Insurance or not. WWYD?
Discussion
What would you do?
Asking for a friend - obviously.
Bike is a BMW RT, very similar to mine.
Said friend on a two lane country road, minibus passing the other way. Kids in the back on a day trip. Charity organisation.
Both doing around 50.
Plastic water bottle thrown from the rear side window hit the bike screen with loud bang and shower of water.
He was a bit shocked apparently!
Turned round and eventually caught up with the minibus.
Screen is folded back onto the handle bars. The two metal bars that link the screen to the motor are broken.
These are not sold separately and BMW only sell the mechanism as an assembly, including the motor.
Nearly £500 just for the part!
Friend does not need the aggro and does not like to cause any.
Yes, if's but's and maybe's. Without the screen it could have been a lot worse. I would imagine that a bottle with some water at 100mph could hurt, possibly worse.
If this goes through their insurance he thinks that he would have declare that at insurance renewals and it may affect the cost of future policies.
He is keen to avoid that.
If he had done this to his own bike he would be trying to fix it myself. The remains of the arms appear to be fixed to the assembly.
I am interested to hear what you would do.
I will pass on any interesting thoughts and suggestions.
Thanks
Asking for a friend - obviously.
Bike is a BMW RT, very similar to mine.
Said friend on a two lane country road, minibus passing the other way. Kids in the back on a day trip. Charity organisation.
Both doing around 50.
Plastic water bottle thrown from the rear side window hit the bike screen with loud bang and shower of water.
He was a bit shocked apparently!
Turned round and eventually caught up with the minibus.
Screen is folded back onto the handle bars. The two metal bars that link the screen to the motor are broken.
These are not sold separately and BMW only sell the mechanism as an assembly, including the motor.
Nearly £500 just for the part!
Friend does not need the aggro and does not like to cause any.
Yes, if's but's and maybe's. Without the screen it could have been a lot worse. I would imagine that a bottle with some water at 100mph could hurt, possibly worse.
If this goes through their insurance he thinks that he would have declare that at insurance renewals and it may affect the cost of future policies.
He is keen to avoid that.
If he had done this to his own bike he would be trying to fix it myself. The remains of the arms appear to be fixed to the assembly.
I am interested to hear what you would do.
I will pass on any interesting thoughts and suggestions.
Thanks
Whilst your pleasant, mild mannered friend may not like to cause any aggro - if he doesn't, this won't be the last time this child throws something at a motorcyclist. My friend rides a bike with a much smaller screen that offers a lot less protection than your friends RT ....
I think your friend should go to the police with this - even if he chooses not to make an insurance claim.
I think your friend should go to the police with this - even if he chooses not to make an insurance claim.
My friend has no video recording.
Apparently he has been known to do some things that he would not want recorded. He has been advised to take it easy.
Driver said she heard the bang. No denial.
The kids however…. “Wisnae me”
Does a declared incident like this affect his future insurance costs?
Apparently he has been known to do some things that he would not want recorded. He has been advised to take it easy.
Driver said she heard the bang. No denial.
The kids however…. “Wisnae me”
Does a declared incident like this affect his future insurance costs?
It will affect your friend's insurance - statistically people who don't get involved in incidents are better risks than people who do, even if someone else is deemed to have been at fault. (NB Statistically - not suggesting there's anything your friend could have done to avoid this particular incident)
If your friend really wants to be squeaky clean - he unfortunately needs to declare the incident on future insurance applications even if he chooses not to claim.
Maybe your friend could get some insurance quotes from some comparison sites using made up details to see the effect on his future premium of either claiming or not ?
If your friend really wants to be squeaky clean - he unfortunately needs to declare the incident on future insurance applications even if he chooses not to claim.
Maybe your friend could get some insurance quotes from some comparison sites using made up details to see the effect on his future premium of either claiming or not ?
boombang said:
When the insurer asks if they have had 'any claims, accidents or losses...' the answer will still be yes regardless of a claim.
How much of a loading I have no idea, but I would assume something.
Yeah it does add a bit. I stupidly reported a lowside that I ended up fixing myself. Had my 4 years no claims reduced to 2 despite not making a claim, and not admitting responsibility (there was a weird pothole on a corner I caught the inside of that effectively meant an way-off-camber turn)How much of a loading I have no idea, but I would assume something.
It added £30 to my next annual premium (£360 from £330)
Friend doesn’t want to be squeaky clean.
Associates that with holier than thou type of attitude.
We all make mistakes. I know I do.
I struggle with the thought of £700 to fix this even if it’s not my money while also recognising that this is the world we live in. We all need the money going round.
I like the suggestion to ask the driver what they want to do. I will pass that to my friend.
Associates that with holier than thou type of attitude.
We all make mistakes. I know I do.
I struggle with the thought of £700 to fix this even if it’s not my money while also recognising that this is the world we live in. We all need the money going round.
I like the suggestion to ask the driver what they want to do. I will pass that to my friend.
I hear the comments about reporting to the police.
My friend and I have mixed thoughts about that.
Throwing things from a vehicle is dangerous.
I hate littering!
