I lost control of my 2002 FXD. Hit some gravel going through a curve. The bike slid on its right side down the road about 20 or 30feet. Then hit the edge of the road and flipped over into the ditch. There is a lot of damage but the Harley dealer says he don’t believe its totaled. My concern is what if there is a fracture in one of the welds in the frame someplace that we don’t see. And after the bike is all fixed I am doing 80 down a highway and the frame breaks. Dealer says don’t worry that never happens. Also what if there is some internal engine damage that we are unaware of. So I get everything fixed and polished and pretty. But the engine locks up 3000 miles later. Dealer says these engines are strong and it will be fine. So what do you guys think? It started up with no smoke or odd sounds that I noticed. Should I trust the dealer or should I be concerned with the frame and engine? What else should I worry about or look for?

 

wow!! are you ok?
as far as the bike, I guess the quesition will always be in the back of your mind. so i would work with the insurance company and try to influence them that it would be in there best intrest to total it. then you can get a replacement bike. other wise you will worry full time about the little things instead of enjoing the ride. you might even start chasing the mystery noises on the harley. i guess the question to ask back at you would be "what whould you do if you wrecked your car pretty good?"

 

my feeling is if you dont trust it, then let her go.

my 05 dyna got "bumped" a couple of years ago, bent my fender up under the back tire and tapped me out into the intersection. i didnt drop the bike, and the claim was 1300$
got it back and asked a ton of questions at the dealers body shop. didnt like the amount of vague answers i got. the bike dosnt feel 100% To me any more. If the economy was better id sell.
they told me the frame was straight bla bla bla. but i dont believe them.

 

Fact of the matter is, them dealers are in the business to make money, if they find something that they think is wrong, they wont be afraid to tell you. When I put my sporty down, labor and parts initial estimate was about 1200 less the the final amount for stuff they found later. IMHO, let the dealer fix it, and go on as before.

If there is anything that is genuinely catastrophic, it will show up now.

 

not too knowledgeable on this subject but hope you are ok.

 

Here's my take. If a weld cracked the paint would crack too. It would be unlikely that you will have damage like that from what you described. If it just hit the ditch and flipped over to the other side it doesn't sound violent enough to break welds.

As far as the engine goes, you would have to break the case before you hurt anything internal. I wouldn't give the engine a second thought.

If you are truely worried about it you might conside this option. Take the insurance money (if they don't total it) put it towards a new to you bike and sell this one as is as a project bike. You would probably be money ahead doing this over fixing it then selling it. Hell, you could probably part it out for more than it was worth before the accident.....one never knows.

 

Dealerships are definitely not afraid 2 pin point every inch of your bikes damage estimate. Better dealerships run 2 technicians over each estimate contesting themselves against each other 4 any difference the other may have missed. Harley's guidelines are very specific because of the jeopardy with this type of repair. I've witnessed numerous frame replacement just because the the engine guard mount tab was slightly bent. If you choose to pursue this repair you should rest assure it will be back to solid when they say its complete. I think what your feeling is the same I felt after tangling with a cellphone yaking unobservant u-turning driver. After repairing the damage it just did not feel the same even though I knew it was. A lot of riders loose faith in a machine they have been down on and no level of repair can fix it. Most fall in love with another bike on the showroom before the repair is even close to complete and arrange a trade in. An excellent dealership will allow upgrades after the insurance agrees 2 the original repair. If your getting new sheet metal maybe you would rather have it back in different color, same 4 handlebars grips ft pegs seat u name it. You definitely have a lot of options. The best part is your alive to contemplate these desisions and chances are no matter what you choose 2 do you will be riding a completely new bike in the end. Hope that helps you out some, #ridesafe.

 

I think you'll be fine...no internal motor damage if no external motor damage.

 

+1. Its a machine, not a lady. If it works, it works.

Also, if your really bothered, don't sign the insurance release.

 

I hit a deer at speed, and had the same worries as you. The dealer told me the same stories, insisted that the engine and frame were fine. Two years and 15,000 miles later, it's still going strong.

If the stealer tells you there's nothing wrong with a part/system, believe him. He's there to make money, and he doesn't do that by letting shoddy/broken parts leave the store, especially (broken frame) parts that will kill someone - dead people aren't return customers.