Crashed My Bike

[Francis]

Hey, guys. Just crashed my bike. New rider here since Dec actually. Scold me or whatever, it's all good.

Honestly, I've been through this corner a couple of times. I don't think I was going too fast. Couple of witnesses said the same thing. I think I used the brakes too much in the corner and I ended up going over.

The bike didn't slide that much. Luckily, I didn't hit anything. Left thighs hurt a bit, but no head injuries. No real scratch on the helmet. I went through a barbed wire. Almost hit a pole with a couple of signs. Apparently, a lot of riders fall there and one passed away just last Summer.

Anyways, the shift lever is bent, throttle doesn't snap back and front left signal's broken. Scratches on the left/right fairies but the black plastic on left side snapped.

I don't know yet about the internal injuries, I don't think there's any. Although it took a while to start the bike again. Electric starter would work, but it took a while for the engine to run.

I was only worried about the bike for some reason, and still am. I don't know how much damages will be and how much my insurance will go up. I don't know if I should even claim it or fix it myself. I'll know more info on Monday.

It's a 2010. I'm really pissed that it happened because of the money I'm gonna have to pay to get it running again. I should probably replace the helmet, but at the same time, I don't think it was hit even though I kinda did a front flip. Jacket was textile but no real scratches. I didn't hit asphalt so I probably won't replace it since there's no rip (I have yet to do a real inspection. It's in my dad's car atm).

Tow truck dude said fairings would cost $1,500 but on eBay, it's listed as $250. He also said shift lever wouldn't cost that much to fix. Anyone know how the throttle will cost me? I'll post pics in a bit.




luckily i didn't hit the signs. i didn't even know about it till the couple of people helping me pointed it out

[austexjg]

Sorry, but it happens to the best of us. Learn and move on. Keep an eye open for parts on here and ebay.

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by Francis

Scold me or whatever, it's all good.......Tow truck dude said fairings would cost $1,500

We aren't going to scold you, this isn't the gixxer forums . I doubt the tow truck dude knows anything about your 250, other than he is getting money for towing it. Glad to hear your alright, especially after the front flip .

[Francis]

Come on, guys. Stop being so optimistic. My bike's broken....

I'd like to hear some stories from you guys that's been in similar situation. I'm really concerned about my bike. The damages and $$ I gotta spend. I'm a student so income's not a lot lol.

[Fly'in Ninja]

Sorry to read about the crash...but glad your OK!!

I once lowsided during a right curve. Was only going about 30mph. My riding friends were asking me what happened?? I couldn't even brag about it....too embarrassed!! Haha!!

[Xoulrath]

Sorry to hear you wrecked, but I am glad to hear you are OK. It is common practice to have all braking done before the corner. If it must be done in a corner, it is best to not use the front brake at all; use the rear sparingly and very lightly. Remember the bike can lean more than you think it can. Weight the outside peg and slowly roll on the throttle to help in a situation like that.

Also make sure your body position is good. You body, not your butt, your BODY should be a bit to the inside of center of the bike. This helps the bike get through corners easier and gives you additional lean angle if you should need it. All of this positioning, much like braking, should be done before the corner.

Good luck on getting the bike taken care of and a speedy recovery.

[Live2ride]

My stepbrother beat his 250 to death, he laid that thing down at least 3 times, all at a considerable rate of speed. He was lucky enough not to get hurt but he ended up fixing his cracked fairings with epoxy and it saved him tons of $$$. As far as levers go, you can get really nice and cheap levers off ebay but shipping can take a few weeks. Here's a link to a review, and another review of the levers.

[Francis]

Originally Posted by Xoulrath

Sorry to hear you wrecked, but I am glad to hear you are OK. It is common practice to have all braking done before the corner. If it must be done in a corner, it is best to not use the front brake at all; use the rear sparingly and very lightly. Remember the bike can lean more than you think it can. Weight the outside peg and slowly roll on the throttle to help in a situation like that.

Also make sure your body position is good. You body, not your butt, your BODY should be a bit to the inside of center of the bike. This helps the bike get through corners easier and gives you additional lean angle if you should need it. All of this positioning, much like braking, should be done before the corner.

Good luck on getting the bike taken care of and a speedy recovery.

See, that's the thing. I've leaned more before. I think it's because the road was narrow so I was all thinking "omg, I don't have much room, I'm going to go on the opposite lane". Although, I knew it had no other cars around. I saw and it was the back roads.

I think I used some front brake. I'm not too sure.

