Low sided friends ninja off of highway! :(

[Heffdan]

Long story short - I was helping a mate out when he purchased a 2008 ninja 250. He had not gotten his bike license yet and asked me if I could take it home for him.

Going back to his house casually riding went around a corner coming off of the highway in a part out of town I had never been before, huge amount of loose gravel along the turn and bike came out from under me (I should have been looking at the ground aswell as not just through the turn). Was not a very "fast" accident. Bike slid away from myself and I slid a few metres getting up without even a scratch on myself besides a small tear in my draggin jeans exposing the material that held up beautifully in the slide.(ATGATT)

Really super depressed though regarding the bike. I was trying to help a mate out and it bit me in the ass. I feel bad for him and myself. He also did not have full comprehensive insurance for the bike as it costs $2500 a year with an excess cost of $2400 aswell. (Same as What I have on mine)

Anyway with the bike the damage includes a scratched up right hand side Fairing, scratched Exhaust can, Bent right hand handlebar, and a new right hand foot rest is needed. We took it back to the shop and left it there on the back of a mates ute. (Shop guy seemed like a dick regarding it all - going off saying "I dont want to have anything to do with this" "I will just give you a quote")

Anyways I am wondering if its worth ebaying the parts myself or letting them fix it all up and being probably charged a huge amount. I really just want to get it fixed and like new for him ASAP without too huger dent in my own wallet.

Cheers.

[Bentley813]

That sucks big time. I imagine you must feel crappy. As to getting it fixed, I think you will have to ask him about that. If he is ok with you and your competence fixing bikes then go for it.

[Timr]

that sucks mate. it a bit of a no win situation. but i would go some where else with the bike and tell all your mates how much of a tool the guy at the shop was... if your confident you can do the work yourself and your mate is happy for you to do it. go for ebay but if not find another shop and get them to do it.

[Heffdan]

The fairing from the store would cost big I reckon, And replacing it with one I can get myself seems like a viable option. They are not hard at all to take off and on.

And yeah was the WORST feeling ending back up at the shop where we just came from and having to leave it there and then say goodbye..

[Monkeytofu]

Damn, it always sucks when you try to help someone and it ends up just messing up the whole damn day.

However, you can replace everything you described as damaged by yourself. Take the bike and tell that mechanic to stick it

[Motofool]

Dan,

You were careless and damaged someone's else property.

That is a bad reality, but nothing can be changed.

All you can do now is what you are doing.

The less costly way out that I see is to buy and replace things on your own; 98% of the shops are there just to make money out of your need.

You will also need to straight the forks respect to the clamps, because they always get twisted during mishaps like this one.

Does your friend want to return the bike to the previous condition or just some monetary compensation?
Get over your guilt feeling and discuss this with him as honestly as good friends should.

"If you are going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

[koenigcitizen]

Wow, thats awful
This is one of the reasons I would never ride anyone's bike (unless to maybe help them - and thats what you did).

Considering the situation (its not like you wanted to take his bike for a ride, he asked you to help him move his bike)... It was unfortunate, and it really can happen to anyone... Considering all this, maybe you guys can just split the cost of repair down the middle

[CC Cowboy]

What a maroon!

[Heffdan]

You are right Hernan and I blame no one but myself.

The Dealer is giving a quote today to have the bike 100% back to what it used to be. He reckons that the stock exhaust costs $1500 itself just to replace -.-

It might be worth taking it to a Bike repair shop for the crucial parts like brakes etc and do the cosmetics myself.

[leed]

Originally Posted by Heffdan

You are right Hernan and I blame no one but myself.

The Dealer is giving a quote today to have the bike 100% back to what it used to be. He reckons that the stock exhaust costs $1500 itself just to replace -.-

It might be worth taking it to a Bike repair shop for the crucial parts like brakes etc and do the cosmetics myself.

I wouldn't take anything to that dealer anymore. The factory exhaust doesn't cost that much from the factory. If I were you, buy all the parts online (eBay, local part-outs, etc) and install what you can. Get help installing what you're not comfortable with, but don't let a shop or dealer source the parts for you.

And it happens, just fix the damages and don't worry about it. Besides, probably better you than him as he would probably never ride if it had been him going down.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by Heffdan

You are right Hernan and I blame no one but myself.

