September 17th, 2014, 04:51 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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First lowside. What should I do next?
I went into a left turn in a residential street at about 20mph and my rear tire most likely hit a small patch of dirt 1/4 into the turn. The bike ended up sliding into a curb and onto the grass. I believe the curb caused most of the damage.
I was wearing a Shoei Qwest helmet, Dainese Airframe jacket, Held Evo Thrux gloves and SIDI Cobra boots. I was literally going to order leather pants when I got home. I came out with a quarter sized scrape on my knee and a few small holes in the sleeve of my jacket. That's it. I had a police officer come by so I can make a police report. The questions I have though are should I just fix it myself? Should I file an insurance claim on it? Chances are it's totalled but I'm not entirely sure. If it's worth the hassle I could fix things myself if possible. The left handlebar is bent along with the clutch lever. Side fairing cracked at the screw near the gas tank. The shift lever is bent. Turn signal is out but I think only the bulb and clear plastic part are the only broken pieces. There's a scrape behind the headlight under the mirror, the side is scraped up and a scrape near the rear seat. The bike won't start unless it's in neutral but I can't try it out since I have to straighten out my shifter first. If I should just do all the work myself and not bother with insurance, what should I look for in terms of making sure everything is safe to ride it again? |
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September 17th, 2014, 04:55 PM | #2 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: S
Location: CA/MA, usually
Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R, 2007 Ninja 650R, 2001 F650 Dakar Posts: A lot.
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Welcome to the forum. Do you have any interest in a track/race bike?
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September 17th, 2014, 04:56 PM | #3 |
sammich maker
Name: snot
Location: West Ohio - in the kitchen
Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 white 300, 09 KLX 250 SF, 09 thunder blue 250(traded) Posts: A lot.
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Do the work yourself. You learn a lot about the bike and its s lot cheaper. You can also put some good aftermarket parts on instead of OEM.
By the way Welcome! |
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September 17th, 2014, 04:59 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: S
Location: CA/MA, usually
Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R, 2007 Ninja 650R, 2001 F650 Dakar Posts: A lot.
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Oh, I know it's just a minor low-side, but I'd suggest sending your helmet to Shoei to have them check it out. They do complimentary inspections/reports on the safety of a helmet, and can tell you if it's still good to go, or if it needs to be replaced.
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September 17th, 2014, 05:03 PM | #5 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: -
Location: somewhere cold
Join Date: Jun 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250 Posts: 596
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Shift lever - Bend back with heat and vise grip.
Turn Signal - Replace Handle Bar - Bend back with a vise, heat and long pipe. The price of the plastics will likely total your bike. |
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September 17th, 2014, 05:10 PM | #6 | |||
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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That was my idea. Should I bother letting the insurance company check it out? It's probably totalled but I'm not sure if I should call them about it. |
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September 17th, 2014, 05:15 PM | #7 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Philip
Location: Yuma, Az
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): 2007 250r Posts: 45
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plastics are expensive, but you might be able to find some good deals on ebay. From what i've seen, ebay has more left sided fairings and parts than right sided.
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I just keep taking it apart. I can't help myself! |
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September 17th, 2014, 05:21 PM | #8 |
Que Buenos Son!!!
Name: Ryan
Location: Grovetucky, OH
Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): Aprilia Shiver 750, Husaberg FE 450, Ninja 300 (sold), xr100 Posts: A lot.
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Crash your ninjette, take insurance payout,.. buy R6. That's the rules around here.
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September 17th, 2014, 05:24 PM | #9 |
sammich maker
Name: snot
Location: West Ohio - in the kitchen
Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 white 300, 09 KLX 250 SF, 09 thunder blue 250(traded) Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Apr '15
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September 17th, 2014, 05:35 PM | #10 |
RIP Alex
Name: Cuong
Location: Houston, TX
Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): '10 250r, '09 265r Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 2
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Glad you're ok.
Bike can be fixed for free. Cost: your time, granted you have the tools. front fairing popped out: your front fairing stay is tweaked inwards towards the frame. Option 1: get big hammer and bang it outwards and then put fairings back on. Option 2: get big long close end wrench that will slide over the fairing stay bar and muscle out outwards. Option 3: who cares and leave it be. If you have broken tabs, out some acetone or nail polish remover and melt the two pieces together. Don't use super glue. Broken turn signal. Go find lens, glue it back together to seal it and screw it back on to the stalk. Replace bulb if necessary. Bent handle bar: Hammer that thing straight or use a large pipe and bend it back. same thing for the clutch lever and foot shifter lever. Continue riding.
