Dropped bike today - advice

[tim0409]

I've not had a great today....

I went out for a ride and coming back through Edinburgh a car pulled out from a side street in front of me, I braked hard and turned to avoid it and dropped the bike just before I came to a stop, and the car drove off, completely oblivious. The "only" damage is a bent gear shifter and marks on the clutch cover where the lever has hit it, but after picking the bike up and attempting to ride away I realised that it won't shift up from 1st to 2nd. You can start off in 2nd and it goes up the gears, so I managed to get it home.

After a bit of research, fixing the issue is a major task; stripping the bike/frame, removing engine, splitting it then replacing parts in the gearbox. The bike is a 2009 BMW XCountry in really good condition (I've recently replaced tyres/sprockets/chain etc.) and they have quite a niche following. It's worth around £3500.

What should I do? I've had it for 13 months, and last month switched insurers on renewal. I have an excess of £200. I very much doubt it will be economical to repair, so should I make a claim? I suppose the other option is to part it out, as the spares fetch decent money, but that's a hassle, and I won't have a garage until September when I move into a new house. I could repair it but don't really have the time (or the aforementioned garage).

I've never been in this situation, so any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks.

[N111BJG]

That’s very annoying, I’d suggest you try a more targeted forum such as UKGSER or advrider for advice as you’ll find many BMW riders & DIY mechanics there

There aren’t that many of these bikes around, but I know there are many owners who rate them very highly

[spoodler]

First off, I'd check that it isn't some external damage that's stopping the gear lever going far enough down to engage first... After that, sorry, but I had to look up what an XCountry was, so won't pretend to know owt about 'em. Best of luck.

[tim0409]

Many thanks for the replies. The bike has been great, and I can see why they have a following. Will check the gear lever again in the morning, but from I have read on the forums this is not uncommon and a nightmare to fix...apparently some owners drill holes in the gear selector so that it is more likely to bend rather than the shaft.

Here is a picture of it in happier times....

[carinaman]

I hope you can fix it cheaply. I saw a MotoX variant locally a couple of years ago and it looked very smart and light.

[Moulder]

Depending on if you believe it to be the other person's fault I would be going back to see if the area is covered by CCTV or even people's ring doorbells. Sooner the better before anything is overwritten.

The other posters suggestion of getting just a replacement lever is a good one and probably the first/cheapest route I would take.

Failing that is the engine common with anything else? A replacement engine would save the labour on the rebuild. The down side being you may be inheriting another issue unless you truly trust the source.

Good luck.

[poo at Paul's]

Unlikely to have broken bits in the gearbox with such a small tumble. Most likely a knackered shifter lever or mechanism. If it has knackered it in such a minor off, it’s not much of a X country, cos you fall of a lot doing that.
Don’t worry too much, in the cold light of day, get spanner’s out and take a few bent bits off and have a proper look.

[tim0409]

poo at Paul's said:

Don’t worry too much, in the cold light of day, get spanner’s out and take a few bent bits off and have a proper look.

Great advice! I woke up first thing this morning and the lever is rubbing against the casing on the upshift. I gently bent it back a bit and took it for a ride and it’s working perfectly!

I feel a bit silly, but apparently serious damage on the x series bikes is not uncommon because the original shifter is so hard it doesn’t bend much, hence why fitting a new aftermarket shifter or drilling out the old one to weaken it is a common mod. I do like to catastrophise, and the 1-2 shifting issue had me worried.

Thanks for all the comments.

I’m glad I avoided this -

[Simon_GH]

The fact it won’t go down for first but is fine going up for the other gears suggests minor damage more likely to me. Fingers-coursed!

[A500leroy]

tim0409 said:

poo at Paul's said:

Don’t worry too much, in the cold light of day, get spanner’s out and take a few bent bits off and have a proper look.

Great advice! I woke up first thing this morning and the lever is rubbing against the casing on the upshift. I gently bent it back a bit and took it for a ride and it’s working perfectly!

I feel a bit silly, but apparently serious damage on the x series bikes is not uncommon because the original shifter is so hard it doesn’t bend much, hence why fitting a new aftermarket shifter or drilling out the old one to weaken it is a common mod. I do like to catastrophise, and the 1-2 shifting issue had me worried.

Thanks for all the comments.

I’m glad I avoided this -

Maybe a good time to modify it now to avoid this situation in the future?

[tim0409]

A500leroy said:

Maybe a good time to modify it now to avoid this situation in the future?

Definitely, will order a modified lever today!

[Moulder]

spoodler said:

First off, I'd check that it isn't some external damage that's stopping the gear lever going far enough down to engage first... After that, sorry, but I had to look up what an XCountry was, so won't pretend to know owt about 'em. Best of luck.

Ah, the unsung hero....

[tim0409]

Moulder said:

spoodler said:

First off, I'd check that it isn't some external damage that's stopping the gear lever going far enough down to engage first... After that, sorry, but I had to look up what an XCountry was, so won't pretend to know owt about 'em. Best of luck.

Ah, the unsung hero....

Indeed, thanks Spoodler!

[poo at Paul's]

tim0409 said:

Moulder said:

spoodler said:

First off, I'd check that it isn't some external damage that's stopping the gear lever going far enough down to engage first... After that, sorry, but I had to look up what an XCountry was, so won't pretend to know owt about 'em. Best of luck.

Ah, the unsung hero....

Indeed, thanks Spoodler!

What about me?

Jokes aside, i am glad it is sorted, things like this can be very annoying and worrying, especially as many of us a biking on a budget nowadays.
Now get out and enjoy it, it is going to piss down on Saturday!

[Davel]

You might find UKGSer a useful site anyway.

I’ve been a subscriber for years @ £12 per annum or you can be a lurker in parts of it.

Glad you’re sorted

[N111BJG]

Davel said:

You might find UKGSer a useful site anyway.

I’ve been a subscriber for years @ £12 per annum or you can be a lurker in parts of it.

Glad you’re sorted

I’ve found full of useful information on a wide range of topics from experienced bikers who are receptive to helping newbies. I’ve bought & sold loads of biking stuff using it.

The advice on trip planning, ride reports etc are also great sources of information