Insurance help!

[il_ragazzo]

My bike was knocked over in the parking lot at work, and it fell into a fence post which dented the tank REALLY bad. now im not gonna lie my katfighter was pretty scruffy looking before but now that dent is HUGE (think base ball... bat)! i only paid 1400 for the bike... will they replace the tank or total the bike.... if i saw my bike on CL i'd say 1000- 1200... max really. It runns really well ... that counts for something right? what should i do? should i make them buy me a new tank or scrap the bike and go for a new one? I am in the market for another bike.

this one has heated grips!
kz1000 headlight, barend mirrors.
gsxr forks ,brakes, clipons, front wheel, 1 off gauge cluster!
b12 rear shock.
i am currently having the seat reuphostered!
WHAT AM I GONNA DO !? I LOVE/ HATE THIS BIKE!

[Kreylyn]

Normally there is some kind of deductable, and that means what you get from insurance isn't really gonna be much.

Tank new is just under $500 I believe. What's your deductable?

Tank used on the other hand, could be had for under $200. If you could get about that from them, then you might consider it.

Either way, the bike is worth more than the tank replacement costs I would think.

Krey

[tmk7c9]

based on whatever deductable you have, plus the fact that they will probably raise your rates if you actually turn it in, I would think it would be far cheaper just to Ebay a new tank.

As mentioned, you could probably get a good one for $200 or so.

Chalk it up to a bad experience, and move on. It sucks, but unless it's a multi-thousand dollar issue, I leave insurance out of it.

[ctandc]

Your bike was knocked over right?

Am I wrong for assuming that it was somebody else's fault and this is THEIR insurance your talking about?

I wouldn't think you'd have full coverage on a pre-98 (I don't) but maybe I'm wrong.

If it's NOT your insurance company. Get an estimate from the dealer to replace the tank with Suzuki OEM tank.

If it's YOUR insurance company, it all depends on how much you like the bike.

[mambopalace]

Insurance

Most of the time, the adjusters have a guidebook showing what figures they can dole out for a bike. They generally don't care what the condition was or is. If it's totalled - you get what their book says it's worth.
You can probably sqeeze 'em for a couple hundred more with a little pressure.

[acraze]

Man dat ain't cool. I would think the cheapiest thing to do would be checkin the net for used tanks or part out kats.

[il_ragazzo]

Your bike was knocked over right?

Am I wrong for assuming that it was somebody else's fault and this is THEIR insurance your talking about?

I wouldn't think you'd have full coverage on a pre-98 (I don't) but maybe I'm wrong.

If it's NOT your insurance company. Get an estimate from the dealer to replace the tank with Suzuki OEM tank.

If it's YOUR insurance company, it all depends on how much you like the bike.

based on whatever deductable you have, plus the fact that they will probably raise your rates if you actually turn it in, I would think it would be far cheaper just to Ebay a new tank.

As mentioned, you could probably get a good one for $200 or so.

Chalk it up to a bad experience, and move on. It sucks, but unless it's a multi-thousand dollar issue, I leave insurance out of it.

yes, a customer was backing in to a space and knocked it over off the kick stand. and yeah this is a bad experience.... i figured it was some bad luck.... so i took 5 dollars to the blackjack table after work last night and won 20 bucks.... then losted it in the next hand.

i want to talk to the customer and see if he wants to pay me the price of a tank instead of raise his rates.

[ctandc]

That's what I figured.

I would try talking to the customer. If that doesn't work out, get an estimate from the local Suz dealer and have him / her claim it on insurance. The adjuster will go buy book value on the bike. So if the quote is around $300-500 they should just pay you.

[il_ragazzo]

... he's not calling me or my claims person back but ive only tried to call him once and he didn't show up today @work??? i think he may be trying to avoid this....

but i have a friend who knows where he lives

[il_ragazzo]

he stopped by my work to day and says... you know Tony your right we shouldn't get the insurance involved.... then says.... here take this and hands me $200... no way i can repair or replace anything with $200! i hand it back and say 200 isn't gonna cut it Bill. i was thinking about 500... he gets all but hurt and trys to leave with the quickness as to avoid me asking for his insurance info.... but i got it anyways and his license plate #

[H-2 CHARLIE]

get $350 from him and buy a good used tank for $100 and paint it

[il_ragazzo]

a good used tank is about 200 - 250. which makes the tank that i bought for $50 a deal!

[il_ragazzo]

used katana gas tank on CL = $50
custom paint job = 200+ beer
total cost of repairs $690.77
having an insurance adjuster pay you $68/hr to work on your bike and drink beer = priceless!

[Enjay386]

I hate insurance companies fa liiife.

[il_ragazzo]

i like them when they pay me to drink beer and tinker with my bike!