View Full Version : friend dropped my bike :(


ninjette
August 16th, 2010, 12:41 AM
stupidity happens... and im more pissed at myself for letting my friend ride her! :mad:
he basically just lost control right after he started moving forward, and the bike skidded off.. thank god for the frame sliders, took most of the impact but now, the slider is bent and loose..?
fairing is also cracked.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/aznkitten/damage1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/aznkitten/closeup3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/aznkitten/closeup1.jpg

im waiting to get a quote from the shop..will see how much it is to fix it..? How much do you guys think something like this cost? Any suggestions of where I can get cheaper parts? I heard replacing this part is around $400? That's a lot. :(

kkim
August 16th, 2010, 12:42 AM
is your "friend" paying for the damage?

ninjette
August 16th, 2010, 12:51 AM
is your "friend" paying for the damage?

I'd be satisfied if he paid half. I'm sure we will work something out. He's a really good friend, I know he would pay me if he had the money.. but he doesn't have a job.. I don't mind paying it on my own for now, I just want her fixed.

edbro
August 16th, 2010, 03:15 AM
Why do you need a quote from a shop?

I believe a new side fairing is only $240 on cheapcycleparts.com, add in $10 for shipping and your looking at 250 total if you want to replace it. Your friend should be able to pay that.

Guinss
August 16th, 2010, 04:49 AM
Friends and money don't go well together.

Ofcourse you want to fix her up again right now, but in the end your friend should pay all of it. That's how it works.

bdavison
August 16th, 2010, 05:17 AM
I know this is a little late....but NEVER EVER let anyone ride your bike but you....and this is why.

He messed it up, so he should replace it...period. And if he cant, then its time to call his insurance.

bob706
August 16th, 2010, 05:40 AM
Friends and money don't go well together.

+1


What brand of frame slider?

tinng321
August 16th, 2010, 05:43 AM
I get nervous everytime my bro asks to take my bike out....
I basically sit by the windows and pray.
How fast was he going? It looks like that frame slider didn't do a good job. Try a different brand.

Apex
August 16th, 2010, 05:52 AM
If I let anyone ride my bike, I always tell them, "If you break something on it, you are buying the replacement part".

If they agree, then I'll let a friend ride it. :D

mrlmd
August 16th, 2010, 06:27 AM
If the crack fits together perfectly, you can glue it together from the reverse side with some ABS cement and you may be the only one who knows it's there. Wait 'till next time (which hopefully never comes) to replace the fairing. It's not worth $250 to replace that.

CC Cowboy
August 16th, 2010, 06:33 AM
I'd be satisfied if he paid half. I'm sure we will work something out. He's a really good friend, I know he would pay me if he had the money.. but he doesn't have a job.. I don't mind paying it on my own for now, I just want her fixed.

This is probably why he doesn't have a bike either.

If he doesn't have any money and doesn't have a job, I would have him work it of in some other way. Everyone always needs a good indentured servant from time to time. I'd have him do every nasty job you need done until you feel you have been repaid.

Next time he wants to ride your bike have him ride bitch.

Cab305
August 16th, 2010, 08:06 AM
Did you kick him in the nuts? You shoulda!

awesome_r6
August 16th, 2010, 08:36 AM
Because of this you have free will to punch/kick him in the nuts when you see fit. Or at least he can help pay for the damage. Also his man card is revoked until damage of said bike is fixed.

Blackwidow
August 16th, 2010, 10:15 AM
glad to see everyone is more concerned about the object then the human.

First, is your friend ok? If it was just the sliders that took the beating, why not fix it yourself? might cost you much less.

we all know when a good friend breaks something of yours, if its not within them to offer to fix it, you're not gonna ask for the money. Lesson learned here, don't allow friends to ride a machine that can be dangerous- to them and your bike.

Cab305
August 16th, 2010, 10:35 AM
"glad to see everyone is more concerned about the object then the human"

He was ok, the bike was dropped! Repercussion is eminent!

demp
August 16th, 2010, 10:51 AM
I had this same thing happen, my friend dropped it, and broke his collar bone into a bajillion pieces (he did pay for new fairings though)


Edit: why would you bother taking it to a shop to get it fixed? This bike's really easy to work on, replacing fairrings is the simplest thing to do.

GeneJunkie
August 16th, 2010, 11:07 AM
+1


What brand of frame slider?

Those look like Street Bikes Unlimited frame sliders.

Jerry
August 16th, 2010, 11:12 AM
Put two grand in my hand, I'll give it back when you and the bike return intact.

