Bike damaged in a car park - UPDATE!

[trickysax]

Ok, story started last week when someone ran into my bike in a car park outside a school in Cardiff. I was parked up and teaching in the school, and came out to find the bike in a different position to the one I left it. Got closer, saw the damage and realised it had been over. A couple of people were in the area, but no one saw anything at the time and - surprise surprise - there was no note. Got the bike ride-able and headed home.

Assessed the bike later and saw that there was quite a bit of cosmetic damage and a few more serious things. Following morning I got in touch with the school and they checked the CCTV. Got back to me later that day and said they had plenty of images and there was an added twist... the guy dropped it twice!! Turns out he parked right next to the bike (in an empty car park) and minutes later reversed into it sending it flying over, picked it up and dropped it on the other side cause he didn't check the side stand!!

Basically, he has done £800 odd worth of damage to the bike (mostly cosmetic scratches etc. but includes bent handlebar, bent levers and broken fairing). He wants to settle without going through insurance - he is a taxi driver so is insured - which will get the bike fixed but is this the best route? If it goes through insurance it will, I presume, get written off as a Cat. C as the bike is only worth just over a grand.

I've never been in this situation before, but I want to know what is best. The bike runs fine - its a Bandit so its basically bullet-proof - but the cosmetic damage needs fixing. What do I do??

Cheers.
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C̶u̶r̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶b̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶-̶ ̶B̶a̶n̶d̶i̶t̶ ̶6̶5̶0̶s̶ ̶
Its not about the destination, its the journey that counts.

[Glory Hunter]

A very similar thing happened to me about a month ago.

Under no circumstances should you settle privately, my bike was taken away and ended up being a Cat B write off (i.e. not allowed back on the road but breakable for spares).

You cannot possibly assess the damage caused, this should be left to a trained mechanic.

Personally, I'd tell him to stick his offer and make sure that he reports the accident to his insurers, tell him that if he hasn't done it in 48 hours, you will report him to the police for leaving the scene.

Also, contact your own insurers immediately to see if you have legal protection - if you have they should arrange you a courtesy bike while yours is away.

I realise that this may seem a bit hard line, but this is another example of a driver thinking having no concern for a biker and it just isn't on!

Rant over.
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2003 Suzuki VanVan - Sold
2000 Honda CB500 - written off by a spoilt brat with no manners
2005 Yamaha XT660 - I'm in lurve....

[trickysax]

Cheers Glory Hunter! Thats a very good point about the legal cover - this year I did get legal and am fully comp so should be no problems. The bike is currently with the local bike garage and all the damage and costs are from their assessment, mine was a lot more conservative at the time.

Have reported it to the police as an incident and can raise it to leaving the scene if they start playing silly buggers. Will talk tomorrow to them and look into the insurance thing.

Thanks. Has anyone else had this? Is it a common problem?
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C̶u̶r̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶b̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶-̶ ̶B̶a̶n̶d̶i̶t̶ ̶6̶5̶0̶s̶ ̶
Its not about the destination, its the journey that counts.

[bacon]

im with ^^

If it wasnt for it being caught on cctv you would be lumped with those £800 damages to fix yourself, he didnt do the curteous thing of leaving a note etc so i wouldn't do him any favours in return.

[Ariel Badger]

Contact the police, he has failed to report a RTA. Do him for every penny.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[damz]

screw him as much as possible, he knocked your bike over, twice, then drove off and hoped he wouldnt get caught. he's been caught so should face the consequences. if he had left a note or tried to contact you then maybe go privately but the fucker tried to get away with it and now wants mercy.
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Current Bikes RVF400 - 94
Cars: RX7 FD, Eunos Roadster
Former Bikes: FZR 250R 89, ZX7R 98

[Flip]

[calyx]

He is a professional driver not a nissan micra chav and doing a hit and run.
He deserves everything TBH. I'd ruin his NCB.
You can get another bandit any time.
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Boris - London

[chris-red]

Ruin the cunt, tell him you may have accepted cash if he had been a decent human being. If you go through the insurance it may take abit longer but you will have a hire bike and all the work will be done for you if they write it off buy it back, fix it then keep the rest of the money.
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[Skudd]

Yep, go for the insurance and get the Police to do their thing to the full. I bet he was a private taxi, the worst drivers on the planet.
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[Pussy Magnet]

[mistergixer]

Again with the 'ruin him' from me - he's a cunt, he knocked your bike over (twice) and fucked off thinking he'd got away with it and some other poor sap (you) was going to pay the price for his incompetence.

