Wrecked yesterday.

[RandyO]

I said threaten mostly but you have to show market research that proves your bike can not be replaced for what they are offering.

that is what you have to do

I once got in argument with insurance company that was less than 1 year old and not in book, they wanted to subtract 25¢ a mile

the best I could do is show that a 1year old car of the same model with twice the mileage had a NADA value $1000 more than they were offering

[stoinkythepig]

Has anyone here ever made a loss of use claim for a motorcycle? I can't find a statute regarding loss of use in NH, but it would seem like that would be a reasonable claim.

[jasnmar]

http://www.nh.gov/insurance/consumer...auto_guide.pdf says that NH supports loss of use, but a quick search also didn't turn up any RSA's (very quick, will dig some more).

When I've been involved in this with a car the Insurance company paid for a rental, no questions asked. I've not tried it w/ a Motorcycle.

[stoinkythepig]

I know laws can vary by state, but there are a few lawyers around the country with web sites that say motorcycles are not exempt from loss of use claims. Email was sent to insurance company, let's see what happens...

[SVRACER01]

while 10k-15k is average for a car, average for a bike is only 4000

56k would be average mileage for a bike that age

thats not entirely true. if you lived in CA, TX, AZ etc then 15k per year on a bike is entirely feasible. now i dont know if that bike spent its entire life in new england but if so then i can see 5k p/yr being average. although, it would depend on use. for 90% of motorcycle owners, they are a toy (like a boat). they dont NEED a motorcycle and ride it as recreation and some commuting. but if you use it for commuting daily ,like you would a car, for 6+ months a year then i would have to say that closer to 10k a year (if not more) would be more accurate.

[RandyO]

thats not entirely true. if you lived in CA, TX, AZ etc then 15k per year on a bike is entirely feasible.

its entirely feasible to ride 15k per year in New England too, I know, I've done it, infact, I've more than doubled that number

however, that is not average

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions - Kelley Blue Book

What is the average yearly mileage for a motorcycle?
Obviously mileage will vary from year to year and model to model. A simple guide could be to consider the type of bike you are looking at: If the bike is a sportbike 600 c.c. to 999 c.c., and since these bikes are traditionally weekend only bikes, you can expect to see lower miles, about 3,000 miles per year. Tourers or Sport Tourers usually see a lot of miles, but these are generally freeway miles, between 5,000 to 6,000 miles per year.

a dozen years ago, average annual motorcycle mileage was only 1943 miles per year

MOTORCYCLE TRANSPORTATION FACT SHEET

NUMBER OF MOTORCYCLES ON THE ROAD

As of 2001, there were 4,903,056 motorcycles in use in the United States. US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics As of 2001, these 4,903,056 motorcycles traveled an average of 1,943 miles a year. US Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics

[SVRACER01]

i disagree with KBB on that statement and would argue that till the end with an insurance company if mileage was what they were basing my claim payout on.

[RandyO]

i disagree with KBB on that statement and would argue that till the end with an insurance company if mileage was what they were basing my claim payout on.

Insurance companies go by the statistics. Riders that frequent motorcycle forums are generally more avid than the "average" rider

[sedanman]

Ok if they say your bike is worth a certain dollar amount then that dollar amount should be able to buy an identical bike. Make them find the identical bike for the price they are offering. If they can't then they are not offering enough money.

[Garandman]

Gotcha. That makes sense then.

You should be able to get your gear replaced as well.

This. And the insurance company fully expects you will lawyer up and want damages, and you will get them if you do.

I got hit on I95 in 2007 and their insurance company paid to replace all my gear along with the bike damage.

We have an office in Auburn so I've ridden through that intersection many times, going to be even ore paranoid now!

[jasnmar]

Ok if they say your bike is worth a certain dollar amount then that dollar amount should be able to buy an identical bike. Make them find the identical bike for the price they are offering. If they can't then they are not offering enough money.

Zactly. You had a bike. You deserve a similar bike.

You were not at fault, they were (they accepted responsibly for the fault). You need not accept anything less than equal.

[stoinkythepig]

Update: I got more money from the insurance company (through a "loss of use" claim) and am satisfied regarding the property damage aspect of my claim. I was able to repair the bike for $450 out of pocket, along with the use of some spare plastics I had been storing "just in case" for the last 12 years, and about 6 hours of my labor. It's ready to ride. My shoulder, however, is still a mess and seems to have plateaued in the recovery process. Going to see an orthopedic surgeon on Monday. Strong likelihood of a torn labrum. Looking like the broken clavicle was the minor injury...

[nhbubba]

Split that post in two so I can thumb one of them up.

Xrays on the FB look unpleasant. Hope you get patched up and pain free soon. Utter suckage.

[Ductard]

Update: I got more money from the insurance company (through a "loss of use" claim) and am satisfied regarding the property damage aspect of my claim. I was able to repair the bike for $450 out of pocket, along with the use of some spare plastics I had been storing "just in case" for the last 12 years, and about 6 hours of my labor. It's ready to ride. My shoulder, however, is still a mess and seems to have plateaued in the recovery process. Going to see an orthopedic surgeon on Monday. Strong likelihood of a torn labrum. Looking like the broken clavicle was the minor injury...

