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Totaled my 2011 650

5K views 26 replies 10 participants last post by  nor*calian 
#1 · (Edited)
Just like the title says...that’s right my brand new 650 is gone...totaled beyond repair. I had her for a month, my first street bike. I was riding a very curvy road called the Bagby grade up in Mariposa county, CA. heading north bound HWY 49, went around a 40mph left hand turn doing 25-30, a couple pieces of gravel were in the road, my front tire hit em and it slipped out from under me...was dragged with the bike 5 feet or so until i let go. The road is on a side of steep hill/cliff...200 feet down. I ended up 10 feet down the hill...my bike wasn’t so lucky...it tumbled end over end 80+ feet. But i am surprised that the damage wasn’t more! I did however have full coverage on my bike and will be getting another new 650 here in the next week! Myself however...the only piece of gear i was wearing was my helmet, so i was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, it was over 100 degrees that day, ya i know...there’s no excuse for it. But not i road rash up in down my left side with a dislocated shoulder. Other than that i am fine and hating the pain...but lesson learned...it wasn’t a matter of if i was going to crash my bike it was a when!











 
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#3 ·
Lessons learned I suppose, glad to hear you are not hurt too bad.
When I first read the title, I thought you had flipped it after asking about doing wheelies, so I'm glad also that was not how it happened!

Get back on the new bike soon.
 
#5 ·
Sorry to hear man!!! I know how it feels to wreck the bike. I was supposed to get mine back this week, but it wont be until next week that I get it back. :(

Anyway, Hope from now on you'll wear all your gear. Helmet, gloves, jacket(at least long sleeves), long pants, and boots that cover your ankle. Glad your not hurt worse. Make sure you heal well before you jump back on the bike.
 
#9 ·
Well if it has a twisted frame, bentforks or scratched swingarm, usually insurance companies render them wrecked due to the repair costs and safety implications of the repairs.
 
#13 ·
Update: Got off the phone with my claims adjuster moments ago. Good news they deemed the bike a total lose and will be getting a full replacment value plus my frame sliders value, so i will not be paying anymore money in!!! So then i called up my dealership and they are searching for another black 11 650...problem is they are hard to come by right now. But my dealer will find one in no time...so hopefully if everything goes smooth i will be riding again here in about 1-2 weeks. :thumb:
 
#14 ·
Good to hear Nor, looking forward to seeing you back on the road!!
 
#20 ·
Don't know if "600" is a typo or not, nor*cal rides a 650 Ninja. A 600 and a 650 are generally two pretty different animals. The 600 being much more of a race insipred bike and the 650 being a more street friendly bike. Both are fast but I think most 650s are more forgiving of the rider's mistakes than a 600.

My 2 cents. With a good amount of experience on a 250 you can move onto just about any bike, but always respect both your capabilities and the bike's. I think people who "upgrade" after putting 300 miles on their bike are nuts, not enough time on the road in traffic learning - by experience - how to ride/scan/see danger/avoid danger/ etc.

Sorry, not trying to speak for you no*calian - and by the way welcome back to the saddle!! I went to a 650 Versys after putting 14,000 kms on my 250 over two seasons. Its been great.
 
#21 ·
Absolutely right BlackBoar,

Dunno why I have 600 on the brain these days-but I meant 650. I'm in no rush-I'm just starting to see great deals on them around town lately. As far as 300mi & quitting after my ride today, I agree with you wholeheartedly. My bike woke me up on a few different occasions during today's ride.

1. I was being tailgated by some clown in a pickup truck going through downtown and had a brief moment of target fixation which could've gotten ugly had I not had the presence of mind to ease off the throttle & right myself before I lost my line while taking a corner at 65.

2. My bike surged & bucked hard as I was pulling up to a pump at the gas station. Luckily I only had 2f ingers on the front break because that front tire squeaked, forks compressed & I was standing there confused as hell wondering what just happened at 5mph.

All that being said, my safety class is next week and I'm looking forward to learning from professionals and getting as much valuable information as possible. The 250 stays as long as it will run...with 2k miles, I should have it for a long time to come. Now if I could stop getting blown around so much by the wind. Those gusts really beat me up over 55mph.
 
#22 ·
I put a double bubble screen on which seemed to help a bit with the wind. But the other thing that helped was experience. The wind really seemed to affect me the first year, but as I gained experience I stopped noticing. Its pretty flat and open where I am, windy too. Now the wind has to be gale force before I seem to notice much. I think a lot of it is simply confidence in self and machine that comes with time.
 
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