[Cuongism]

Have you checked the throttle cables? Chances are the return cable snapped or your throttle grip is just dirty. Your carbs probably just flooded from the crash which made it take a little while to start, but chances are it's ok after that. We can give better advice once your pics are up

My rebuild after crash thread:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...hlight=Rebuild

[Francis]

Yea, that's what I figured. The bike just got shook so gas/oil or whatever isn't where it should be.

Pics are up btw. Maybe I can just fix the fairings myself or get someone else to do it instead of buying a new one?

[Live2ride]

The fairings aren't as bad as i expected, you can probably epoxy most of it.

[BobsPT]

"Come on, guys. Stop being so optimistic. My bike's broken.... "

I'm so sorry about your bike. Hope it gets fixed soon at a reasonable cost. There...you feel better now? Btw, glad that you are ok.

[CC Cowboy]

Good job not hitting that pole or sign.

[bdavison]

You might be able to bend that shifter back to a usable shape. Put a pipe over the end, and slowly start bending it. Worst case, it snaps in half, but it was already toast before, so no loss there.

You can also try heating it up a bit with a torch before attmpting to bend it back into shape.

[CThunder-blue]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

We aren't going to scold you, this isn't the gixxer forums . I doubt the tow truck dude knows anything about your 250, other than he is getting money for towing it. Glad to hear your alright, especially after the front flip .

Ever look up the MSRP cost for fairings? The tow truck guy was pretty close to actual cost, even on ebay they're not cheap. That's just for standard fairings, SE fairings will cost more. That being said, $1500 should get you an entire new set of fairings, not just one side.

Originally Posted by bdavison

You might be able to bend that shifter back to a usable shape. Put a pipe over the end, and slowly start bending it. Worst case, it snaps in half, but it was already toast before, so no loss there.

You can also try heating it up a bit with a torch before attmpting to bend it back into shape.

+1. Also, check the part out sales here and on ebay. That lever isn't all that expensive to replace.

[wvninja]

Originally Posted by Francis

Honestly, I've been through this corner a couple of times. I don't think I was going too fast. Couple of witnesses said the same thing. I think I used the brakes too much in the corner and I ended up going over.

Theres your problem bud. Do you take a turn in your car hit the brakes mid turn and then continue through the turn? If so you're doing it wrong, if not then why would you think a bike is any different. If anything you should be steady or accelerating through the turn. If your braking in the turn your coming in way to hot. Not giving you a lesson just saying

Edit* I shouldn't say ever use your brakes mid turn. If theres an obstruction or a reason to do it .. right the bike up in a straight line and hard brake it. They teach you that in MSF


Bike doesn't look that bad, shouldn't be that $$ to fix. Id appox if possible!

[coondog]

Originally Posted by Francis

Come on, guys. Stop being so optimistic. My bike's broken....

I'd like to hear some stories from you guys that's been in similar situation. I'm really concerned about my bike. The damages and $$ I gotta spend. I'm a student so income's not a lot lol.

the fact your memory is hazy means replace the helmet and get checked out. appreciate you weren't castrated by the sign pole or killed by the telephone pole. pay your deductable and re-build your bike to brand new status, go to mechanics at dealerships for high estimates so you'll get a big enough check, make sure they include dynos, road test etc. tell them be creative. glad your on two feet bro, looks like my cow pasture crash site only no poles or tress (i was lucky).

[Francis]

So how much should I be paying for the fairings? I got an offer locally, but I'm not too sure what's a good deal. I have yet to look for a deal here, so I should probably do that to get an idea.

[mikedabike64]

That was about 10 years ago. Glad you are ok. Sounds like you tucked the front end, or ran a ground. ahoy matey, not to worry, join the club And live and learn why it happened
Get the bike rideable, then worry about the cosmetic later.

[kkim]

I must have missed it... is the bike fully insured?

[00NissanNinja]

Originally Posted by kkim

I must have missed it... is the bike fully insured?

Think he is trying to decide between making a claim or fixing the damage himself. Glad you made it out okay. Sometimes it just happens. I didn't do a claim on mine since the insurance company decided they would double my deductible to $1000. I only needed a faring and the only damage was scratches so I painted it myself for $40.

[kkim]

get an appraisal of the damage first before deciding on if you should file a claim or not. based on the pics, I see close to $1000 in damage, easily... maybe more, if the pictures don't show all of the damage.

[bhalv]

one of two things happen post crash. the rider quits or the rider slows down

[Cab305]

My gear shifter bent identically to yours when I went down on the grass. I used a pipe and a vice to straighten it out. Didn't want to replace it, saved my money for aftermarket rear sets.

Glad you are ok.