I guess among my friends, I kinda know who's got the cash, and the sense of responsibility to make things right if they do go wrong.

mrlmd
August 16th, 2010, 11:18 AM
And you don't bear any responsibility for letting your friend go for a ride on your bike? It's not like he stole it or did it without your permission. You should be just as pissed at yourself as at him, you are as much to blame for the damage.
Has he ever ridden a bike before?

Lurkable
August 16th, 2010, 11:48 AM
And you don't bear any responsibility for letting your friend go for a ride on your bike? It's not like he stole it or did it without your permission. You should be just as pissed at yourself as at him, you are as much to blame for the damage.
Has he ever ridden a bike before?

stupidity happens... and im more pissed at myself for letting my friend ride her! :mad:

Lesson learned! :thumbup:

If a friend asked me to ride my bike I would explain to them that the first bike I ever rode was under the supervision of an MSF instructor and recommend that my friend do the same.

backinthesaddleagain
August 16th, 2010, 12:06 PM
I let a fried ride my Ninja 250 (he had let me put many miles on his 883). The first time he put the 250 in gear he popped the clutch and almost dropped the bike. I let him sit on my 600RR. I had to support the bike while he got off it. Happily at that point he didn't ask to ride it.

ninjette
August 16th, 2010, 12:51 PM
glad to see everyone is more concerned about the object then the human.

First, is your friend ok? If it was just the sliders that took the beating, why not fix it yourself? might cost you much less.



Yes, he's ok.. except for a bruised ego, a few bumps and scrapes on his leg and knee..

I failed to include on my original post that the little mishap could've been worse.. he could've seriously hurt himself, or someone.. or crashed into my neighbor's garage door or the wall... so yes I am relieved that nothing serious happened.. So now I'm just left with this "I'm sooo stupid-argggh my poor bike!!!- can't believe I let it happen" feeling :\ .. i didn't intend for him to ride the bike, like take her around the block or anything like that... Just a few feet really.. do the whole "power walk" thing.. but it was a stupid idea nonetheless.. and it was a lesson learned.


we all know when a good friend breaks something of yours, if its not within them to offer to fix it, you're not gonna ask for the money.
Couldn't have said it better.. I would feel like an ass if I ask him for payment, let alone remind him.. he wouldn't do that to me if it was me who crashed his bike (if he had one) or something.. I know he feels bad about the whole thing.. and he's well aware that this means doing me A LOT of favor..

Friends and money don't go well together.
Nope they don't :(

Thanks guys for your 2cents.. I don't remember the brand of my frame sliders, but they're definitely cheaper than the shogun ones (so I guess I get what I paid for). I thought it did well though, but now it is crooked, and loose (I can wiggle the thing sticking out). Any of you guys have this experience? Does that mean something broke inside, that's part of the bike?

I asked the shop if they could fix the crack.. I don't want to buy a new fairing because its a lot.. But I think I'm more concerned now about the frame sliders (since it is loose) -- I want to make sure nothing is broken inside.

I might consider trying epoxy.. I wish there's a DIY instruction on how to do it... the fairing does not have a scratch on it, just that crack... which I'm happy about..

Cali619
August 16th, 2010, 01:17 PM
Just leave it as is its not that bad. Will give it some character ;). Unlike my poser friend that bought an 08 gixxer 600 and barely has 100 miles on it lol, its sure is clean and prestine.... cause he doesnt ride it...

addy126
August 16th, 2010, 01:27 PM
I *never* let anyone drive my vehicles/motorbikes.... ever. They need a car... go rent one, need a bike go rent an H-D.... it just doesn't pay cuz Murphy's Law dictates in this regard... what can go wrong, will go wrong.

Blackwidow
August 16th, 2010, 01:29 PM
i hate murphy! :rolleyes:

Flashmonkey
August 16th, 2010, 01:47 PM
Couldn't have said it better.. I would feel like an ass if I ask him for payment, let alone remind him.. he wouldn't do that to me if it was me who crashed his bike (if he had one) or something.. I know he feels bad about the whole thing.. and he's well aware that this means doing me A LOT of favor..


Well..it's hard to make a judgement like this since I don't know all of the facts....but if my friend dropped my bike I probably wouldn't ask him for money either...I'd just kick him in the nuts. :D

The damage doesn't look that bad, though. If you know someone who has done work on car bodies, they may be able to help you Macgyver up a fix. Maybe some fibreglass reinforcement on the back and some bondo on the front? I dunno....my work is shoddy at best haha. But it's definitely not horrible.

