my ninja 250 went down - total loss?

[snoot]

hey there, got into a little scrape a few weeks ago: slammed on the brakes to avoid a truck that stopped in front of me (i couldn't see past it!) and the rear brake skidded out and we went down. fractured my wrist and had to have a plate put in. i was geared properly, so my jacket took the hit and thats all the damage i sustained.

my question is about repair/insurance/possible salvage. its valued at not more than $2k. my bike shop says it will be $2k to get it back to mint and about $500-$800 to get it rideable. aside from cosmetics all it REALLY needs is new shifter, left turn light, pedal, and minor work. its just that the value is so low.

given the option, should i accept a payout for the total loss or just repair it? what would you do? the milage of the bike is real low too - 5k miles

[wrecks]

That sucks. Im glad your ok for the most part. What year is it? Is this your first bike? The damage sounds mostly cosmetic other than shifter and turn signal. I would probably try to fix it myself or find another mechanic who is a bit cheaper. I don't know but $500 to $800 sounds a bit expensive for just cosmetic stuff. I wouldn't worry to much about the fairing if this is your first bike because you are bound to sell it off anyway when you grow out of it.

[snoot]

Thanks. It's a 2006. Yeah, its my first, been riding it for about a year. Ive had a wandering eye for something heavier -bigger- lately.

well my bf already submitted the 2k quote to the insurance (we share a policy). i told him to wait and see if it was necessary - im worried about my rate going up - but he seems hell bent on getting a payout for it. i just don't know what the outcome will be or what the smart thing to do is (was).

[wrecks]

Thanks. It's a 2006. Yeah, its my first, been riding it for about a year. Ive had a wandering eye for something heavier -bigger- lately.

Well that's your first crash. I don't know how you ride but are you sure you want to go heavier/larger? If you get a larger displacement bike every mistake you make is exaggerated on a larger bike. How many miles have you ridden already? If you haven't ridden many miles say only 2000 to 5000 you should consider keeping the ninja till you can gain more experience riding. That Ninja is a great bike to learn positioning, turning, entry speed, etc. Im not saying you are a bad rider Im just saying its easier to learn skills on a lower displacement bike than a larger one. Im not saying it cant be done but learning more skills on a larger moto will take more time than it will on a smaller bike.

[Brackstone]

It's about comfort level really.

IMO I would say you are not ready for a bigger bike if you made that mistake. But if you are comfortable with upgrading then it's up to you.

Either way I would not worry about getting the cosmetics repaired because I don't think anyone is going to be a used/in an accident ninja 250 for whatever money you put into it when you decide to sell it.

If you can get away with making it functional and get more practice that is what I would do.

[snoot]

i use it to get to school, so ive been riding it on average 3 days a week for about a year. its a short commute, so ive put on about 3k miles on it. id like maybe a 650 or something, not something monstrous, just not so light. i think thats reasonable. ive felt the rear break almost skid out on me several times before when ive had to suddenly stop and i think its because its so light. my bf started riding at the same time i did and he has a vstar now. id just like to have something that doesn't feel so much like a plastic toy.

every place i go to look at bikes at tries to get me to trade it in because the ninja 250's are in high demand over here. so if i get it fixed i can def sell it. anyway its not about the $ really - its a relatively cheap bike.

i guess if the ins doesnt pull thru ill just get it to rideable status. but like i said my bf is convinced that the insurance will payout. i agree its a dumb idea.

[paul246]

i use it to get to school, so ive been riding it on average 3 days a week for about a year. its a short commute, so ive put on about 3k miles on it. id like maybe a 650 or something, not something monstrous, just not so light. i think thats reasonable. ive felt the rear break almost skid out on me several times before when ive had to suddenly stop and i think its because its so light. my bf started riding at the same time i did and he has a vstar now. id just like to have something that doesn't feel so much like a plastic toy.

every place i go to look at bikes at tries to get me to trade it in because the ninja 250's are in high demand over here. so if i get it fixed i can def sell it. anyway its not about the $ really - its a relatively cheap bike.

i guess if the ins doesnt pull thru ill just get it to rideable status. but like i said my bf is convinced that the insurance will payout. i agree its a dumb idea.

It seems that you should work on developing proper braking technique. Have you had any formal training? Also, consider increasing your following distances slightly to allow a bit more time for reaction.

It isn't an issue of your bike being "too light". Adding more mass to the equation won't help your situation as it stands now.

Sorry to hear of your injury, hopefully you will heal quickly.

[TEvo]

Glad to hear you came out relatively unscathed.

I believe more practice with maximum braking might be called for as a heavier bike won't necessarily prevent this from re-occurring.

Another thing you might want to consider doing is to lower the rear brake lever. Most bikes have some level of adjustment to the height at which the lever sits. Lowering the lever would increase the amount of pressure needed to activate it, thus reducing the possibility of inadvertently skidding the rear wheel.

[Tennif Shoe]

see what the insurace says you maybe able to have them total the bike out pay you the money for it then buy it back form the cheap. then you can fix it (have your bf fix it) Also insurace companies dont pay the same price for fixing things like we do that 2k bill might turn into 1,200 for them and they may fix it.

[Brackstone]

Getting a heavier bike won't make you stop any easier. Inertia is your enemy when it comes to stopping heavy bikes.