Hit and Run - CB77 damage

akpasta · Post by **akpasta** » Thu May 29, 2014 12:45 am

Hello,

Sort of sharing. Sort of asking for advice.

I was hit-and-run by a car illegally changing lanes and speeding past me after work today. First time I've ever been hit by a car, and it was pretty terrifying and completely out of no where. The driver must have come up behind me FAST because suddenly I got hit and was down. No warning at all. The driver took off very fast, there were no witnesses and I was in too much shock to get the license plate or much of a description.

I don't think I'm hurt too badly. Some bad bruises/scrapes but I'm not sure my head even hit the pavement. My neck feels okay, for now.

Bike landed on me and on its left side.

List of damaged items (that I know of so far)

-headlight destroyed (but evidently not speedo!)
-headlight bracket on left-side forks cracked
-clutch lever broken in two
-left rear view mirror cracked
-shifter nob snapped off
-left side passenger peg snapped in half and mounting bracket cracked
-left-side oil filter cover on the engine is very badly scraped, can these be buffed/sanded much?

possibly-damaged items-
-handlebars may be bent
-forks may be bent
-petcock feels wonky/loose
-wheel may be bent
-who knows what else. The bike started again no problem, but I couldn't attempt to ride it because of the broken clutch lever/shifter.

What do you guys do with insurance claims on vintage bikes? I have very basic progressive limited liability. It's not like i can take it to the dealer like a new motorcycle and "order the parts." There may not even be anyone in my city that can "appraise" a 50-year-old bike like this. Hunting down parts could be difficult and hard to prove to an insurance company, and the only shop nearby that does repair work to bikes this old is Esoteric Cycles in Brisbane. I could probably do the work myself, but if i can get insurance money to pay for it that is obviously preferable as the trauma of the whole thing just bums me out and I want the whole thing to just go away and be back to where it was.

Sad day, I always rode this bike around feeling lucky to have been ablet o put 5k city miles on it without it ever kissing pavement.

Advice would be great.

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Thu May 29, 2014 1:19 am

Very sad to hear about your misfortune, but good to hear that you are (relatively) unscathed.

I think that I would go through your list of damaged parts on eBay or wherever and price them up. You then have something you can go to the insurers with.

Unless you can find a sympathetic bike shop in your area you are probably on your own for the repairs - that's what I would do.

Take Care

G

akpasta · Post by **akpasta** » Thu May 29, 2014 1:36 am

I appreciate the sympathy. Crashing out of nowhere, unexpectedly is very scary and disorienting. Hoping the damage is mostly aesthetic and I can be on my way with minimal issues. Love this bike, always treated it VERY well.

There is a vintage Honda shop in town that I got in touch with; Esoteric Cycles who opened in Brisbane a couple years ago and has been taking a lot of the business from Charlie's Place since they moved to LA. They do work for insurance customers as well and are interested in working on this bike. I generally prefer working on my bikes myself, seems to make things simpler in the long run, and easier if something 'goes wrong' or needs adjustment after the shop "fixes it" but the insurance money makes me want to find one to hand it off to just so i can forget about the experience and move on.

There's always Mr. Davo up in San Rafael, who put this bike together originally ;) but I'm sure he's a busy man. However, if the insurance company just gave me a lump sum of cash I'd be more than happy to send it his way!

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Thu May 29, 2014 2:21 am

Good luck with the re-habilitation of yourself and the bike. I got knocked off my old Matchless on the way to work once and that was enough.

I stopped riding my bikes to work after that. Too many sleepy people in cars rushing to work without concentrating on the people around them....

G

Hamamatsu Nippon · Post by **Hamamatsu Nippon** » Thu May 29, 2014 2:16 pm

The next step is going to up to the insurance adjuster. When it comes to vintage motorcycles the insurance industry is quick to write off the vehicle. Like you said, there is not a long list of shops capable of repairing accident damage. The insurance company knows how expensive it is to find parts to make the repair right. For instance if you had a hole in your tank and the nice original mufflers were shredded, and there were a couple of unknown issues, that would be enough for the insurance company to throw up their hands and make a final settlement with you. They don't like authorizing repairs when there are unknowns. Let THEM bring up the idea of you repairing the bike yourself. Negotiate tough with these guys, get as much money as you can before agreeing to take the bike back unrepaired.

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:54 pm

Such a sad story. I am so sorry. You've gotten some great advice, though...I hope it's helped. The really good part is that YOU are okay!

Your misfortune is EXACTLY why I am reluctant to ride my CB77. If you think things are crazy in San Francisco, you should see Salinas. Absolutely chilling.

The best of luck with the repairs!

akpasta · Post by **akpasta** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 1:22 pm

Unfortunately, there will be no insurance money for me. I only carry liability, and since it was a hit-and-run, there's no other insurance company who will provide the liability insurance of the driver who hit me :(

Anyone have a stash of parts, or can recommend some spots for me to check? Ebay has not been helpful at all.