At the very least, you could just put a sticker over it. :thumbup:

tinng321
August 16th, 2010, 01:52 PM
i hate murphy! :rolleyes:

me too.

tinng321
August 16th, 2010, 01:58 PM
I'd be satisfied if he paid half. I'm sure we will work something out. He's a really good friend, I know he would pay me if he had the money.. but he doesn't have a job.. I don't mind paying it on my own for now, I just want her fixed.

I respect you for taking the responsibility.
Eventhough, he created the damage, it was you who decided it was ok for him to ride. Once you say yes everything is on you.:thumbup:
You can make a few hundreds easily, but good friends are hard to find.
If my best friend ask I will definitely say yes with no doubt. If I want to take one of his 3 benz's out for a spin all I have to do is ask for the key because we are unselfish like that.

Guinss
August 16th, 2010, 02:31 PM
As one clever person suggested in a post above, try to bend the fairing back into place. I remember i did this on a piece of fairing once. Took it off the bike, bent it into place and held it there while superglue was applied on the backside. Let it sit for a couple of minutes , then fill in with some filler of some sort. This is all on the backside of the fairing. Then after you could try some polish, wax etc on the frontside, just be careful not to rip the paint even more open.

I'd say you got nothing to lose, if your planning to buy a new fairing anyway. This could be a temporary solution.

ninjette
August 16th, 2010, 02:43 PM
I respect you for taking the responsibility.
Eventhough, he created the damage, it was you who decided it was ok for him to ride. Once you say yes everything is on you.:thumbup:
You can make a few hundreds easily, but good friends are hard to find.
If my best friend ask I will definitely say yes with no doubt. If I want to take one of his 3 benz's out for a spin all I have to do is ask for the key because we are unselfish like that.
Thanks, this is exactly how I feel... I'm definitely most upset about myself. If I have said no, this wouldn't have happened. It would have been the end of it.. he wouldn't try to nag or convince me... sad, but I'm the dumbass friend who let the idiot friend try her bike..

ninjette
August 16th, 2010, 02:46 PM
As one clever person suggested in a post above, try to bend the fairing back into place. I remember i did this on a piece of fairing once. Took it off the bike, bent it into place and held it there while superglue was applied on the backside. Let it sit for a couple of minutes , then fill in with some filler of some sort. This is all on the backside of the fairing. Then after you could try some polish, wax etc on the frontside, just be careful not to rip the paint even more open.

I'd say you got nothing to lose, if your planning to buy a new fairing anyway. This could be a temporary solution.

will give this a shot... there are no broken pieces so I think I can put it back into place... any recommendations on the best glue to use??

Guinss
August 16th, 2010, 02:50 PM
will give this a shot... there are no broken pieces so I think I can put it back into place... any recommendations on the best glue to use??

Just superglue, i think i used the one produced by Lock-tite.
It will stick really quick so be sure the sides are perfectly lined up before applying any. Probably best to have some extra hands helping.

kkim
August 16th, 2010, 03:04 PM
will give this a shot... there are no broken pieces so I think I can put it back into place... any recommendations on the best glue to use??

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42690

Viper-Byte
August 16th, 2010, 04:27 PM
That sucks, but this sort of thing happens...

I personally only let people sit on my bike under my supervision (with the keys in my hand! :p ) and I will not let someone ride it unless they are from the bike shop servicing her, or a friend that has the same or more riding experience as me. :2cents:

TrueFader
August 16th, 2010, 04:32 PM
same damage happened to my bike, i left the crack, but my bike is black and hides the dmg better. the frame slider did exactly what it was supposed to, protect the frame from damage. if there's any design flaw it's probably the frame extensions that holds the slider in place, that's where the weak spot was in my incident. if you want the fairing replaced or repaired is up to you, he should pay for either. if it were my friends, they know beforehand if they drop the bike, even with limited dmg like yours, they bought it outright, or i get their bike, my choice.

ricochet08
August 16th, 2010, 06:50 PM
Did you kick him in the nuts? You shoulda!

After you made sure they were ok, then yes you definitely should've :D

Put two grand in my hand, I'll give it back when you and the bike return intact.


That sound like somethin I would say. Matter of fact, put 2k in my hand, return my bike intact, you get the money back, any damages, I keep the money. :thumbup:

Flashmonkey
August 16th, 2010, 07:03 PM
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42690

LOL is there anything we haven't covered on this forum?

tinng321
August 16th, 2010, 07:41 PM
LOL is there anything we haven't covered on this forum?

