Just received the following from a very good friend in Oregon:
Howdy, Tom
I wanted to update you with my email address in case you should decide to contact me. The UMCI1 address is gone. Joy Lindholm has it at Yahoo.
I also have a request. Could you send me an email attachment photo of your sidecar rig, several if you have them. If you would, include what you believe the value is on your rig and why. I placed my value at $27-30,000.
Reason? Mine is in the process of being totaled by the insurance company. On Oct. 8 at 6:25 AM I was enroute to breakfast when a large truck decided to pass a slower car and changed lanes. I just happened to be in that lane at that time and his front wheel hit the sidecar, forced me to the left into a median barrier, on top of the barrier, and then over it into the lanes going the other way. I was able to keep it upright, did not roll under the front of the truck and survived this with much contusion, strains and pains. Sidecar frame was bent and twisted in several places and the fiberglass body heavily wrecked. The Harley frame was bent and twisted in several places and lots of damage to the undercarriage. The head stock no longer points under the bike but off to the left. My attorney said I need to gather info on comparable bikes since the insurance company is talking "motorcycle" and ignoring "sidecar". And life goes on.
Thanks,
Gary Shearer
p.s. I would also welcome other rig owners input as to photos and prices.
assuming its hd bike & hd sidecar
the bike and sidecar both have a vin number
both vins have nada book values
start there
make the claim for both vins - its exactly the same as if the moron took out a car and trailer at the same time
to
Hi Tom,
Glad your friend made it through this intact. It did not sound good.
It would be helpful to know what year and model the bike and hack were.
Both are (were?) Harley. But I'm unsure of the year of either. I sent him the link to this thread.
Thanks guys, keep the input coming!
google the vin codes and you will get the years figured out real fast.
the vins will also bring up the proper code to put into nada
to
Kelley Blue Book also has sidecar prices, I don't believe you need a VIN, they list sidecar and motorcycle separately, just add the prices together. Most automobile insurance companies aren't familiar with motorcycles. I got left turned about 10yrs ago on a Sportster w/o sidecar. The other driver's insurance company used an independent adjuster, who estimated it with straightning the frame, he missed half the stuff that was broken like mirrors, bent handlebars, etc. I contacted the other drivers insurance company, took the bike to a Harley Dealer, who replaced the frame, etc. By the time they got through, they paid almost as much as a new bike. By rights it should have been totalled. With so few sidecar rigs around it's kinda hard to place a value on them.
true
but the value is based on the original model - the vin tells if it was built tle or tleu - big difference
and since they dont count modifications - only deductions - a tle with all the ultra parts is basically still a tle
that is why they would try to ignore the sidecar entirely if they could get away with it.
so a vin reveals actual model
sa & sd - means cle paired with flh, sf is tle with flh, gx is tle separate, kx is tleu ultra separate
fg is flhtcui ultra with sidecar...
so - when dealing with the ins co the vin can be very important if they are trying to screw you. if you are a fortunate soul with a fg bike and a kx sidecar then you have the most valuable combination.
to
I just received another message from Gary. He was quite surprised to receive a fair offer of settlement from what I take to be the trucker's insurance and has accepted the offer. Thanks everyone for your very valuable ideas and here's hoping no one else goes through this situation any time soon!