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September 17th, 2014, 05:53 PM | #11 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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September 17th, 2014, 05:58 PM | #12 |
RIP Alex
Name: Cuong
Location: Houston, TX
Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): '10 250r, '09 265r Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 2
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All you have to do is find a large (big enough for the handle bar to fit inside of it) and long (so you have enough leverage. The left switch housing is held together by 2 JIS screws. A regular phillips screwdriver should work too. You want to find where the bend starts in the bar and line up the pipe end at where the bend starts and bend it the opposite direction.
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September 17th, 2014, 06:43 PM | #14 |
Certified looney toon
Name: Teri
Location: 39°52'40.7"N 118°23'53.8"W (Northern NV)
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Turn signals slay fairings before they die. Little buggers go down swinging. LOL
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September 17th, 2014, 07:05 PM | #15 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Murphey
Location: Eastern Washington
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My left turn signal completely destroyed my 500s fairing lol, then subsequently was crashed on twice more and just gained a few more layers of duct tape every time. It was literally more duct tape than plastic, and it worked flawlessly.
I wouldn't tell insurance. I hate how so many basically mint bikes are scrapped because of some rash on the plastics. You can either fix the plastics, or just live with it and sell the bike later on. It's not like it's the only 250 out there with damaged plastics. |
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September 18th, 2014, 03:16 PM | #16 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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Alright I've got a little update. I went to the hardware store and the guys were nice enough to straighten out the shift lever for me. I'm working on removing/replacing the clutch lever and straightening out my bar but I'll probably do that tomorrow.
Should I take the grips off to prevent damage? I tried removed the screw at the end of the bar but it got scraped up and it's soft so it will be hard not to strip it. Also, I was reading the clutch lever removal guide on faq.ninja250.org and I'm not sure if my plunger was damaged or not. There's a plastic housing that is cracked but I don't see anything that the flat part of the lever would press down on as a trigger like the brake lever does. My Ninja recently had an issue with it not starting in gear with the clutch in but I've read that there is some clutch safety that needs to be fixed. After I put the straightened shifter on I put it into neutral and it started up. I tested it in 1st and it rode with the clutch out so I'm not sure if the "plunger" that I can't see is busted or not. Pictures related. |
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September 18th, 2014, 03:35 PM | #17 | |
Certified looney toon
Name: Teri
Location: 39°52'40.7"N 118°23'53.8"W (Northern NV)
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Quote:
A - Red loctite. Need a lot of heat to melt it enough to break the screw loose. Either a lighter or heat gun or maybe a hair dryer will work but you have to really heat the end. B - the screw is actually a JIS screw, not a Phillips. So while our tools will work, as you discovered, the metal is super soft and you just cut the thing apart. I stripped mine out but had numerous people tell me a JIS screwdriver would lock onto it and get it out with little effort.
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September 18th, 2014, 03:49 PM | #18 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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September 18th, 2014, 03:51 PM | #19 | |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
Location: Northern KY
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Quote:
And yea, compressed air will make quick work of removing the grip.
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September 18th, 2014, 04:00 PM | #20 |
Certified looney toon
Name: Teri
Location: 39°52'40.7"N 118°23'53.8"W (Northern NV)
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JIS is a Japanese standard so not sure if they are found at local hardware but I've never looked so I could be very wrong.
Lighter works, eventually (and if it is all ya got, go for it) but it will take awhile to work that thing loose.
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September 18th, 2014, 04:23 PM | #21 |
Certifiable nontundrum
Name: Harper
Location: NC Milkshake stand
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I hate wreck threads :/
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September 18th, 2014, 05:22 PM | #22 |
Fighting Texas Aggie '05
Name: Neil
Location: Hutto, TX
Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): '07 ZX6R, '08 Versys, '09 250R Track, '93 F2/F3 Track Posts: A lot.
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Glad you ok and glad you were wearing your gear
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September 18th, 2014, 07:22 PM | #23 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Eric
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
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First lowside. What should I do next?
