I was rear-ended by a pickup truck while stopped to make a left hand turn and my bike had a repair estimate of 11,200 dollars! The insurance company hemmed and hawed for 12 weeks before finally accepting the estimate and okaying the repair. They had three people look at the bike, the first two seemed to infer the repair estimate was padded, finally they sent their best guy down and he was appalled that the repair wasn't accepted immediately. It was a new frame plus back end and exhaust repair. In the end the insurance company really wanted to total the bike and hand me an 11,200 dollar check. Luckily I had told to shop to order the frame a few weeks before hand, it had arrived and I had the bike back three days after the insurance company finally agreed on the estimate. It was better than new, it was like a CVO bike, assembled totally by a master mechanic!

Bottom line is: stick with it to get the bike totally analyzed and estimated. . . the insurance company will likely be smoother to deal with than the other guy's was in my case.

 

I imagine when filing claims a lot depends on what insurance company you have. Do you have insurance through a company so you can legally drive the bike, or do you have insurance through a reputable company that will handle claims fairly and quickly? Really doesnt matter, I just wrote this so I can see if my sig pic works, lol!

 

so your saying they paid you 1500.00 and repaired your bike to pre accident condition? is your bike now worth less than before the loss.?

 

Yes,

North Carolina is one of seven states that has what's called a "diminished value" law.

It is based upon the fact that an appraiser can tell a vehicle has been repaired, no matter how thorough the repair job. Basically they have to pay you the difference between your bikes "for sale" value and the same bike that has never been in an accident.

Your insurance company obviously will not volunteer that info. You have to have an independent appraisal done and submit the diminished value as part of the claim.

After I got hit in June, I did that. The diminished value was appraised at $1500.00. Allstate cut me a check for that amount.

I paid $150.00 for the appraisal.

 

Be sure that the cost of the estimate is included in the settlement.

 

COMMENTS:
Upon assignment, I contacted the vehicle owner to discuss and
review his 2010 Harley Davidson Road King blue for diminished value
after the loss on 07-06-11.
There is no evidence of prior damage to the motorcycle and the
maintenance as well as wear and tear appears to be normal for the year,
model and mileage. It is a one owner vehicle and has no prior losses. An
experienced dealer, used motorcycle buyer or appraiser, may discover
that repairs of some extent have been made to this vehicle.
Review of the repair estimate indicates moderate damages to the
rear and front of the motorcycle, requiring the replacement of various
parts or panels. The total cost of repairs to this vehicle was $4,479.48.
The retail value of the vehicle at the time of the impact is $18,800.00
and market value is $17,800.00 and adjusted value of $16,300.00 after
the loss.
Based on my personal opinion as a licensed Motor Vehicle
Damage appraiser with 18 years experience in the automotive field,
review of the estimate, picture review and the type of repairs needed on
the vehicle, I place the diminished value at $1,500.00. The repairs on the
motorcycle were not structural and the vehicle is less than 5 years old.
The accessed loss of value was taken in comparison to type of repairs,
paint, parts replaced and base value of vehicle. The NC disclosure form

would not apply a time of trade in or sale of the vehicle.

 

If an insurance company paid for a repair, its in the data base and available to anyone that wants to pay to see it. CarFax is a good example.

 

Also, in some states there is disclosure requirements when selling a vehicle.

In NC I believe the threshhold is 25% of the value in damage and it must be disclosed upon selling.

 

I tried looking but found no info... does California have a dimished value law in effect for motorcycles?