Wait...wait...what's all this talk about parts and stuff?
This was an accident, so let's get to the important thing....
GET A LAWYER
Do not try to settle this thing with the other guys insurance company yourself. Remember, when the other guys insurance adjuster calls, HE HAS 65 LAWYERS ADVISING HIM! You don't stand a chance.
I had a similar accident. Lady in an SUV talking on her cell phone. I slid down the road with the bike on my legs. Mostly just road rash and severe lacerations and both big toe nails broken. (Hey...don't laugh. It takes two years for the big toe nail to grow back...
. Fortunately, you can do both at the same time!
)
I called a lawyer. It's amazing the things that the lawyer comes up with that you would never think of. I got my bike repaired. Paid all my medical expenses. The lawyer got $6,000 and I got $10,000 cash, which is not taxable. The wife and I flew off to Italy
.
If you want to fix the bike yourself, estimate the amount of time you need and get the insurance company to pay you at $40 / hr. I did that. Estimated 20 hrs @ $40 and got $800 in addition to the settlement.
As for parts, your triple trees are probably bent. Very hard to see. This is what mine looked like:
Very hard to see with the naked eye. Clamp the triple to the workbench on top of a flat piece of metal strip. Note the twist evident on the left side.
Do not let them total your bike! You will not get what it is worth to you. I told my lawyer I did not want it totaled and he did his magic. The trick is to not have your estimate too high. Quote used parts wherever possible.
Next time you have an encounter like this, aim for the rear door if it is a four door car. I did that years ago in yet another left turn accident because I suddenly remembered that Ralph Nader did not install I-beams in the rear doors. I let go of the brake and jerked the front wheel up to avoid the cars frame. Collapsed the rear door of the car but did not damage my '78/E which kept going for another 12 years. But, I still collected for new forks! I could not do this trick with the SUV because I was going too fast and the doors were too high off the ground, so I had to put the bike down. Fortunately, I caught a piece of the SUV as I went by her front, otherwise she would have left the scene and I would not have gotten to see Italy!
Additional notes:
1. Do not ride your bike home after an accident. Have it towed to a garage. Get a receipt. Some insurance adjusters will claim that you substituted broken parts when you got home. Leave it at the garage until the adjuster has seen it. Remember the 65 lawyers on his side
.
2. Call an ambulance while still laying on the pavement. Do not get up and run around. Go to the ER. You have to have a medical evaluation to collect the insurance for your injuries. Remember the 65 lawyers on the adjusters side.
Ride. Enjoy. Life is simple!