Yes...how to ___ on a bike...Oh, nevermind.:D

a) sit
b)
d) stand
e) watever

mrlmd
August 17th, 2010, 06:26 AM
Use the ABS cement like I mentioned and as in the link kkim posted. That stuff bonds into and becomes one with the plastic fairing instead of trying to stick to the surface and will not crack as easily as Superglue will, and should be stronger as it is also spread out over a wider area in the back (and will be hidden from view). Blue label can - ACE Hardware. You can reinforce it if you want by laying a small piece of screen over the crack and burying that into the glued repair but for something as small as you are fixing, it's probably not necessary.

ninjette
August 17th, 2010, 01:36 PM
You guys have been very helpful! Thanks for the DIY thread kkim. Hopefully I'll find the blue can. I will post my progress. Can't wait to get her fixed! :)

ninjette
September 3rd, 2010, 08:14 PM
I've had a streak of bad luck this past month... before my friend dropped my bike, my car was keyed... two weeks after my bike's mishap, my car got broken into. smashed my window, trashed my dashboard panel..stole my aftermarket navigation/dvd system... :mad:

That's why I've been putting off fixing her up. My brother tried to align the cracked fairing, but he was unsuccessful. :( I might just cover it up with stickers.. for now. Anyway, im not too concerned about that as I am with this:

9071 9072

I haven't had time to check with a shop to find out if this is bad. The frame slider bracket hit the engine block (sp?)? We are set to go to big sur tomorrow, and I'm not sure if I should go? What do you guys think?

backinthesaddleagain
September 3rd, 2010, 08:26 PM
it hit the cylinder. the first part of the cyl under the surface metal the slider hit is the water jacket. If it cracked water/coolant would leak out. Remember the cooling system is pressurized and you would see the leak/steam when engine is hot. Any signs of cracks?

ninjette
September 4th, 2010, 10:26 PM
Thanks for the info. No, no signs of cracks... my brother said he warmed her up and didnt find steam or any leaks coming out... I wonder if it'll get worse overtime?

Dino
September 5th, 2010, 12:53 AM
Wow, my condolences to your bike! The same EXACT thing happened to my bike last week so don't feel bad. I know the guilty feeling you have cuz I felt the same way about my friends coworker having to pay for it. I have decided in the mean time to just hold off on any repairs on the bike just in case I drop it again in the future. The most important thing I would think of instead of replacing the fairing is to have the frame inspected for damage and/or take the fairings apart and see for yourself and perhaps buy better/replace your frame sliders. If you need any help, there's the DIY list here:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5586

It'll show you all kinds of neat DIY, including repairing a fairing (from the most inexpensive and cheap to the professional way.)

Glad that you're friend is ok and that you didn't break any other parts like I did! I had to ride all the way home with my right foot on the muffler cuz my footrest broke off. Happy riding and here's something you can put on the poor ninja in the meantime:

http://cgi.ebay.com/JDM-BAND-AID-SET-7-Decal-Sticker-Car-Truck-Surf-Ski-/120615350630?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c153c3166

And I would take a RED ninja with a little blemish than any other color ninja w/out blemishes because we all know it's the sexiest color! :P

Cedilla
September 7th, 2010, 09:38 PM
I've only let a couple of people take my bike for a spin, and one of the times I only done it because I was riding their bike. I usually won't even touch someone's bike if I know I could not buy it outright if something were to happen. One of my co-workers was trying to get me to move his 1600 vulcan the other day, and could not understand why I kept telling him no. I wont even sit on it, because I know I could not afford to fix any damage if I was to drop it.`

FrugalNinja250
September 8th, 2010, 08:52 AM
The fins on the engine are purely decorative and serve no other function. If nothing's leaking then don't worry about it.

binlagin
September 8th, 2010, 11:05 AM
I'm pretty sure those fins help dissipate heat.

I know the bike is liquid cooled... but I'm just sayin :P

FrugalNinja250
September 8th, 2010, 12:27 PM
Theoretically they may dissipate some heat, but the amount is so trivial that it really doesn't matter. The primary heat rejection mode for this motor is the coolant loop through the radiator. The fins were cast in for cosmetic purposes alone.

00NissanNinja
September 8th, 2010, 01:08 PM
Wow that is quite the streak of bad luck hope things get better for you. Those fins are just to increase the area of the engine block to make more surface area for cooling, nothing major will happen if they got scratched off or something. If the slider didn't make a crack in your engine block(which I am pretty sure it would be able to) then I looks fine to me at least from the pictures.