Insurance claims second time

B

bike2live

Member
Hi All, newbe here but long time rider and forum viewer to new & interesting info.

Here is my issue...

Scenario: My bike (zx14) was parked legally on the road and was tipped over by a car backing into it, the driver takes off. The bike has a few scratches on the fairing and exhaust, broken foot rest.

Cost to replace with OEM parts: approx. $2500
Deductible: $500
Previous claims: One at fault last yr.

Question...is it worth making a claim since it's no-fault or have it fixed and move on? does the second claim affect rates down the road?

All advice considered

thx.
 
If you had gotten the driver's info, ins. would have covered it under no fault. But since you didn't, it will be a claim against your record. So it's up to you. Is it worth ins paying for repair and you paying for increased premium or live with the scratches and fix only what's needed to be on the road yourself? What's the minimum needed to fix it to running condition?
 
Start Rant: What pisses me off about hit and run drivers is that they take off because they can't afford to fix the damage they caused.

What makes them think that the innocent victim is so rich that they can afford to fix someone else's mistake?

End Rant. Back to thread.
 
Riceburner said:
If you had gotten the driver's info, ins. would have covered it under no fault. But since you didn't, it will be a claim against your record. So it's up to you. Is it worth ins paying for repair and you paying for increased premium or live with the scratches and fix only what's needed to be on the road yourself? What's the minimum needed to fix it to running condition?
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That's not my understanding - he'll have to pay the deductible, and he needs collision coverage, but it shouldn't affect his rates going forward:

"Because there is no other driver whose insurance company can be involved in taking care of the damage, a hit and run accident will be taken care of under your own policy. Hit and run accidents are the only accident in which you are not at fault for which you will be required to pay your collision deductible, in most cases. This can vary from company to company. The reason for this is that there is no other insurance company involved to pay off the damages under their insured driver’s liability. Since your liability applies only to damage to other vehicles when you are at fault, it can’t be used to cover a hit and run accident.A hit and run will be covered under your collision coverage, which is why you will have to pay the deductible that accompanies that coverage. There is no other coverage on your auto policy that will cover a hit and run; if you do not carry this optional coverage, you will not have insurance benefits to cover your damage.
Because you are not at fault in the accident, you will not have an increase on your insurance premiums as a result of filing the claim and providing a police report. The deductible will be your only responsibility in the repair."
 
Deductible maybe, but not collision. I've had a bike knocked over and gotten the driver's ins. info. Bike had just liability coverage. Mine paid out everything. They explained they deal with it and at the end of the year or whenever, they work it out with the other companies and balance the "books".

But if you have collision, then it's covered by your own co. for a hit and run.
 
Rant...I'm so mad right now and upset that I don't want to think about it, trying to move on, lol
I have complete coverage with $500 deductible.

From reading a number other post, every claim made does not look too good with the insurance co. even tho they say it will not go up. At some point they will make you a high risk client.

It will probably cost around $200 to fix the fairing and some of the broken pieces which I think should be a total of $500 max. Maybe a good time to mod the bike, lol

So I think it's best to fix and save the claim if I do ever need one...god forbid!

Thanks to all for your input...great comments and advice.
 
nobbie48 said:
Start Rant: What pisses me off about hit and run drivers is that they take off because they can't afford to fix the damage they caused.

What makes them think that the innocent victim is so rich that they can afford to fix someone else's mistake?

End Rant. Back to thread.
Click to expand...

The ppl of city needs to learn to get used to bikes around them and accept the fact that it's changing.
We need some motorcycle advocacy groups to educate cagers.
 
If it's less than your deductible or close, you might as well save the claim. They may say it won't affect you, but we all know it will.

FYI: If you claim bodywork replacement, good chance it's enough to write off the bike.
 
Riceburner said:
If it's less than your deductible or close, you might as well save the claim. They may say it won't affect you, but we all know it will.

FYI: If you claim bodywork replacement, good chance it's enough to write off the bike.
Click to expand...

You're probably right, I'm not interested in them writing it off cause I will never be able to get the same bike unless I move to something different.
 
