Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hey guys,

Took the bike for a ride last night, and it didnt inspire much confidence in me.. The steering is not straight, obviously after hitting a wall side on it makes sense. I thought it was just the right handle, so i loosened it and adjusted it a little but it seems to be the whole thing. If the wheel is straight, the right handle bar is a little lower than the left. There are also some scratches around the centre nut, where the steering dampner bolts on, like there was some movement around it. What happened what i kind of side swiped a concrete wall, the only part of the bars that touched the wall was the bar end, which honestly wasnt really scratched too badly, i think the crash knob took the brunt of it (its actually missing so i know it did).

I cant take it into kawasaki until monday, and its kinda got me worried what they might say. Is there anything i can do/check before they take it in?

Also in regards to getting the fairings fixed, because they still are pretty good, just scratched a little, so i imagine theyd be able to be fixed up quite easily. I know the girl at the kawasaki place, and she said that they dont have colour codes at all so it will be hard to get anyone to match the paint. Just wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences in regards to matching the pearl wildfire orange on their 10?

I appreciate any help guys!

Thanks,

Andrew

08' Bug.

sorry mate i dont understand??

i also forgot to mention there is a small piece of the rim missing just on the edge where it must have hit the wall, maybe about 8mm? not good news i know, hopefully im not up for a new rim though?
i know these things are hard to talk about without seeing but i appreciate any help.

wildfirezx wrote:sorry mate i dont understand??

i also forgot to mention there is a small piece of the rim missing just on the edge where it must have hit the wall, maybe about 8mm? not good news i know, hopefully im not up for a new rim though?
i know these things are hard to talk about without seeing but i appreciate any help.

If you hit a wall hard enough to take a piece out of your rim I wouldn't be riding the bike. My best guess would be that the rim will be a throw-away, although Laurie Alderton at Smithfield *may* be able to repair it (but it will look shit 'cause he'll have to weld a section into it if he can fix it). If the impact has done this much damage then there's also a good chance you've damaged the frame and/or the forks too.

I'm guessing the bike isn't insured???

A couple of pics of the damage may help too.

Well heres the wheel and a shot of the handle bar.. im pretty sure its actually bent, not sure if you can see by the picture, but it is a little bent. Im hoping thats all there is though, but im not sure as when the wheel is straight, the (not sure what its called, triple clamp? whole bit in the centre) isnt straight, its sorta down to the right. You can see the scratched paint around where the steering dampner is mounted on the left, around the big nut, that wasnt there before the accident. Maybe something to do with the steering dampner?

The bike is insured, but there is a reason why im not claiming it.

Can't really tell from the pictures but it looks like the right hand fork leg has risen up thru the triple clamp by about 3mm. In other words the left fork leg "seems" to be flush with the top of the triple clamp ??



The force of smacking the wall appears to have repositioned your steering damper....undo the lock nut and reposition ....Check the piston arm for straightness too as that can have awkward effects if it isn't straight

If you're not claiming on insurance I'd take it Laurie Alderton to have the frame and front-end checked out, and I think you'll need either a new wheel or a fugly repair. If you take the bike in with the body work off, the tank off, the electrics stripped out and the engine stripped back to the manifold from the top it'll probably only cost you about $400 to get the frame straightened - but be warned, it may not look pretty and will probably root the powder-coating when he heats it up. There may be nothing wrong with the frame, but it would be worth getting it checked IMHO.

Based on your comments about the wheel not lining up with the triples I'm sure the front end is at least out of whack. You may be lucky - it may be that you only need to loosen everything off (top and bottom triples, front axle, headstock nut) and it may all fall back into line. If not you'll need to take the forks and the triples to Laurie too to be straightened.

If insurance is an option it might be a good time to think about a claim - I think you'll be up for pretty big $$ if you do it yourself.

Good luck!

In a bit of a front end knock, you can either damage the frame or forks... or if you're lucky sometimes the forks can just walk in the triple clamps a little - either up or down or twisting a little. Try loosening off fork clamps all the way and then checking that the forks are definitely lined up evenly. Also, try undoing the axle bolts front & rear and readjusting your chain, this can cop a knock in an accident as well.

That chunk out of your wheel (and tyre as well, it looks like?) will not be helping your steering, but it's more likely to cause vibration than poor steering.

Check for major defects int he forks and frame, and if it all looks OK take it for a bit of a ride (on private property somewhere), get up to speed and ride with your hands off the bars to see if it tracks straight or there are any unexpected wobbles or issues.

Honestly, get a pro to check it out. Insurance doesn't seem so expensive now, does it?

i took it in yesterday, found on the front wheel is buckled, but fortunately everything else seems fine! besides the scratches etc, but im more concerned about the safety of riding it!

the quote will be faxed through, but i have an idea already of what it will be. does anyone have a decent 04 front rim spare?

wildfirezx wrote:i took it in yesterday, found on the front wheel is buckled, but fortunately everything else seems fine! besides the scratches etc, but im more concerned about the safety of riding it!

the quote will be faxed through, but i have an idea already of what it will be. does anyone have a decent 04 front rim spare?

That's good news mate at least it's nothing more serious.

Talk to Wattie, he doesn't use his front wheel much

haha yeh. cosmetically the quote was quite large, still not sure whether to claim insurance on it. all up it would probably be 6-7k, as they replace anything with a slight scratch on it. ive never actually claimed insurance before on anything, any idea how will claiming this affect my rating and future excesses etc?

Mate I would just claim it, it might affect your premium next year but it is much easier and less expensive than the repairs by far IMHO.

You may move from 60% no claim back to 40%, big deal.

Hoffy's right, your rating will probably drop one level maybe two at the next renewal, but should go back up again the following year, so apart from your excess it will probably cost maybe 300-400 extra in premium for next years insurance, then should drop the following year.

well insurance is sorted, all good!

however the bike place called me today, reckon its gonna be close to 8k to fix and hence will most likely be a writeoff

meaning i get paid out enough to buy an 07 10r.. but im not really sure i want a new one! i really like mine! do insurance companies just write you a cheque? i might be able to go to the auctions and buy it back and fix it myself?