Yay I finally dropped it! :(

[YORCHI]

So I decided to finally give the bike a wash. And for whatever stupid dumb reason, I didn't sit on the bike and walk it to where I was gonna wash it like I always do when I move the bike out of the parking spot, instead I decided to hold on to the left handlebar and the strap on the rear seat and try to walk it over that way...

Well it ended up tipping over on its right side

I broke the right turn signal, cracked the fairing where the turn signal goes, scratched the stock bar end and a tiny scratch on the rear brake lever and towards the bottom of the fairing...

I feel pretty dumb lol

What do you guys recommend? I want to call Progressive and file my first claim so they can take care of the fairing and light and then I'm also going to go ahead and buy Tri's front LED flushmounts and get the Shogun crash kit put in as well. Or do I leave the fairing as it is and only get the flushmounts instead, assuming I'll eventually drop it again and should really only replace the fairing when it's really damaged and worth the $250 deductible I'm going to pay??

It only took 62 days of owning the bike before I finally dropped it...yay!

[Alex]

I'd weigh the expected payment from the insurance company, against the potential (and likely expected) rate increase from the claim. Work with your agent to figure out the likely best outcome for you financially. You may come out ahead by not claiming this one.

[Alex]

Oh, and http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25913

[Mountain Dew]

You absolutely don't want to claim a tipover like that.

Unless you completely shattered the turn signal housing, it'll assemble back together. Besides, the stalk is only $30. Your deductible would make your insurance pay very little out of their pocket for the fairing.

Your best bet is to either get the flushmounts and frame sliders so you most likely won't have to worry about them again. IMO you should get the frame sliders anyway. Mine protected my fairings and turn signals in the first 3 tipovers (paid for it self the very first one).

protip: If you're going to walk your bike without you on it, you'll want to grab ahold of both handlebars, rather than one handlebar and something else.

[akima]

Sorry to hear that Yorchi I nearly dropped mine the other day and got a small panicked insight into what it would feel like to damage a beautiful Ninjette!

Is it really a bad idea to wheel the bike around without sitting on it? I've done it a whole bunch of times so far and I felt pretty safe doing it. I was giving it 100% of my attention though as I knew it would only take a small mistake to cause it to topple over.

Good luck with your repairs and repair bill. Personally -- if the fairing damage wasn't that noticable -- I wouldnt make an insurance claim. I'd just buy those front LED flushmounts and replace the scratched bar end.

[choneofakind]

I wouldn't claim that on the insurance. seems like a lot more money than it's worth for a bike that only cost 5k to start with.

and frame sliders wont protect the fairings. they're meant to keep the engine and other important parts from slamming into the ground.

[setasai]

Bummers dude. I'd go with the rest of them and pay it out of pocket. Insurance is likely to get complicated if you claim it. Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?

Originally Posted by akima

Is it really a bad idea to wheel the bike around without sitting on it? I've done it a whole bunch of times so far and I felt pretty safe doing it. I was giving it 100% of my attention though as I knew it would only take a small mistake to cause it to topple over.

Not so much a bad idea. I think it works if you're careful and used to it. Also, the pavement you're doing this has to be fairly level since any kind of slant leads to unbalance, especially driveway curbs. There's always that annoying dip that I feel uneasy backing over.

[bkh2]

Originally Posted by akima

Is it really a bad idea to wheel the bike around without sitting on it? I've done it a whole bunch of times so far and I felt pretty safe doing it.

Same here; I just stand on the left side and hold both bars while pulling it backwards/pushing it forwards. Should I sit on it instead, from now on?

[jamesio]

I had a similar incident a while ago the first time I washed my bike. I was walking it and holding on to both handlebars, but left the kickstand in the down position. The kickstand clipped the ground and I didn't notice, but it only clipped it enough to get it out of it's secure holding position, so when I glanced down it looked the same. Then when I went to lean the bike over on the kickstand it held for like one second. I was standing right beside the bike with a hand still on a bar luckily, but I kinda caught it by the side fairings in a cradling motion.

It caught me so off guard that it was too heavy to stand back up and I didn't want to throw my weight against it and risk tipping it the other way. I was able to catch her tho and just decided to let her down niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice and easy. Luckily there was basically zero impact, and zero damage.

Now every time I get off the bike or lean it over I have a habit of kicking the kickstand forward a couple times to make sure it's locked in

Originally Posted by bkh2

Same here; I just stand on the left side and hold both bars while pulling it backwards/pushing it forwards. Should I sit on it instead, from now on?

Doesn't really matter, but if you walk it, just be sure to mind the kickstand (see above haha) If you're going to leave it down, check it before you lean the bike on it everytime. Otherwise just put it in the up position and don't forget to put it back down!

[YORCHI]

Can a regular car body shop fix the faring? The crack really is pretty small.

You guys are right, I'm just gonna get flush mounts and the shogun crash kit and leave it alone. I might remove the Ninja stickers just so the crack isn't as noticeable.

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by setasai

Not so much a bad idea. I think it works if you're careful and used to it. Also, the pavement you're doing this has to be fairly level since any kind of slant leads to unbalance, especially driveway curbs. There's always that annoying dip that I feel uneasy backing over.

That's where it tipped over, the asphalt slanted to the right away from me and it just tipped over too far. Totally my fault and I'm glad no one saw lol

I'm just glad that nothing mechanical broke and it was only the light bulb housing that broke off. The actual stalk is fine minus a tiny scuff.

[YORCHI]

Can anyone confirm if this is correct...

I didn't see a 'right fairing' part number or anything but I did some searching and read it was called the right side cowling...

http://cheapcycleparts.com/products/...i-blue#fitment

Can someone please confirm that's the stock right side fairing, thanks in advance

[rusninja]

+1 on flushs

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by rusninja

+1 on flushs

getting the front and rear LED's from Tri

[gt_turbo]

when walking your bike you should always have the kickstand down and the weight of the bike against you. i wouldn't bother to claim it or fix the fairings. it's minor and who wants to their insurance to go up due to their own noob mistake. and Tri's LED lights rock, make sure you get the diode kit, and relay.

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by gt_turbo

when walking your bike you should always have the kickstand down and the weight of the bike against you. i wouldn't bother to claim it or fix the fairings. it's minor and who wants to their insurance to go up due to their own noob mistake. and Tri's LED lights rock, make sure you get the diode kit, and relay.

I already ordered the lights, relay, and diode...should have them by the end of the week and on the bike this weekend so I can ride it again. I don't want to ride it with a light missing.

I decided not to bother trying to repair or replace the fairing since it's such a small crack that it's not worth the 250 bucks for me. Besides, it's my first drop and I've only had the bike for 2 months. Odds are that I'll probably drop it again before my first year or worse. I'd rather only replace those parts when absolutely needed instead of just for the smallest things.

The crash kit should help out a bit though in preventing small things like this from damaging anything else too much.

Thanks for the input everyone...I'll post pics when it's all said and done

[rockNroll]

n00b!

[YORCHI]

Originally Posted by rockNroll

n00b!

haha yeah I feel like a total newb...I kept thinking about it all day yesterday, it was driving me crazy...I had to put the bike cover back on the bike so I won't be reminded of it when I walk by it