Marija said:
Here's an advocacy group.
http://www.motorcycling.ca

Can't say I've heard of them doing anything or even being involved within the community.
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Their mandate:

"Our goal is to make riding safe, accessible and enjoyable for everyone. To do this we’ll ensure that:

motorcycle safety is firmly entrenched in the national road safety agenda and that motorcyclists have specific safety needs that must be addressed;
motorcycling is recognized as a legitimate, growing and distinct mode of transport in all road and urban planning and development;
motorcycling is recognized as a growing and accessible sport, recreational and competitive activity that generates significant economic benefits in communities across the country;
motorcycling – especially off-road motorcycling – is recognized as providing important physical health benefits, and;
ensure motorcyclists are recognized as a growing and distinct group of road users who have the potential to resolve certain mobility issues for a large part of the year."

All of the points sound noble but:

Road safety: What percentage of M/C deaths are due to rider error? More than we would suspect.
Mode of transportation: More like recreation
Generates Income: Only for insurance companies and M/C shops. Most other businesses dislike them.
Physical benefits: Dislocated shoulders, road rash, concussions etc. Psychological benefits I would accept.
Mobility issues: Lane splitting and filtering only works safely at low speeds. In other words, there's already a traffic jam.

Total pipe dream.
 
nobbie48 said:
Road safety: What percentage of M/C deaths are due to rider error? More than we would suspect.
Mode of transportation: More like recreation
Generates Income: Only for insurance companies and M/C shops. Most other businesses dislike them.
Physical benefits: Dislocated shoulders, road rash, concussions etc. Psychological benefits I would accept.
Mobility issues: Lane splitting and filtering only works safely at low speeds. In other words, there's already a traffic jam.

Total pipe dream.
Click to expand...

Pardon my digression from the thread topic.

I am just so tired of hearing this crap from within our own circle, I am going to provide a rebuttal:

Road Safety: Just because we're causing most of our own accidents does not mean there isn't room to improve the attitude of riders to make them safer and more competent behind the bars.
Mode of Transportation: Plenty of people own or simply use a motorcycle as their primary means of transportation. They should not be discounted. In better social conditions, this number could be higher.
Generates Income: "Most other businesses" are looking for consumers to spend money on their goods and services. With the exception of businesses which find their parking lots flooded with bikes on particular evenings, any self-respecting business will happily welcome a motorcyclist's patronage.
Physical Benefits: Swinging a leg over a motorcycle doesn't suddenly cause broken bones. Riding a bike takes physical effort and coordination, and those interested work hard to be fit, in order to be better riders. Accidents occur while doing anything. No one says playing football doesn't provide physical benefits to players because of their injuries.
Mobility Issues: Yes, there is a traffic jam. Everywhere, all the time, always. So let's get as many vehicles through it as quickly as possible.

There is enough pessimism and disdain for riders from outside of our community. Don't be part of the problem.
 
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All good points but I think it's a mindset shift from having few bikes on the road a cpl of yrs ago to thousands today on ppl on two wheels...how do we get to change that? that's my point.

Maybe we need to use media to send a positive message out.
 
Here is what the outcome will be. If you have a collision coverage on your policy it'll go under that claim. It'll be subject to a deductible, however if a police report was done (encourage you to do so) and if they ever catch the guy, you will get your money back (deductible) that you just paid. Secondly this does not affect your premiums (fact!) however if you have a lot of col/comp claims your company may be subject to jack up your deductible to a minimum ei. $1000/$1500/$2000 or they may no longer to continue to offer collision or comp.
 
Akad3m1kz said:
Here is what the outcome will be. If you have a collision coverage on your policy it'll go under that claim. It'll be subject to a deductible, however if a police report was done (encourage you to do so) and if they ever catch the guy, you will get your money back (deductible) that you just paid. Secondly this does not affect your premiums (fact!) however if you have a lot of col/comp claims your company may be subject to jack up your deductible to a minimum ei. $1000/$1500/$2000 or they may no longer to continue to offer collision or comp.
Click to expand...

In the last 10 yrs I have only had one claim. Chances are they will never catch the guy. I know this for a fact as a few yr ago a car hit me and ran I called the cops, they arrived and took a report, till today I have never heard back. I don't want to keep making claims for the same reasons you mentioned above.
 
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