ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: rDacted on October 04, 2018, 04:08:42 PM
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Back in September I was sandwiched between two cars. (Video for those interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-pWLT39cac)
At the time I contacted Procycles in St Peters who told me they would be willing to repair the bike. After some significant debacles with Shannons I finally contacted Procycles again to arrange transport and discover they are no longer willing to repair any Zero motorcycles.
Does anyone know of any repair centres in Australia that'll have experience working with Zero bikes? Shannons had originally taken it to a local panel beater but the extent of their electrical assessment was 'it seems to ride fine up the driveway'... I know for a fact the bike did not want to ride up the towtruck tray after the accident, so I suspect there's at least some intermittent issue.
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I would say that your Zero is totaled and it doesn't need to be repaired, it needs to be replaced by the owner of the car that hit you. Their liability insurance should foot the entire bill. Hopefully, they didn't back up and drive off like they typically do in California. :o
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But do you think it's electric or mechanical problem?
Because a normal motordealer can do a lot helping you.
Maybe just belt or brake or wheel is at fault after accident.
Even if it's electrical it may also be 'simple'.
Because I see your backpart with lights are completely off, so maybe the cutoff cable is causing a short circuit wich could prevent your bike from operating?
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It should be interesting to see how the other party's insurance company gets a repair quote. If you end up directing the repair yourself, I'd suggest having a motorcycle shop repair the common bike parts and find an EV enthusiast group to help with the electronics. Many parts are available from dealers, though I don't know if they all ship overseas. One of my favorites is AF1 Racing. They quote in AUD. http://www.af1racing.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=3103
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Yikes that's quite a hit. I'm with above, let the insurance company of the vehicle owner that hit you figure it out, this shouldn't be your problem.
But to be honest after it became a McZero I wouldn't be surprised if it got totalled due to damage to the frame.
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I have heard, at least in the U.S., insurance companies will not allow a non-franchised dealer make repairs to a motorcycle that has been in a crash. If the dealer can't make the repairs using original parts for less than the resale value of the vehicle then they just consider it totaled and give you the resale value in cash. Then the bike may be sold at auction with a "salvage title" for whatever the insurance company can get and let the buyer beware.
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I've posted a link to this topic on the Sydney Electric Riders facebook group to see if anyone knows of any service centres who might be willing and able to repair it. Procycles were it in Sydney for Zero dealers so it would have to be Brisbane/Gold Coast or Melbourne for Zero-specific servicing. General motorcycle panel beater/repair shops may be able to straighten it.
I agree with the others, the bike should be written off as the frame will likely be twisted and difficult to repair back to original.
In this case the lack of repair shop is not a bad thing as the only option for the insurance company is to write it off. They'll probably give you an option to buy the old bike for $1-2k for parts value.
If that's the case you could find a buyer of the written-off bike who would be happy to have it for off-road purposes if you don't want it.
Good luck with the payout/repair.
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Thanks evtricity. I was hoping you might see the post. Thanks for checking with the Sydney group.
The panel beater they originally took it to was just going to replace the plastics, not checking or caring about the rest of the electrics. My concern wasn't just that they were unqualified to make an assessment on the electrics, but that they didn't even seem to consider it as a factor.
The lack of a qualified repair shop doesn't seem to have put them off, as it seems they think any repair shop will do. Or to put it in the words of the assessor "they'll get an electrician in to look at the 'digitals'" as "they have experience with hybrids"
To be clear, if it's just mechanical issues then great - it may be repairable. But until a qualified person knowledgeable with Zero bikes can assure me the bike is electrically sound I won't consider it repaired/roadworthy (I'm just stating this in general to any observers - not in reference to anything written here)
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That's awful! First, the motorcyclist's worst nightmare, some idiot rear-ending you when you had no escape. Fortunately he was at least going pretty slow, major bullet dodge there. Now the totally ignorant insurance company doesn't have a single clue how or where to get your bike repaired. It really doesn't seem like there's a happy ending in the cards.
Every one of us feels your pain, man. Best of luck. I kiss the ground here in Southern California yet again.
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Thanks evtricity. I was hoping you might see the post. Thanks for checking with the Sydney group.
The panel beater they originally took it to was just going to replace the plastics, not checking or caring about the rest of the electrics. My concern wasn't just that they were unqualified to make an assessment on the electrics, but that they didn't even seem to consider it as a factor.
The lack of a qualified repair shop doesn't seem to have put them off, as it seems they think any repair shop will do. Or to put it in the words of the assessor "they'll get an electrician in to look at the 'digitals'" as "they have experience with hybrids"
To be clear, if it's just mechanical issues then great - it may be repairable. But until a qualified person knowledgeable with Zero bikes can assure me the bike is electrically sound I won't consider it repaired/roadworthy (I'm just stating this in general to any observers - not in reference to anything written here)
Eeek. Don't know the laws in Oz -- here, no car repair shop can legally touch a motorcycle (for some things, like tires, it's actually a criminal offense for them to).
Contact the responsible comprehensive insurance company (your own or the car-at fault's), write to either the CEO or head of Claims Adjustment, and point out their liability if they fund the repair and anything happens to the bike later.
Not familiar with typical problems with Zeros after accidents, but in general, motorcycle frames are extremely fragile after any non-trivial accident. The only way to determine frame damage is measure the frame with specialized equipment (nowadays typically laser-based) vs. the maker's shop-manual numbers by an experienced shop, and just as important is to determine whether there are any hairline cracks... Esp. a problem in aluminum, which is what Zero frames are made of.
I'd also contact whoever the Zero importer is for Oz, and get from them a list of the shops certified by them to repair frame damage. No other shop should touch the bike (again, over here, it wouldn't even be legal).
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Giving it to a "panel beater" is ridiculous. It needs to go to a motorcycle-specific shop that can assess the extent of the damage. From the picture it would be very surprising if it was not totaled due to frame damage. Good move getting the picture.. that puts you in a very strong position. Certainly don't accept the bike if the charging became funky.
Do you have good insurance coverage? Your insurance company may be able to work on your behalf to get the other party's insurance company to pay full resale value. My insurance company handled everything for me when my car was damaged by a third party. I'm not sure if that's because I had comprehensive coverage.
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Shannon being a specialist enthusiast and motorcycle insurer should know to only take bikes to motorcycle dealers for quotes. that really bad on their part. Like others have said frame damage even scratches cannot be repaired but needs to be replaced.
I scared for you when even zero dealers take months to fix issues, and your going to some backyard panel better paying untrained staff the lowest rate to fix your high tech bike.
what model dash cam you using?
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DOD Hummer bike dashcam
https://dashcamsaustralia.com.au/shop/dashcams/dod/dod-hummer-motorbike-cam/
I've got two, one for the rear. I hadn't gotten around to installing it yet because wiring it is a bit of a pain and I didn't find any place on it I was overly happy with. Now I wish it had it on just to see what happened moments prior to the impact.