Long story short, i basically was rear ended with my two ebikes on a hitch rack. (Giant Explore and Haibike Hardseven). The hitch actually took most of the hit so the car wasn't as bad as my bikes and rack. As far as I can tell the hit bent my chain guard and looks like scuffed the motor. The tires on both bikes were also bent. Should I be concerned about any internal damage to the motors that I can't see? Bike frame, parts, etc I can kind of get an idea if it's repairable. The motor is something new and don't really have a grasp on how robust they are. I'm trying to figure out is this something I should try to repair or just considered the bikes too risky to repair and ride. Thanks
Bike damage after an accident
- Thread starter Jk512
- Start date
rich c
Well-Known Member
Don't you have a dealer? My biggest concern would be cracked castings in the motor, or broken circuit boards. The tires are bent? I would have guessed the wheels took that hit and the tires would be just fine. Unless you have a computer cable and can diagnose the motor, it will not be a DIY fix. I can't imagine that the fork and chain stays aren't bent.
Fitzy
Active Member
Sorry I have no answer, but my HaiBike is ALWAYS on my rear-hitch when I'm not riding it. I instinctively keep an eye on the rear-view whenever I come to a stop in traffic to anticipate a rear-ender. In any case, shouldn't the insurance of the other driver cover replacement? I wouldn't want to rely on the safety and integrity of a bent aluminum frame component.
emco5
Active Member
In a rear-ender, insurance companies generally consider the guy in back at fault and his insurance company pays damages. From what you have described, if they were my bikes I would take them to a well established bike shop and have the frame alignment surveyed. A lateral force strong enough the bend a rim is deflected to the stays. Any internal damage to the motor would probably be audible. A dealer would have to make that determination to activate an insurance claim.
My hitch rack was pretty much destroyed so I can't bring them in haha. I've found asking my dealer questions isn't as sound as asking in here. Ebikes seem like a new tech for them as well.
Sorry you are right..I meant wheels look bent. I'm trying to assess how severe of a case I need to make to the insurance adjuster. Without having a rack to bring them in easily i'm going to have to describe what is known so far then go from there.
Larry Ganz
Active Member
Ask the other guys insurance to replace the bikes and hitch, and if they refuse then make them pick the bikes up and take them to be serviced, and ask for a detailed report about things like internal motor inspection and frame alignment, etc. And make sure you have the option to have the bikes inspected afterward by your manufacturer or dealer, or at least that their work includes a guarantee since your bike warranty may be voided.
Larry Ganz
Active Member
I'd love to see a photo of the destroyed rack with the bikes still on it from right after the accident. You should be sure to have one for their insurance, showing what kind of impact the hitch with bikes took.
indianajo
Well-Known Member
Insurance companies use the "estimate" requirement to avoid paying their liability claims. Body shops laughed at me when I took my car in for an estimate. A lady I met on the street at an accident told me her car would be totalled, again. ****, she said this one actually worked a while". State Farm ****ed me with the three estimate rule. If you're not a wage slave paying car payments on something new, you are less than dirt to the insurance company of the guy at fault.
I can't imagine a bike shop wasting time on an estimate on a repair for a bike they didn't sell.
If the motor doesn't spin freely with the chain off, it is toast. Cracked boards or rubber seals, same, but not as visible.
I can't imagine a bike shop wasting time on an estimate on a repair for a bike they didn't sell.
If the motor doesn't spin freely with the chain off, it is toast. Cracked boards or rubber seals, same, but not as visible.
emco5
Active Member
Time and materials required to do damage estimates are not free. If a shop will be involved in the replacement of the bike they might not charge you, but otherwise the work will be billable.
Larry Ganz
Active Member
You have to be on the offense like I said above. You have to dictate to their insurance company what you expect and stick to your guns.
When my 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS was totaled in 2014 after a careless driver hit myself and my eldest daughter head on, I got to experience firsthand in dealing with the “other guys insurance”.
They first tried to lowball us on replacement value, coming in at $7,000 for a $10,000 car, but I was able to use pictures and witnesses to prove the condition of the car was beyond exceptional, and that it had been maintained better than the average car its age. I then found other comparable cars for sale to prove that my claim was justified, while they were trying to use the low-end of the value.
When they still wanted to haggle with us, I started to nickel and dime them for every little thing that was in the car that was destroyed (plastic containers, ice chest, suitcases, etc) as we were bringing back most of my daughters things from college.
My son another daughter who weren’t in the car with us, while I was in the hospital with my eldest daughter, went out to collect everything from the car and put it in a big pile and took pictures of it. We even claimed the clothing and shoes that were on our bodies when it was cut off of us in the emergency room.
In the four days between the accident on an icy road in Kansas and my other kids leaving Colorado to collect our belongings, $1500 worth of item were stolen from the car (which had broken windows and both doors on the right side cut off to get me out) including cameras, Speakers, jewelry, hard drives, etc. Fortunately I had photos and the original boxes with serial numbers and/or receipts for all of the items stolen, and filed a police report. Then I proceeded to go after them and the towing yard for that as well. The accident happened while my other kids were still taking finals for college and high school so there was nothing we could do the pick up her items sooner.
I was very tenacious and they ended up replacing the car, both of our laptops that were bent, everything that was stolen, and everything else that was broken. My lawyer said I was doing such a good job dealing with property claim that he was able to focus more on the physical/medical damage claim for my daughter and myself, where we both broke both of our legs and my daughter is permanently disabled after the accident with a painful right ankle fusion. She spent 20 months in a wheelchair and went into the operating room 4 times over a year and a half.
When my 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS was totaled in 2014 after a careless driver hit myself and my eldest daughter head on, I got to experience firsthand in dealing with the “other guys insurance”.
They first tried to lowball us on replacement value, coming in at $7,000 for a $10,000 car, but I was able to use pictures and witnesses to prove the condition of the car was beyond exceptional, and that it had been maintained better than the average car its age. I then found other comparable cars for sale to prove that my claim was justified, while they were trying to use the low-end of the value.
When they still wanted to haggle with us, I started to nickel and dime them for every little thing that was in the car that was destroyed (plastic containers, ice chest, suitcases, etc) as we were bringing back most of my daughters things from college.
My son another daughter who weren’t in the car with us, while I was in the hospital with my eldest daughter, went out to collect everything from the car and put it in a big pile and took pictures of it. We even claimed the clothing and shoes that were on our bodies when it was cut off of us in the emergency room.
In the four days between the accident on an icy road in Kansas and my other kids leaving Colorado to collect our belongings, $1500 worth of item were stolen from the car (which had broken windows and both doors on the right side cut off to get me out) including cameras, Speakers, jewelry, hard drives, etc. Fortunately I had photos and the original boxes with serial numbers and/or receipts for all of the items stolen, and filed a police report. Then I proceeded to go after them and the towing yard for that as well. The accident happened while my other kids were still taking finals for college and high school so there was nothing we could do the pick up her items sooner.
I was very tenacious and they ended up replacing the car, both of our laptops that were bent, everything that was stolen, and everything else that was broken. My lawyer said I was doing such a good job dealing with property claim that he was able to focus more on the physical/medical damage claim for my daughter and myself, where we both broke both of our legs and my daughter is permanently disabled after the accident with a painful right ankle fusion. She spent 20 months in a wheelchair and went into the operating room 4 times over a year and a half.
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