Motorcycle Rear Ended

In a previous post I mentioned trying to find a motorcycle.  Here is why.

Yesterday I got rear ended, as the title says.  Thankfully I was not injured at all.  But the bike did not come out so lucky.  I was sitting at the light on Broad Street and Maney Avenue.  There were a few cars in front of me.  The light had just turned green and I was preparing to go.  Then the car behind me struck the bike.  He says he was trying to get something off the floor under his feet.  He was afraid it would go under the brake peddle, and he did not realize he was rolling forward.  It crushed the lights and the license plate holder and mangled the rear fender.  All of that damage is cosmetic and should not cost a whole lot to repair.

However, when I was loading the bike into the trailer I noticed a vibration in the rear end.  I fear that the impact tweaked something in the back.  Maybe it just knocked the rear wheel out of alignment.  Maybe that put the drive shaft in a bind causing the vibration.  Maybe it bent the frame.  Maybe it bent the driveshaft.  There are any number of things the impact could have done that could easily cost more than the bike is worth to repair.  If that is the case, then I’ll get a check to replace it.  With any luck the guy’s insurance won’t try to low ball me.  I imagine they will try, but information is power, and I intend to be well informed before the negotiations begin.

So, if they do total out the bike, depending on what I get from the insurance company, I can put some money with it and get the bike I really want.  For a while now I have been looking at the 2008 Honda VTX 1800 Tourer.  And that picture is even my favorite color scheme that they had.  For reference, my bike has an 1100 cc engine.  Jumping up 700 cc in engine displacement is no small thing.  My 1100 is rated at 50.3 hp, 65.5 ft lbs of torque, and weighs roughly 650 lbs.  The 1800 is rated at 106 hp, 120 ft lbs of torque, and weighs 800 lbs.

Again, if they give me enough, and I put some money with it, I might be able to get that bike.  So this whole incident could end up being a blessing in disguise.  I will definitely post here if I get one.  Those VTX 1800’s are really nice bikes.  [crosses fingers]

Leave a Reply
