opinion needed, my bike is not worth fixin?

[CrashGordon]

I'm confused here. In most cases where the insurance company totals a vehicle, they may give you the option to buy back your totaled vehicle. I can't imagine they're going to cut you a check for $7000 and just give you the bike. Am I wrong here? Are the insurance laws in your state drastically different than in mine?

[martin_14]

Pretty much why I passed up really good deals on 08-09s; wanted the ABS / Traction Control, higher mounted mirrors, better "perceived" heat managment in the cockpit and the luxurious Heated Grips.

the heated grips can be had for 50 bucks (Fred did it in his '08). The ABS is the only thing I trouly mind about. The rest is negotiable...

[maxtog]

Insurance wants to total the bike.
I have a 2008 c14 and now I think I want a 2010-11.
Can't decide what to do.
1) I could take the money do some minor repairs and have a perfectly drivable bike and pocket some coin.
2) Take the money and spend a few more dollars to get a new 2011 for $13,500 (not OTD price).

Is the 2010-11 bike worth the extra coin?

Yes, but I doubt it is going to be just "a few more dollars" like you indicate...
Blue book total on a 3+ year old bike vs. new bike...  more like many thousands, I would imagine.

Like CrashGordon, I am confused.  If they total the bike, you don't get to keep it... not unless you buy it back (which costs money)... and THEN you have to repair it.  I assume that was the first option.

[skeet]

I'm confused as to how much they will give you.  If it would cost them $4800 to repair it, why would they give you $7000 AND let you keep the bike?  Something isn't making sense.

As to which bike, I don't feel any heat from my 2010, but I've ridden a 2009 and felt a lot of heat.  But you've already owned the bike, you obviously know whether the heat bothers you or not on it.

$7k and they get the bike buy back is $3050, the difference is $3950 that is the amount I would get if I keep it and repair it myself.
Shop repair estimate $4800, real cost to repair is alot less if I buy parts online.

[skeet]

Thanks for all the input,
I plan on riding it a bunch this weekend that way I will be able to judge if anything seems weird.
So far it drives the same as before the crash, at least the couple miles I have put on since then.
The bike is in great shape no need to change so if it checks out good this weekend I will take the $3950 from the insurance co and do the repairs myself. Salvage title down the road might be an issue not sure insurance rep claims if I don't sell for more than three years no salvage title. ?
Not sure how the hell that works. I will have to do some checkin. I live in Minnesota so does anybody know about this???
Thanks,
Wayne

[ZG]

FYI just in case you aren't aware but a dealer will never take a salvage titled bike in on trade and if you try and sell to private party it needs to be a cash deal because a bank will not finance salvage titled vehicles... Just food for thought. 

[Scaffolder]

The $7000 can be adjusted a little more if you negotiate a little.
I totaled my 2008 non-abs in November. They offered me $6700 for buy out. I argued that was not enough. Then they reminded me about my total loss replacement coverage I had. I had to get a lawyer involved to get them to settle, but I got 110% of what I paid new. The bike had to be less than 2 years old and got coverage through them within 30 days of buying the new bike.
I ended up with $12,300 for my totaled 44,000 mile 2008 C-14 non abs. Great deal. I bought a 2010 abs traction controled C-14. What a difference. No more heat. The windshield feels better. I leave it in the down position. Iget 43 mpg compared to 38 mpg.I love the heated grips. It does have linked brakes that I don't like at all. But the abs and traction are awesome.
I would buy the new bike and never look back. Bright silver looks way better than the 08 did. I have the dark blue and wish I waited for the silver. I just put 15,600 miles on this 2010 so far this year and loved every mile of it.

[CADMAN97]

I would totally just let the insurance co. total the bike, and put the $$ towards a 2010-11. Dealing with a bike with a salvage title is a pain in the ass.  You will never be able to sell it or trade it in. Take the $$ and upgrade. I have a '10 & the heat is non issue. Heated grips are awesome, ABS, traction control, etc, etc...

[soyjim]

Kelly blue book for your bike retail in excellent condition is $8635. Why aren't you asking for that?

[skeet]

Kelly blue book for your bike retail in excellent condition is $8635. Why aren't you asking for that?

good point, I am going to call and counter offer today. I been searching for a new bike needed to see what the prices were before I went back to tbe insurance co.

[gPink]

NADA is usually more accurate and is what the adjusters use,I think. Since it's not free on the net talk to your banker or local insurance agent for the numbers.

[Fretka]

Get a new one and put all of this past you. At the very least you have lost some trust factor in the crashed bike and any thing that might occur in the future will leave you wondering if you might have missed something.

Fretka/ obviously the electricity is back on here in San Diego and 9 months from now we will see a spike in new births!

[wally_games]

$7k and they get the bike buy back is $3050, the difference is $3950 that is the amount I would get if I keep it and repair it myself.
Shop repair estimate $4800, real cost to repair is alot less if I buy parts online.

Looking at these numbers, it's a no brainer for me. Get a new one; either an '11, or maybe hold out and see what a '12 looks like. Aren't they coming out soon? That might even drive down the price a little bit for a new '11. (Is there any chance that a '12 will have cruise??) OR, can you find a slightly used '10 that has the extra things you're looking for?

Sounds to me like you're going to be about a wash if you fix it yourself and it will always be a "wrecked bike" when you try to get rid of it. Did they include the price for sales tax and license within the bike's "totaled amount". You'd have to pay that if you bought a replacement. That was included the last time I totaled a car and had to buy a replacement.

I've rebuilt a bike that was wrecked. Even though I was 99.99% sure that I got everything fixed, I always wondered if everything was perfect.