If he'd left you a note, the circumstances would be different, and the response would be different, but as he didn't:

Fuck him, do not listen to any of his pleas, take him for everything you can and involve the old bill and try to get him as shafted as possible.

Immoral wanker.
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[G]

Go through insurance and it will take a lot longer and will see you having to state you've had a (non-fault) accident which can put your insurance up.
If your bike is worth £1k and you're being offered £800, I'd take it.

Cosmetic damage does not NEED to be fixed for it to be a usable bike.

You could probably get the bike back to a sensibly usable state for maybe £50-£70.
You could probably then sell it for at least £700, if it was worth £1k.
That would give you £1500 to get a new bike.

Of course if they do write it off, it's quite possible you'll be given the chance to buy it back, but still suspect you wouldn't end up as well off.

You could always try and screw him over to get your revenge and say ask for £1000 or more to cover the fact you are doing the work yourself, or basically blackmailing him to not tell insurance.

[Martay]

Like every one else has said, go through insurance. He was hoping to get away with it, and has been caught.
How dare he knock it over, pick it up, drop it, pick it up, then drive off! Fuck his no claims, taxi license. He should have atleast left a note, or waited around.
was there any damage to the car?
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Eat well, poo hard
Drives: Cavalier 2.0 16v
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[chris-red]

[Mark65]

[Hetzer]

Fvck the scumbag as hard as you can, just like he tried to fvck you.
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[locked]

I would get the old bill involved and go through the insurance mate. It is utterly and completly wrong for the bloke to ditch your bike and bugger off!

He wouldn't of given two shits about the poor sod who had to pay out for the bike as he thought he got away with it!
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on the look out for my next bike....
CBT Passed - 13/09/09 Theroy Passed - 19/12/09 Mod 1 Passed 04/05/10 Mod 2 Passed 14/05/10 - Free to ride ANYTHING!
Motorcycles are perfectly safe as long as you remember they're dangerous.

[Tim..]

I had someone knock my bike over a while back. No note but i had a witness. Spoke to the police but still never saw a penny from anyone so i was quite out of pocket .

Do your worst mate and make an example out of him for me and everyone else in the boat pls .
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[G]

[Mr Hammers]

The only thing I would add, other than agreeing with most to nail the twat, is to try and make a copy of the tape.

If he should get hold of it and then destroyed it, it would all start to get very complicated.
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[The Artist]

Why are you even considering taking the money?

If someone did that and then drove off then they obviously did not display any courtiessness or whatever so you shouldn't either.

[Ste]

The bike is worth £1k and you've been offered £800 to pay for the damage? Unless the bike is in the shape of a small cube, I'd say take the money!!! Especially as the damage is cosmetic scratches, bent handlebar, bent levers and broken fairing (ie, fuck all, nothin of significance) £800 seems quite good.

Seems weird to want to go through insurance when it's a slower, more complicated process that could see you ending up with less than £800. There is no benefits from going through insurance rather than accepting the £800 to settle privately, so I see no reason to go through insurance.

You want to fix the bike, take the money. You want to cause him to have a claim to declare, go through the insurance.

[Paivi]

[Rufus]

common commercial driver technique is to say they want to settle outside the insurance then string you along for as long as possible until you cant even claim on the insurance as you haven't declared it and then tell you to go fuck yourself.

ask to settle outside insurance, give him one week then just do it by the book
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