Hmmm
Aggravation. My friend has enough troubles of their own.
Possible outcomes?
None for wherever threw the bottle.
Perhaps some for the driver as they may be classed in law as responsible?
Working with youths who may or may not have some guidance in their lives. I’m not sure I would want to see them held accountable.
My friend and I have mixed thoughts about that.
Throwing things from a vehicle is dangerous.
I hate littering!
Hmmm
Aggravation. My friend has enough troubles of their own.
Possible outcomes?
None for wherever threw the bottle.
Perhaps some for the driver as they may be classed in law as responsible?
Working with youths who may or may not have some guidance in their lives. I’m not sure I would want to see them held accountable.
I might have this wrong, & very happy to be corrected, but I think unless YOU (your friend) are planning on making a claim on YOUR (friend's) nsurance there'll be no impact on your no claims history or renewal premium.
So if the driver / charity make a claim on any of their insurances to cover your friend's costs or if they just cover it from cash as a goodwill gesture, should make no odds.
May be different for cars, but my 18 year old son had his car written off in an accident that everybody involved (other party, both sets of insurers) agreed was not his fault, meaning (and this is the critical bit) all costs / claims were through other party's insurer - my lad didn't have to make any claim - and his insurer hasn't penalised him at all on his premiums.
Good luck to your friend!
So if the driver / charity make a claim on any of their insurances to cover your friend's costs or if they just cover it from cash as a goodwill gesture, should make no odds.
May be different for cars, but my 18 year old son had his car written off in an accident that everybody involved (other party, both sets of insurers) agreed was not his fault, meaning (and this is the critical bit) all costs / claims were through other party's insurer - my lad didn't have to make any claim - and his insurer hasn't penalised him at all on his premiums.
Good luck to your friend!
This will probably be the conclusion for this.
To clarify for some of the responses, it was a charity helping kids from Glasgow, not football or Boxing and not a sunshine bus.
Charity contacts have been very helpful and supportive throughout.
I contacted BMW recovery to collect the bike and take it to the dealer.
After a week they got round to looking at it and emailed me to say that the £500 replacement part is not available in the UK or in Germany and there is no date for availability.
They taped the screen in position and I rode it home.
Charity contacted me to say that their insurer had declined to cover the claim but that they would pay for the repairs.
I saw a 2nd hand part on ebay for £370 but it was in Lithuania I think. Too risky for me and I can't remember if that included postage.
Motorworks have had the arm parts manufactured which are £100 for the pair. But not in stock.
So, I stripped the fairings off and removed the motor assembly.
The broken parts are at the bottom of the picture, at the ends of the hex bar.
The ends on the hex are a press fit on the original.
A search through my collection of junk found that the lower control arm bolts from a Discovery are the appropriate diameter.
For the plate arms I used an old spot lamp bracket that has some history.
It was originally for 2 up, 2 down spots on a Mk 1 Escort. About 40 years ago they were modified to have a 1" hole to suit KC Daylighters. After that, they were chopped down and bent to allow them to fit on a Mk 2 Escort.
A bit of sawing, filing, grinding, welding, drilling and more filing I had some replacement parts.
One of the hex holes is off centre and they are definitely not a press fit but they work.
The screen does rattle a bit on rough roads at low speeds but is otherwise all good.
Parts purchased - 2 E Clips for the pins. 83p
If the Motorworks parts become available, I may fit them ...... or I might not.
Slowly putting it all behind me and moving on.
To clarify for some of the responses, it was a charity helping kids from Glasgow, not football or Boxing and not a sunshine bus.
Charity contacts have been very helpful and supportive throughout.
I contacted BMW recovery to collect the bike and take it to the dealer.
After a week they got round to looking at it and emailed me to say that the £500 replacement part is not available in the UK or in Germany and there is no date for availability.
They taped the screen in position and I rode it home.
Charity contacted me to say that their insurer had declined to cover the claim but that they would pay for the repairs.
I saw a 2nd hand part on ebay for £370 but it was in Lithuania I think. Too risky for me and I can't remember if that included postage.
Motorworks have had the arm parts manufactured which are £100 for the pair. But not in stock.
So, I stripped the fairings off and removed the motor assembly.
The broken parts are at the bottom of the picture, at the ends of the hex bar.
The ends on the hex are a press fit on the original.
A search through my collection of junk found that the lower control arm bolts from a Discovery are the appropriate diameter.
For the plate arms I used an old spot lamp bracket that has some history.
It was originally for 2 up, 2 down spots on a Mk 1 Escort. About 40 years ago they were modified to have a 1" hole to suit KC Daylighters. After that, they were chopped down and bent to allow them to fit on a Mk 2 Escort.
A bit of sawing, filing, grinding, welding, drilling and more filing I had some replacement parts.
One of the hex holes is off centre and they are definitely not a press fit but they work.
The screen does rattle a bit on rough roads at low speeds but is otherwise all good.
Parts purchased - 2 E Clips for the pins. 83p
If the Motorworks parts become available, I may fit them ...... or I might not.
Slowly putting it all behind me and moving on.
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