I just went through this with my DYNA in the end I let them total the bike and they took it away today, I did however stick to my guns and wouldn't take what they offered. It took me a couple days to do the research and write a demand letter but it was well worth it once I laid the facts out for the insurance company they settled for $13,600 vs the $10,300 they initially offerd. I've got the letter on digits if you want to use it or whatever shoot me a PM

 

Spoke with the adjuster this afternoon and asked him what the buyback amount would be. The number he gave me was what would be left after the loan was paid off...So in effect I would have an 'R' titled bike, paid for, with only a couple of hundred dollars to begin the repairs which were estimated at over $3600. No thanks. I simply don't have the time and disposable income to dedicate to a project like this. I purchased property this spring and am planning to clear it and begin building in the next year or so. So convincing the wife that ANY settlement money should be spent on a bike is going to be difficult.

I think I may total it out, pay off the loan and take the balance as a down payment on a new ride. It seems like the only reasonable thing to do. I know I could haggle with the ins adjuster to get a lower buyback price, but I've been told the amount they're offering is pretty good.

 

I was in the same situation last September. While riding home from work a guy in an old Dodge 3/4 ton truck jumped four lanes of traffic and plowed over me and my 1998 Sporty. The loser didn't have a job, license, or insurance, and the truck was a stolen vehicle. Moral of my story - always carry underinsured motorist coverage.
Sporty was totaled, I spent the night in ER, two weeks missed work, its a year later and my hands still have residual pain, but I'm alive and back in the saddle. It took three months of going back and forth with my insurance company's adjuster but I finally got what seemed fair. 9 year old 883/1200 with 72,000 miles, more than few chrome goodies and we settled for $5200.00 I took the money and used it to put a down payment on a very lightly used 2001 FLHT. - Good luck man, make sure your body heals and don't be too hasty to make any decisions. Time is on your side.

 

Found a local ad for a used '06 Street Bob in Denim Black, 1300 miles. The owner just had a child and decided to sell. The bike was dropped by his wife and suffered some damage - he said he replaced the tank and there are a couple of small scrapes on the pipes,etc. He's gonna email me some pictures. Otherwise it's all stock. I asked if he could check with the dealership and see if the 1K maintenance was included when he bought the bike since it hasn't been done yet.

He said with the new family and work he simply doesn't have a lot of time to ride. He had been using the bike to commute to work and take the occasional weekend ride. He is asking for $9500. I will have about $3500 after my settlement and the ability to finance the bike at 5.49% for the length of the loan thru my credit union. Maybe I can work a deal with the cash to lower the price a bit.

I expect that I'll be riding solo most of the time anyway since my wife and daughter aren't very enthusiastic after my accident. Anyway, I would probably add a QD luggage rack to strap a bag to and eventually a passenger pillion and QD backrest.

To sum it all up, I can end up with an '06 Street Bob which is virtually brand new at a better interest rate and lower loan payment than I had on my '05 XL1200C. What do you think of this deal???