The Dealer is giving a quote today to have the bike 100% back to what it used to be. He reckons that the stock exhaust costs $1500 itself just to replace -.-

It might be worth taking it to a Bike repair shop for the crucial parts like brakes etc and do the cosmetics myself.

Just FYI, top of the line full race exhaust system is $600. I would not even pay $100 for the stock exhaust

[Motofool]

Two examples that support the two previous posts:

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/mcy/3224967399.html

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/mcy/3198017595.html

[Heffdan]

Cheers for the help and support guys, really do appreciate it.

Have been feeling quite down about the whole matter the past few days.

[Heffdan]

Originally Posted by leed

better you than him as he would probably never ride if it had been him going down.

I actually agree with this, he told me after he saw that he only had very basic gear at home and how I did not even have a scratch or mark on me wearing all proper gear inspired him to get more

[Old Lemon]

I have a right handle bar straight from a kawasaki factory, still completely sealed if you want to buy it

[Heffdan]

This afternoon they said they will give a quote. The man reckoned $110 dollars for the right handlebar himself. My jaw dropped a little.

I'm mostly interested in the quote of things that are actually damaged, I will report back in this afternoon. If it is okay Michael I will give you a yell after on the handlebar. Would be much appreciated!

[Old Lemon]

sure thing

[chef]

That sucks bro,
Dont know if the 2008 exhaust is the same as current models?
I have the factory exhaust wrapped & collecting dust...only 1 week on the bike. If you want to pay the shipping from Indonesia its yours.
Where are you in Aus? If Perth the shipping could be a lot less than a new one?

[Heffdan]

Hi Matt,

That kindness is overwhelming me. Ironically I live on the other side of Australia - About 2 hours away from Brisbane. That would mean the absolute world to me though if I could save some $$ getting it repaired for my friend. I still can't believe how this dealer man says it would cost me $1500 for a stock exhaust can.

Do you know of the best way to see how much shipping would cost? I'm sure it would still be reasonable regardless of the price.

[chef]

No problems Heffdan,
I will start to look around at the post or courier service,might take a few days to get an idea & will let you know.
I am originally a Sydney boy,living up here now.Cheap flights from Aus so let me know if you ever come to Bali & we do some riding in the Isle of the gods.

[Heffdan]

Sounds like a blast to me

Its amazing how the kindness of people can totally change the moral and happiness of a person.

And am happy to wait mate

[7oxSin]

heff, i know this kinda seems like an obvious thing to say. but why not give the buddy your bike and you take his since you dropped his?

[Heffdan]

I guess that's like asking would you give up your own baby. But in all seriousness I did think of it but its a huge muck around with both insurance, rego, safety certs to hand over papers etc.

and it would leave me with an even bigger dint in my wallet and loosing my own baby.

[7oxSin]

kk just had to ask, guess there are more hoops to jump through down under.

[Heffdan]

That there is man.

[Heffdan]

Just heard back from the Dealer - Their quote $4000

Saw that coming.

Anways I talked to my mate, and he is happy to have them to fix the Handlebar, Side fairing and brake. I told him the cost of an ebay side but he is wanting the original side fairing. I can understand that and will work that out.

That just leaves me to source the Exhaust can and a Ninja sticker which they wanted 50 bucks for (What a joke). And possibly a right hand rear set or just the brake pedal itself

Matt I might call you up on the Exhaust my friend if the offer still stands from a few hours ago :P

Regards, Heff

[psych0hans]

Originally Posted by Heffdan

Just heard back from the Dealer - Their quote $4000

Saw that coming.

Anways I talked to my mate, and he is happy to have them to fix the Handlebar, Side fairing and brake. I told him the cost of an ebay side but he is wanting the original side fairing. I can understand that and will work that out.

That just leaves me to source the Exhaust can and a Ninja sticker which they wanted 50 bucks for (What a joke). And possibly a right hand rear set or just the brake pedal itself

Matt I might call you up on the Exhaust my friend if the offer still stands from a few hours ago :P

Regards, Heff

I see a DIY in the making. Don't bother spending all that money, try doing as much of it as you can. You can find plenty of used handlebars on eBay, hell consider getting clip ons' to make him happy(off eBay too, get the ones with the 50mm risers or SV650 clipons work as well, there is a DIY on here). If he's a good friend, I'm sure he'll understand. Throw in a reatset adjuster from tony on this site, and your friend should be happy as ever...

