Morning All, Unfortunately I had a accident on my 899 this week - my dream machine damaged, devastated is a understatement but I walked away with a sore backside. I came off the roundabout and the bike slide from under me then hitting the kerb on the opposite side smashing the rear wheel in bits, clutch casing damage, belly panel fairing scuffed, rear brake snapped, Termi- exhaust scuffed, front lever damaged, RHS mirror snapped off and the steering lock pin on the lower yoke snapped off. I did look at possibly repairing the damage but noticed the front nose cone on the right had dropped significantly touching the brake reservoir but no panel damage on the fairing towards this end so I was generally worried about the frame being twisted. I'm currently awaiting the insurance engineers report which will give me an idea of the damage and costs I guess if it can be repaired. Now the insurance have already said they would repair the bike but I would get the chance to buy it back. Has anyone ever bought back?? What effect does insurance claim have against a bikes premium?? 15%?? I've never worked on a Ducati I'm presuming its easy enough to pull apart. Any advise is much appreciate - No claims out the window now as well Thanks Dan
Hi and welcome to the Forum , first off that is really shit news and glad to hear your ok that is the main thing, personally haven't bought back from an insurance company but hopefully someone on here will come along with some advice and maybe had a similar experience. I trashed my 650 Bandit when it was 1 year old, i hit some Diesel coming out of a roundabout (bought from new) so i know sort of how you feel, i just concentrated on getting it back together and to be honest the finished bandit was a peach when i finished it so it was sort of a blessing i disguise.
I`d expect a written off bike to be down by at least 30% . If you like the bike and its viable to repair then go ahead just make sure to keep records to help when you eventually come to sell it.
The panis are quite a modular build with no true frame as such. Subframes front and rear are not difficult to replace as part of a rebuild if required. If the drop has been heavy enough to twist the steering head out of line, then the alloy frame/airbox section will probably be broken, not bent. Replacing this is like reframing as it carries the VIN, but again is not difficult or as expensive as a conventional new frame. From your detail of the damaged items, it will almost certainly be a write off on value alone. Whether it is worth buy back and repair to you will be subjective, and I would doubt it would be financially viable if you want it pristine. Rebuilding with used/aftermarket parts will save a lot of money, and there are a lot of parts around. Track bike may be the way forward, or just take the pay out and start again.
I haven't bought back directly, but did buy a BMW R1100S from the buyer-backer when that model was still quite new in the market. At the time, there wasn't a second hand one in the UK for under £5k. I spotted a crashed one for sale at £3k, got a list of the parts required for repair from the seller and priced up the parts from a friendly breaker. It needed a new wishbone for the telelever, front wheel, a cylinder head and rocker cover. The rear subframe and, as described by @990Glen, the main frame casting carrying the VIN was cracked. A pal of mine who was a fully certified aluminium welder (working on Seacat hulls at the time) was able to repair the casting and subframe, as new, but the engine damage was worse than the seller had shared with me before I drove from Liverpool down to Essex, it also needed a barrel and piston; as a result, I got the bike for £2.5k and had it back on the road, fully sorted, MOT'd, on its original Reg and no adverse record on the V5, all for £3k. A long winded way of saying that I'd expect you to be able to buy the 'wreck' from the insurers for about a quarter of its normal market value, but you have to have the time to find the parts at the right price and do as much of the work, as possible, yourself if it is going to be worth doing. Not much point in ending up with a repaired crasher at the price of a pristine low mileage second hand example Good luck with it
Thanks for all the comments.. I had an evening in the garage taking a fresh look at the damage before collection this morning and decided I’m gonna repair the bike without the help of the insurance. Looking at the bigger picture it’s going to cost me but a CAT payout plus a small outstanding credit and excess wouldn’t really be effective. I’ve got the whole of winter to repair this bike back to it’s former glory. I just need to source parts now
thanks Wayne I've got plenty of time till next season - just sourcing parts at a reasonable price now
I wrote off my 749s about 3 weeks ago. I was paid out and bought the bike back from he insurance co...
I have thrown my track 899 at the scenery a few times now and I am always amazed how robust the "frame" is. I have bent forks, yolks, discs, wheels, tank, steering stops, levers, pegs, in fact almost everything, but the frame. As for road bikes, I regard "insurance" as a legal formality, so I start with a very high excess to reduce the annual premium and self-insure by paying for my own damage, even when my KTM was stolen.....three times. Finally, be very clear on an insurance company category "?" designation to your bike. It dramatically reduces buyer appetite when you come to sell.
Insurance companies write off bikes so easily. Most race bikes are Cat A write offs a few times a year