Sorry to hear, dude. I'm gonna step up on a soapbox real quick because this is

I've had last labral repair. I also talk about this subject a lot at work (I work for an arthroscopy company) and with my brother in law (who is a professor of physical therapy at Duke)

I'm not sure if you're doing PT but I'd highly recommend exhausting that route before surgery. A torn labrum is one of those things that surgeons see and then a lot of them want to do surgery - sort of "to a carpenter everything looks like a nail."

But some data has come out that some really high % of adults over 40 have labral tears that are asymptomatic (I want to say it was shockingly high 80ish or 90ish percent but I don't recall). It's kind of like 90% of us will have prostate cancer when we die from old age (but it will not be the cause of death - it's usually a really slow growing cancer). So doctors have stopped operating on every prostate cancer case, and a lot of guys went through the surgery unnecessarily.

I had pain for over a year before my surgery, and I still have pain 2 years after it - which is now finally going away since I found a good physical therapist and am wholeheartedly doing what they are telling me to do.

I actually know of a good ortho in Exeter, NH who has a great physical therapy / functional movement clinic. PM me if you're interested in more info.

There...off my soapbox. :-) Just trying to keep others from having the long road to recovery that I've gone through.

[Stromper]

Aggressive PT and keep trying

Stretching etc. tendons and ligaments take years to be good as new

[stoinkythepig]

Thanks for the advice. I would prefer not have surgery if it will heal on it's own, and I have definitely not given up on that. That said, I have gone through 5 weeks of PT, twice a week, and while my strength and range of motion have improved, certain movements give me breathtakingly-sharp pains; PT is not helping that at all. Also, my physical therapist says the pain is preventing further progress. Perhaps I'm being impatient, but the lack of sleep is really getting old and I hate the way pain killers make me feel.

Seeing a surgeon is the next logical step according to my PCP and my Physical Therapist. We are hoping that the surgeon will get an idea about the damage, give me a cortisone shot, and have me go through PT until it heals.

Here she is all put back together:


Here's my clavicle right after the accident

[breakdirt916]

+1 on splitting the thread up...

saving 12 yeras of plastic! it looks like new again!

[stoinkythepig]

Update:

Had surgery to fix a full thickness tear in my right rotator cuff on Monday. Surgery went well and I have been to physical therapy twice so far. PT is ridiculously painful and I'm told that it's to be expected with this type of surgery. Sadly, I have to do the PT twice a week for 8 weeks and won't be fully healed until May. The PT hurts far more than the broken collar bone ever did. Due to the brutal recovery, many people opt to not get the surgery and live with rotator cuff issues instead. I found it too limiting and so far have no regrets.

[nhbubba]

Here's hoping you heal twice as fast.

[jasnmar]

Very sorry to hear this. Best of luck getting through PT to a full recovery.

[Sheppo]

Sorry for the extra pain. Best of luck with PT and the recovery.

[reks95]

I've injured both rotators many times, gone through PT many times, and got the Cortisone shot once.
I hope I never have to go under the knife.
Next to back injuries, rotator cuff injuries are the worst .

[Paul_E_D]

Ouch, it hurt just to read that. Heal up quick!

I tor my rotator cuff back in april. No surgery. Just getting back to where I can train and build muscle in that area, but still prone to a little pain and related compensation injuries.

[stoinkythepig]

Ouch, it hurt just to read that. Heal up quick!

I tore my rotator cuff back in april. No surgery. Just getting back to where I can train and build muscle in that area, but still prone to a little pain and related compensation injuries.

You are fortunate that you can heal yours without surgery. Guessing your trapezoid muscles are in knots from compensating; mine sure were...

Mine was never going to heal itself, the muscle had retracted the torn tendon and it was nowhere near the point of attachment. It had to be pulled down and re-anchored. The surgeon also cleaned up all the other wear and tear/crash damage while he was in there. He thinks my shoulder will be better than it was 20 years ago when it fully heals. If it is, I might have him go in and clean up my left shoulder next Winter (if there's no tendon re-attachment, the recovery is substantially quicker).

As much as the pain sucks, it is such a relief to finally know I am on the mend. The pain my regular doctor kept insisting was just from the clavicle injury (he also insisted I never broke it and it was VERY broken) never felt anywhere near the clavicle injury so I have spent the last 3 months thinking there was something else wrong and getting bad advice from my doctor. He did a few tests and actually concluded with certainty that there was no rotator cuff tear (my surgeon did one 2 second test and said it was clearly torn). He is no longer my doctor.

Thanks to all for the kind words.

[AEG]

PT is your path to heal. If you can do at least some of the exercises at home between only 2 per week visits to the office you mast suck it up and do it. I started with 5 per week and after some tome down to 3 per week and later to 2 per week. I know it's hard to do something that hurts and having someone else bend and twist and pull your body parts helps. Do what Nike says: "Just do it".