Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge The Irony

The city of Los Angeles in it's infinite wisdom has taken off the top layer of road asphalt in my neighborhood so they can resurface, leaving a rough, grated surface to travel on. I just got my new America back yesterday from the 500 mile breakin servicing and decided to ride it to work today. On my way home I am turning right on to my block. I must have hit the front brake a bit too hard just before the turn. There was loose gravel/asphalt in the turn and the front just went out from under me. After picking myself and the bike up.. I had to do the walk of shame down my block with several neighbors watching. Damage: foot brake pedal broken off, right mirror broken off, right footpeg gone, front fender has a nice engraving on it now, handbrake stuck, rear and front turn signals tweaked, oh.. and road rash on my right arm and denim burns on my right knee. I know I am damn lucky but the bike hurts way more than my arm & leg do.
Anyone want to venture a guess what this is going to cost me?

They made a lot more Americas than they made of you. At least you are in one piece. Good luck with the repairs. Sorry to hear of the mishap. I think most of us have discovered gravity once. Well, I have been down 3 times in my life, slow learner lol.

I feel your pain. My SM had 690 miles when it fell in the grass.I can tell you a foot peg cost $50.00

I don't have much to offer but the foot peg .... pm me and I'll send it your way

That's too bad.
Hopefully you get sorted asap.

I dropped my bike once (LHS) but was very lucky, bend gear change and scratched mirror.
Bent that sucker back out and ... well ... took off the mirrors all together!!

got a set of stock mirros rear turn signals (will need ot reuse your inner plate) and might be able to find my stock front turn signals.. Shoot me a PM and I will give you my number..

I have a front fender that needs paint but is otherwise unscathed. If you want it, it's yours. Send me a PM.

Isn't that just like the LA city fathers? They are so greedy they will even take the paving off your street!

Shame about your bike, wish I had some spares to contribute.

Thanks to all for your kind offers and support. I have spent part of the day making temporary fixes and it is almost rideable again. No frame or fork damage.. I took one of the passenger pegs off and it is now a temp rider peg (miss-matched, but what the hell).. I took the right mirror assembly off completely (are there any laws in CA saying you must have one or both mirrors?)I bent the signal lights back into a presentable position without any snapping, although I have to go back to the scene of the crime to pick up a broken piece of orange plastic so I can glue it back on. The pipes are a bit scraped but they were going to be replaced anyway. I'll get some touch-up paint for the fender and all of the electricity seems intact, and best of all it started again on the first try... My only problem now is the rear brake foot pedal.. it is bent inward right between the rubber pad and the shaft. I can run with it and there is no unwanted scraping or contact, and the brake light works (and no fluidleaks.. but I am afraid to bend it back in case of metal fatigue.. I don't want it to snap. The toe of my shoe can just catch it , but it won't be safe to ride like that.
That's where I am now .. and again, thanks for the offers and if I can'tget permanent fixes done on my own I may take some or all of you up on them.
Chris

Been down before..it sucks, went down again sucked even more,fortunately never on the America. Thank God you're OK. I got mirrors and pegs for you if you need em. Just send a PM shout.

Hi Chris,

I can't help you with any parts unfortunately and if you don't mind telling, how much riding experience do you have?

The reason I ask is I have a friend who is brand new to motorcycles that dumped his bike in almost the exact same circumstances as yours recently. We had an extensive conversation about it and he was doing exactly what he was taught in the MSF course and that was to keep his eyes level and be looking ahead. He told me that he never saw the sand/gravel! He never looked down to see and avoid the gravel!

I don't know if this was the same as your case but it bears writing about as I am sure others have received similar training.

