2013 Electra Glide Limited up interstate on the way home, northbound just crossing the Woodrow Wilson bridge (WWB) at a moderate rate of speed. i was going 65-70 mph following the car in front of me when i noticed to the left and right of me alligator on the road....parts of a tractor trailer truck tire. all of a sudden in front of me, was a piece of rim steel or tire ring, not sure which. it was about two-three inches wide and about 12 or so inches long, from what i could gather in the split second i saw it as it passed from underneath the car in front of me. there was no way to avoid it. i ran over it...thump, "holy crap", thump as it felt as i was going over a speed bump at 60 mph and there was a loud bang as it bottomed out underneath and lifted the bike off the ground for a split second. the bike lurched but held steady. i immediately looked at my gauges to see if there were any rapid fluid leaks i looked at my tpms and the pressure was good so i continued to ride on at about 55 mph ever mindful of any change in the handling. i got it home and looked the bike over and saw no obvious damage.....whew, i thought, i dodged a bullet on that one. Well, fast forward a month to my 60000 mile service at the stealer yesterday....the wrencher had it up on the stand and the service manager came and got me......they showed me a rip about 2-3 inches long in the cross member where the steel had lodged and probably immediately got caught in the pavement and acted as a lever pole vaulting the bike, ripping the cross member. I had been plagued with a slow irregular leak ever since then and the tire had been damaged by the steel.
So, the service manager says it will take at least a couple of weeks to get the frame as it has to be vin matched to the bike. i call my insurance and am waiting for an adjuster to call. Total estimate for parts and labor for frame tire and incidentals is almost $7000.00. i just changed my bike to allstate who we've had for years on our cars. hopefully, they will cover most of it. While confronting the delema keep it or ask about trade, i asked and they offered $6000 as is citing its not a Rushmore, has 60000 miles and its broke . I said thanks but i think i'll fix it and we might talk again after its fixed. So, they did the service, put on new tires in front (wore) and back (damaged) did the brakes and i was out the door for $1200 for the incidentals beyond the prepaid.
So, needless to say that yesterday kind of sucked. bad news on the bike, $$$ in extra service charges i wasn't expecting....planning for heated "discussion" with the insurance. but hey, i can ride it for now at least although part of the metal is rubbing on the oil pan and could cause a leak in the future....but its covered.....lol.
anyway, just thought i'd share and vent a little frustration. The guys at Rommel Harley Davidson Annapolis are a good bunch to work with. They also pointed out that my drive pully is showing wear, my belt is responding accordingly but we put that off till we do the frame.
Just thankful things werent worse on that August afternoon crossing the WWB.

 

I know it may not be what you want to hear but hopefully they will total it out. Frame damage is nothing to mess with and I wouldn't trust them to get it right unless they provide a brand new complete frame and build it from the ground up.

 

With a damaged frame etc. and a pending claim,why are you riding it?

 

I had a similar experience with a 4X4 in the road but luckily there was no damage other than a mark in the seat where my butt cheeks tried to grab it as I was thrown in the air. That was on my Road King but I also have a 2013 Limited. With all the changes that they have made to the Limited's, I'd use this as an opportunity to upgrade. Get the insurance claim money and the $6,000 they offered you and get a new one with the M8 and infotainment system. I love my Limited and like that its the last of the air cooled but with all the new features I'd get the new one. I'm sure they will let you take off anything you have added to customize your current ride and put it on the new without affecting the trade amount they will give you. I'd also be concerned that the your 2013 will never be the same when they take everything off and put it back on a new frame. Even the most meticulous tech is going to miss something or not put it back exactly the same as it was new.

No better opportunity to upgrade. I'd be surprised if the insurance company didn't total it anyway.

Other option, bend the cross member so it clears the motor and ride it forever.

Good luck

 

they're calling for the replacement of the whole frame i'd be ok if they totaled it but not really what i want to do....i had been riding it for over a month with no real issues....ignorance is bliss.......its a rip/tear to the cross piece, i rode it home and parked it. will be out of town next week so not a problem with wanting to ride. whats weird is that the dealer wasn't listed to give an estimate. they're gonna send out their own once i get back in town. WTF, how are they going to assess damage without a lift....put it up on my jack?

 

Yeah, i tried to portray where the damage is.

 

They will spend more time looking in their computer than looking at your bike. One quick glance, " yep, bent frame." then back to their computer to see what it says they pay for that and then look up value of the bike. You get the lesser amount.

If you don't want to upgrade the bike, I'd go with the other option I mentioned. Bend the cross member so it's not touching the engine anymore and as you said, ignorance is bliss. If you do that, I would have it checked for alignment. Make sure the engine is still properly aligned in the frame so the drive belt and everything else is straight and the wheels are straight as well.

I wouldn't even get the insurance company involved in fear of a rate hike. You can always call them at a later date. " I was washing my bike and noticed my frame was bent. I must have run over something"

 

i know a great welder that might be able to bend it out and tack weld it. from what i saw, while up on the lift, can probably do that without too much problem.....but i wouldn't suggest that to the insurance adjuster.....

 

i just got a good look at the damage, via pics, not sure that a tac weld will do it. frame will probably have to be replaced or totaled.

 

If that was my bike I'd either straighten/repair/weld the cross member or just keep on riding it without doing anything.

Or better yet, if you do get the insurance company involved, I'd just pocket the money if they're plan is to replace the frame. If they total it, then again I'd pocket the money and buy the bike back from them and ride it as is.