[Jiggles]

Clip ons and rear sets != upgrades

[chef]

Offer is still there & will look at how to send it.

[Heffdan]

Might even look at those upgrades for him. He is a good bloke and I mean only the best for him.

And cheers Chef. Honest to god you are a hero.

[CThunder-blue]

$4000? That's about $200 off a brand new bike. USD of course. Anyways, I can only quote you USD costs, but a main fairing here is about $400, handle bar is about $84, the bar end is $19, and not sure on rearset. Check the for sale forums for the rear sets. There are usually like new ones for pretty cheap. For the fairing, get some quotes to respray a stock fairing. There are plastic body fillers that can be used to repair scratched fairings. It might be cheaper than buying a new one. OEM decals will likely have to be purchased from the dealer. The Ninja decal from the dealer is $23.

If you can't find a cheaper source, let me know. I can buy the small parts for you here and ship them. I wish I still had my stock muffler to give you. Was the handle bar actually damaged or was it just the bar end?

[Gurk]

Time to learn how to take off fairings, clipons etc yourself. Trust me sooner or later, you'll need to learn. The idea of opening the bike up to change oil was a scary thought for me. Only a year ago I was clueless. I went to a socal tech day and @Cazper (Dustin) helped me out changing oil.

4 months after that I was riding an R6 on track. Crashed the F*CK out of it. Replaced subframe, forks, clipons, airbox, tank and did it all by google'ing and/or asking on the internet and youtube videos.

You can do it. Just remember. All you're doing is unscrewing bolts, taking stuff out, then replacing them with new parts and screwing the bolts back on. Really no big deal.

[Havok]

Originally Posted by Gurk

Time to learn how to take off fairings, clipons etc yourself. Trust me sooner or later, you'll need to learn. The idea of opening the bike up to change oil was a scary thought for me. Only a year ago I was clueless. I went to a socal tech day and @Cazper (Dustin) helped me out changing oil.

4 months after that I was riding an R6 on track. Crashed the F*CK out of it. Replaced subframe, forks, clipons, airbox, tank and did it all by google'ing and/or asking on the internet and youtube videos.

You can do it. Just remember. All you're doing is unscrewing bolts, taking stuff out, then replacing them with new parts and screwing the bolts back on. Really no big deal.

What he said, don't pay that much for these simple fixes. Buy an 08 fairing, upgrade the bars and rearsets to aftermarket and look for an exhaust can. These are all pretty much bolt on parts that are an easy fix. I am guessing about grand for everything depending on how much the new fairing costs.

[Cazper]

I'm with these guys... there is no way I would pay that kind of money and just have them return it to stock take a look at my signature... I've dumped over $2K into my bike and there is very little stock stuff left on my bike... buy aftermarket or used and do the work yourself.

The only thing I haven't done on my bike was the valve job... and I helped with that. Okay, I did have help with a lot of the stuff... there is an awesome group here in SoCal that does a lot of tech days together... hence the me helping @Gurk with his oil change! Once we realized you had the ratchet going the wrong direction it was a breeze...

Bottom line... don't let someone screw you with their costs... all those things are easily replaced by yourself... follow the DIY's on this website and ask questions when you need help!

[choneofakind]

$1500 for a stock exhaust??

get away from that shop asap!!

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

$1500 for a stock exhaust??

get away from that shop asap!!

for realz..... I will sell you my stock exhaust for $1450 (discounted due to cat paw prints). PM me brah!

[Heffdan]

Chef has already looked after me fellas regarding exhausts

and very true Gurk it is what I am planning to do

[Gurk]

Originally Posted by Cazper

Once we realized you had the ratchet going the wrong direction it was a breeze...

Oh you had to mention that didn't you!


hahahah

[azimmer11]

Originally Posted by csmith12

for realz..... I will sell you my stock exhaust for $1450 (discounted due to cat paw prints). PM me brah!

i'll let mine go for $1,300!

[Jiggles]

tjis guy has u both beat