1st trick down, now you're ready to master the hi-side :P
Sorry tryin humor to cheer ya up a bit.. Seriously though, glad your alright first of all. For the bike..Ins will probably total it. You can fix that to be safe to ride for under $500 (w/o plastic replacement), none of it will be hard. I don't think your fairing stay is bent, just cause the cheap plastic popped out. I made mine pop out leaning on it while washing bike! Handlebar, I'd replace, be easier and safer. use market area here for parts already on sale, or to request them. I'll see if I have anything u need I can send ya free... I think though about all I got is a stock muffler&pipe. |
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September 18th, 2014, 08:38 PM | #24 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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Quote:
I also think I need to get a new clutch switch. For the past few weeks (before the lowside) I haven't been able to start my bike in 1st even with the clutch in unless it was in neutral. Pretty sure my plunger snapped off. |
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September 18th, 2014, 08:45 PM | #25 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: -
Location: somewhere cold
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#2 and #3 Phillips are acceptable substitutes for fitting into the bar-end screws. The screws are soft enough that even a JIS driver will chew them up a little.
Heat the middle of the bar and work your way to the end for best results. |
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September 18th, 2014, 09:11 PM | #26 | |
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September 18th, 2014, 10:37 PM | #27 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Lee
Location: Monroe, LA
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I removed two end weights with the red threadlocker using standard Phillips fittings and a hand impact driver http://www.harborfreight.com/impact-...ase-37530.html
Couple of licks and they were loose. Hand impact drivers are cheap and ought to be in everyone's tool kit that works on bikes. I've never buggered a screw head when using an impact driver. |
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September 18th, 2014, 10:49 PM | #28 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Genesis
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The damage is not bad, I low-sided myself a few months back due to oil & gravel being on the ground. It's the fairings that cost money. I saw a blue one like that @ Amazon used for $125 only. The levers are cheap and you can get adjustable ones @ Amazon as well. I would get woodcraft clip-ons though instead of buying OEM bars that might cost more.
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September 19th, 2014, 02:16 AM | #29 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Tim
Location: NJ
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September 21st, 2014, 08:52 PM | #30 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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I was out of town so I couldn't get much done over the weekend but I tried straightening the bar out a bit on Friday. I bought a blowtorch and after heating up the ends the screw came out pretty easily. The hardware store didn't have any JIS screwdrivers but a standard phillips worked fine with the heat. The grip came off with a little bit of WD40 through the straw.
I'm not sure how good this is for straightness standards but it might be bent a little too far to the front. I tried used the fairing clearance of the right bar as a guide. Think I should bend it a little back again? Also, since the clutch plunger is missing, does anyone know the part number or have a link to it? The thing cracked in the accident and the plastic melted a little bit. |
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September 22nd, 2014, 12:33 PM | #31 |
wat
Name: wat
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"lowsided, what should i do next?"
you could try a highside, i hear those are exciting.
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September 27th, 2014, 08:20 PM | #32 |
Track Clown
Name: Chris
Location: Kingman, AZ
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Honestly, if you don't high side, think about what YOU did, do not make excuses about something in the road. the bikes are capable of hitting rough spots at different lean angles and have no issues. prime example: i was at a track in the morning after a night rain, taking things easy, hit a patch of mud on the track in the apex of the corner, all that happened is both tires slid and regained traction as i continued on my lap. I maintained my position and let the bike do what it needed to do to correct itself.
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September 27th, 2014, 08:28 PM | #33 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
September 28th, 2014, 06:44 PM | #34 |
Certifiable nontundrum
Name: Harper
Location: NC Milkshake stand
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2013 SE NINJA 300 Posts: Too much.
MOTM - Sep '13, Sep '16
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High side
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September 29th, 2014, 02:47 PM | #35 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Gandalf
Location: Chicago
Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 12
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I'll take your highside suggestions into consideration.
A big thanks to user "HKr1" who was kind enough to send me a replacement clutch lever and perch. Getting the perch off seemed tricky but some WD40 and a couple light taps from a rubber mallet was all it needed to loosen up. The bar isn't 100% straight but it seems good enough. Unfortunately my battery died after not riding for two weeks so I won't be able to make sure everything is working just yet. Hopefully I can get it started tonight. All I have to wait on now is the verdict from Shoei regarding my helmet. What should I inspect before I consider everything as safe to ride? I know I have to make sure the bike rides straight but what else? |
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September 29th, 2014, 05:47 PM | #36 |
IC2(SW)
Name: Kerry
Location: Pensacola
Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: A lot.
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