Chris, you can bend the brake lever back into position without hurting it. I dumped mine awhile back and used a pipe wrench to bend it back without any metal fatigue.....Angelis

Chris, you can bend the brake lever back into position without hurting it. I dumped mine awhile back and used a 12 ton press to bend it back without any metal fatigue.....Angelis

Phil,
This is my third bike in 15 years, (but not all of that spent riding) I'm not a novice but not a veteran either.. I think it's just the fact that I have made that turn so many times and that they had just recently ground up the road that I was acting on instict and just never even thought about gravel being there... and like your friend ..I never saw it coming.
Angelis, a friend came over tonight and we taped up a pipe wrench and got the lever into a useable position. I'll be back on the road tomorrow!
Thanks all
Chris

Glad you're ok enough to complain about the damage to the bike. Is there any chance you can hit the City of LA up for repair costs due them creating dangerous conditions? Probably not without a pocketful of lawyers (or liars, as I prefer to call them).

Matt

Over in the UK we have a lot of problems with uninsured (estimated at 1 in 5)drivers. To compensate for any damage or injury sustained by an innocent party, the government has made all insurance companies contribute to a fund that is administered by the Motor Insurance Bureau (MIB - honestly !). If the uninsured driver is identified than you can claim compensation for Damage and injury. If it is hit & run then they will only pay for injuries. Recently there has been a test case where a rider was brought down by a diesel spillage of unknown origin. His legal people succesfully challenged the MIB and got him compensation for his damaged bike. I can see this being used for riders in your position when the incident is clearly due to the work being carried out, BUT they know the local council is the prime Contractor, and therfore identifiable. I know this information don't help you, but it may be of use to the UK members. My son made a successful claim so if anyone wants some more info get in touch.

California has a Tort law making the city immune from claims for property damage for the maint. or construction of the roads and sidewalks. This tort claims act saves the cities from bancrupcy because every person that ever had a flat or nicked their car would blame it on the cities. This would preclude recovery for the bike. They are not immune for bodily injury so you could make a bodily injury claim against them. Their negligence being failure to post the loose pavement hazard resulted in your injury.

California is a greater than insurance state however. You would have to show that they were more than 50% responsible for you injury. They would argue that your driving and attention to the driving was more than 50% responsible. You would also have to have boardable special damage, meaning doctors bills.

Anyhow, your chances of recovery from the city, county, or state are slim to say the least.

/end of insurance 101 class lol

I'm glad U’r alright. I had my TBA for three weeks, did as U, right turn, front wheel went out underneath me in sand. I did not even feel her go down, JUST OH I'm down. Sh%&. I was lucky only 5 mph. Rt mirror scratched, brake peddle bent, got a pipe bent it back. The worst for me, at breakfast one morning. Wife: "How did you get that scratch on your arm?" well the cat was out of the bag. "So the bike is wrecked?" After a few weeks she steamed more when she saw my helmet, small scratches on rt side. Road hazards are everywhere. Might want to view "Road Surface" thread in riding safety. Also did a lot of reading of "how you drop your bike" websites, some were funny others not.

SEE http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/forums/...p;page=0#125483

Glad you are okay, hope you get the bike back to your satisfaction soon.

Isnt it odd how the govt charges up the yingyang for road work, yet doesnt make the contractors guarantee a job well done, nor done quickly ( the exception being CA after one of the quakes and a bonus was offered {and recieved} for work done ahead of schedule ). It drives me nuts to see a five guy crew, with one guy working and four holding up their shovels. That, and the fact that they could use floods and work 24/7 to get work done quickly. How much fuel and all is wasted by long constrution delays, delays that could be greatly shortened by work done quickly. Okay.....I 'll hop off the soapbox now.

Yeah.. plus to add to the city's defense.. there were signs saying "Road Work Ahead" and "Loose Gravel".. so I don't think I'd get too far ina legal skirmish.
The bike is rideable, the wife has taken it surprisingly well, and I am healing up.. so I will write it all off as a learning experience.

I am insured...but the key word here is ... "deductable"

Learning experienced is how I defined it. It just took a little while b4 I went back to leaning through intersections. I also now know each local intersection laced accumulated sand across it.