Pissed of bigtime in OZ

[smutley]

OK here i am in OZ and on friday i went into a post office with my 86 FXSTC parked out front and when i come out i see a few people with camera phones taking pictures  towards my bike i get a huge rush of pride,  till i see they are taking pictures of my bike pushed over by a 4wd and driver and passenger just standing looking at it, no one even bothering to pick it up  just standing looking at it with petrol and oil just running out on the road.
Well after picking it up and speaking to a driver that seemed to be like he was loosing valuable time talking to me, well another "i did'nt see it".
I got all the needed info and made the bike ridable i went to local H/D dealer  knowing they do smash repairs  i go into service to see about a quote to be told there is a 3 to 4 week wait on a quote and after explaining i wanted a quote and not the repair at that moment they asked what model and year and after mentioning 1986 they stoped me and said they wont work on bikes over 10 years, i was stunned and just walked out went home and rang insurance company they told me they will only autherize  repairers if done by a Harley repair shop can't even repair it myself and when i mentioned what the bike shop told me  they said i  should look in a different city  to get it repaired and the closest  is 2 1\2 hours away.
I feel so PISSED OFF and like all this is my fault for owning a Harley, maintaining it and modifying it.

smutley

[08blackstreetglide]

That really sucks! It's a shame somone hit it, and  a bigger shame they told you they wont work on a bike over 10 years old!  I'd be madder than hell too!  Good luck. Hope things work out for ya.

[L-]

The Harley Shop can take the job and sub it out to someone else.  This happens with cars and bikes all the time.  I don't know if the insurance is correct in telling you that the Harley shop is the only one.  Seems if I was them I wouldn't mind paying  " Smutley's Harley Restoration Shop" the fee.  Who is your insurance carrier?

[Grayrider]

Unless I am mistaken, you have the right to get it repaired where you want! Your choice. Only thing is that you are not a repair shop.
But, if you can convince a repair shop to take it, with the understanding you will help with the work and they will get a fee, they may be OK with it.
But, no insurance company should tell you who is going to fix your ride. They will try but they cannot do it legally unless they have a clause in their policy!
Get in their face!

[crazylore]

Hearing more and more of this...Not having that trouble in my area { NJ } The HD dealers are hurting and there is one in every county no more then 30 - 45 min apart...with indys in between....Insurance co [ in my state ] can not mandate where repairs are made....why not take your bike to an indy talk to them and see if they can work it out with your insurance if they need the work Im sure they will try...as far as the HD dealer I bet he will sell parts for sooters over 10 yrs...go in there with a list of what u need and then tell him to screw himself

[88toro]

Wichita Ks. is the same way on not working on older Harleys. They did give me the name of one of their employes that does work on older ones, maybe your dealer has one also. Some of my friends have different brands of motorcycle and are having the same problem. Between this site and E-Bay I have been able to keep mine going. Sorry for your problems, John in Kansas

[Sc00ter]

Trust me - your insurance company will try to bully you and will tell you half truths if they feel it will save them money.  Read your policy or hire an attorney for a few hours to review your policy.  Was it your insurance company or an insurance agent that told that you cannot fix your own ride?  I had a similiar situation a few years ago and was initially told the same thing they told you.  I said bullchit - see you in court - and within a week I had a check in hand along with a statement in hand that if further damage was found, additional payment would be forthcoming...  Unless you have a fly by night insurance company or a real chit policy.........

My best riding buddy's brother had a bike stolen a couple years ago. He had full coverage and had never missed a payment with a (seemingly) reputable insurance company.  They accused him of selling the bike and pocketing the money.  And this guy had never had as much as a traffic ticket.  The insurance company had no reason whatsoever to make this accusation.  He sued the insurance company and the day the trial was so begin, he received a call from the local police telling him his bike had been found at a chop shop raid in at a scrap yard in a nearby city...  He was not only paid for his bike, but also received a check for his legal costs...

Insurance companies like to portray themselves as pillars of society, but whether it is bike insurance or medical insurance, their goal is to not pay claims...


As far as your local dealer chitting on you....I don't know what to say...  You would think they would be in business to make money, regardless of whether you bike was a year old or 20 years old...  Profit is profit....you would think......

