Re: Totaled 
The Insurance adjuster went and looked at my FZ today and decided to total it.
This is either ok, or Very Good, within the next 48 hours the insurance company will call me back and let me know how much i can buy my bike back for. If its a reasonable price i will buy it back from the insurance company, be able to fix it, and pay it off, BUT if they want some outrageous price for my wrecked bike looks like I'll have to buy a new one. This is going to be a long 48 hours. I just want to ride. It has only been a week, but my collar bone feels very good and the weather is so nice right now.
*******WARNING********
Please Please Tell Me Your Story!!
I am not sure what your situation is but do not let yourself get ripped off! I might be telling you something you already know but it will not hurt for you to read this if not and if it applies to your situation.
What insurance do you use?
How much coverage did you have?
What is the current value of your bike?
How much was the estimate?
Can you get another estimate if you disagree with the adjuster?
I ALMOST went through the same thing that you are going through but fortunately I have Geico and evidently they are really good to have as motorcycle insurance.
Let me tell you my story.
I wrecked my bike on March 20th. I was going down the road and looked away for a second and when I looked back there was an SUV in front of me that was turning and did not have their turn signal on nor were their brake lights on. I have only had 4 months of riding experience, have not taken the motorcycle safety course yet, and I spent over 4 years riding my mountain bike in New Orleans where you HAVE to ride in traffic just like you were driving a car. In the Uptown/Garden Distric/French Quarter areas the sidewalks are ****e and the city is too old to add bike lanes. Anyway I digress, 4 years of having the front levers being both your brakes took over and I clamped down on my clutch and my front brake. By the time I started to put my back brake on my rear tail light was dinging the back of my helmet as a last little kiss before I was slammed into the ground. The 2007 FZ6 has good front brakes!!
A day after I got out of the hospital I went to the wrecker yard and checked out my bike. Put it on the stand, ran it through the gears, etc. The bike was in bad shape but I didn't see any frame damage and all the lights worked. The throttle, kill switch, front brake,etc. mechanism was wrenched forward, every piece of plastic was broken, all hell had broken loose as my bike had gone end over end. BUT IT WORKED.
The dealership totaled it out at a price tag of $6200 in damages.
I said no way.
After a while the Geico guy really looked at the Dealership's estimate and said no way.
Geico had a custom collision and paint shop come and pick it up. The dealership mechanics RODE my f*cking bike ONTO the trailer. MY TOTALED $6200 in damages 2007 FZ6 with only 1900+ miles on it. RODE IT ONTO THE TRAILER!!!!!!
If I had not been so diligent and Geico not so understanding I would not have a bike anymore as I am going through a career change and went from making $35k a year to $8 an hour so no one would finance a new bike for me, the insurance would have to pay off the loan company, and I would be left with nothing.
The custom collision people told me that in Alabama there are not a lot of salvage yards that will buy motorcycles. So the dealership will usually act as the salvage company. The dealership will purposely total out a bike thinking that the insurance company will pay me and I can come back in and use that money to buy a new bike or at least make a good down payment.
The dealership will then act as the "salvage " company and buy the bike for about $1000-$1500 and only pay about $50 for a salvage title. The dealership will then sell the bike to one of their employees for what they paid the insurance company. The employee will then buy the parts at cost, fix up the bike off the clock and sell it like it was almost brand new! Thieves!!!
I am new to motorcycles and I have never had an accident that was my fault anyway so I was really shocked to find out this information. The custom collision people build choppers from the ground up as well as do a lot of work on tuner cars and crap like that. They said this kind of thing goes on all of the time. I guess I was just really naive. They said that you pay more but everyone in their shop uses Geico insurance on their motorcycles. They told me to watch out for collision centers that have contracts with insurance companies, even Geico whom they had just made a great sales pitch to use because they will allow the collision centers to use parts that are up to 7% different than the original in order to cut costs. " Try putting a hood on a truck that is 7% different than the original part- it can't be done and they will only allow you to repair a certain percentage. After that they just total it out," so said my new friends at Custom Paint and Collision.
I hope that this might help you. Like I said I am new to all of this and maybe it doesn't fit your scenario and maybe it does but either way my friend good luck.
It has been over a month and I am supposed to get my bike back in the next two weeks as they are waiting on freaking paint ( the one thing they said we both get raped on). I really still am in shock and want my story known.....as you can tell from my short novel here.
I have been slowly learning that the dealership seemed a little
off as I look at prices on the internet for various parts and MODS but I really had no idea.
I just felt so welcomed into the motorcycle community right off the bat.. No one waves at you when you pass them in your car. No other sub culture seems to embrace you like the great big motorcycle family no matter what you ride. My first experience began with the dealership and just kept getting better (besides a few punk kids on hyabusa's). I know all businesses are out to make money but I just could not believe how unethical the dealerships can be. I am very luck to have found this Custom place that is fixing my bike. I will never go back to a dealership unless I am buying a brand new bike or to try on a helmet and then buy it online.
Sorry about the long rant but if I can help just one other person that would be great.
jfz6
J. Sharbel
From Heaven to Hell
Motorcycle