[dave_9113]

A couple of things..

1)  Talk to the GM to see if he will make an exception.  If not, plan B...and never go back to that dealership. 

2)  Plan B- tell your insurance that you have a local H-D qualified Indy who will fix it.  This will normally do it.

3)  Drop your insurance after this is done, because it sounds like you have a fly-by-night company that only takes your premiums and is not user friendly.  A little more costly with a reputable insurance is worth it.

dave

[KB]

The problem here in Oz is that it is a smaller market so another Harley dealer 2 1/2 hrs away is *really* close. Have recently had the same problem and here is Oz the insurance companies guarantee the repairs so they can pretty much dictate who will be doing the job and not much we can do about it. Also the assessors/loss adjusters they seem to use have huge power about who gets the job (kickbacks ? or deliberately slowing down paying the indy so he doesn't bother again?). That said I did manage to get an indy approved to do repairs here in Brisbane and they agreed, mainly due to it being a pretty big shop so too hard to knock back. Haven't heard of them not agreeing to repair an older bike though, it is hard once they get older but if the insurer is willing to insure it they have an obligation to repair it so put it back on them to get the quote and organise the repairs, that usually shuts them up pretty quick otherwise they can be reported to the Ombudsman for refusing to honour the insurance contract - not good. If the bike required towing from the scene (I will always do that in future no matter what, can't be sure if it's safe now can we???) then they have the bike under their control and have to take responsibility from that point on.

[lionsm13]

Tell em' BS!! It's your bike....not theirs... Get 3 estimates, HD, and a couple of HD Certified Mechanics.
That should suffice, and tell em' to cut you a check, and then take it to who you want to work on it. Fok em'!!

[Evo1]

I don't know the laws in OZ but it seems to me that the party that damaged your bike is resposible to make it right again. it is their insurance that you should be going after. Or sueing them for damages. Put the monkey on their back.

Steve

[88toro]

Another way maybe, and I'm sure every state is different. In Kansas you can go to small claims court for $65.00, and that includes delivery of the summons, and sue up to $4,000.00 plus interest. The court date is with-in 30 days of delivery and you can print the paper-work on line.   John B.

[smutley]

Well seems  MONEY TALKS went back to the dealer again and mentioned my insurance company and my quote was done then and there and  after the quote was sent to the insurance company  they arranged an assesor to meet me  and see the bike to ok the quote for the next day.
So tomorrow i see if they are happy to pay for all of it then put the screws on the guy that bumped it.

smutley

[76shuvlinoff]

 Yeah? Try taking a shovel to a dealer for a quote... 

After and accident in 03 two Progressive reps showed up, both too young to know anything about the bike. They took my word for the repairs needed and got pricing out of the JP catalog LOL. I made out fine and they paid me 65/hr to do the work.  Then after a conversation with my attorney they quickly paid the uninsured motorist coverage since it was hit and run putting me in the hospital.

Actually I give Progressive high marks so far. Been my bike insurance carrier since 94.

[One4Tone]

..just out of curiosity..what was the extent of the damage?...I mean for a dealer to say they don't work on 10 year or older you would think parts were obsolete...thanks for letting us know..too often we take these  insurance for granted thinking they are on our side when in fact paying them only gives us the right to take them to task..in '96 i had a fairly major accident..(luckily I walked away unhurt)..but my frame was bent..the bike was down for a year while harley moco supplied another frame with matching numbers..for a while the hd dealer was playing me and the insurance..you got to stay in their face and it will be fine..there was a character at the dealership that had visions of getting my bike cheap so he told the insurance my bike was not worth the repair bill..that must have inflamed the insurance company..the dealership changed hands some years later and that (waste of skin) was the first one to be let go...seems to me more often than not there is allways "one of these types" working at some  dealerships and they an really make life miserable for  customers ..they also inadvertenly hurt the hand that feeds them as well (the dealership)...I told him some time later he should get a job in a nursing home ..wiping a$$..I was hoping he'd mouth off cause that swine had it coming in my opinion..he is working today breaking cement with a slege hammer......there has to be a change in the industry to maintain our older bikes..the bullshit starts at the dealerships and that is why the insurance companies are fed up....I'm glad things worked out for you eventually....