| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
.....so how does that buy back work? who you buyin from? Insurance? junk yard? When an insurance company (in my case, State Farm) declares a vehicle totaled, you as the owner have the option of buying the totaled vehicle back from them. They have a "salvage" amount on their books for your vehicle. Then the cash amount you receive from them is their "replacement" payout minus the price of your totaled vehicle. And of course you now own the totaled vehicle. One "disadvantage" is that the totaled vehicle will now have a "salvage" title, and is difficult to register for road use (not my intention). The "salvage" price of my Uly was about $1,400...IMHO quite inexpensive for all the good parts on it. Thank you for sharing, better reading than any of car or bike magazines I read. Aw, shucks; I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was therapy for me while in the middle of the job. Looking backward I'm not too anxious to repeat it, however. But I sure know a lot about the Uly now! ...your shakedown run of 500 some miles is about the same as my longest MC trip so far. I have a ways to go but the good news is .. it's all on the ULY and I'll enjoy every minute of it. Yes, you will! The miles will accumulate before you know it. Just watch out for those pesky deer... Once you have the old bike back are you going to put the blue headers on the new ULY ? I'm not sure. They're a little scratched up. And of course that means rotating the engine down, but heck, I can do that in my sleep now. Probably will, but not for a while. | ||
| Billinpa |
Dr. Greg, Glad you got a new bike coming. Sounds great. Here is something to think about. On another board (Moto Guzzi related) there was a guy in your position. An additional poster to the board was involved in the Insurance biz. His words were DO NOT BUY BACK WHAT YOU ALREADY OWN!!!!! They need to pay you for your loss of use. This should not give them right to ownership. This guys seemed to know what he was talking about. I have no experience in the situation so cannot comment. Might be worth looking into. I am sure the straight answer will NOT come from the claims adjuster. Good Luck and quick healing. | ||
| Dentguy |
His words were DO NOT BUY BACK WHAT YOU ALREADY OWN!!!!! They need to pay you for your loss of use. This should not give them right to ownership. Billinpa They are paying you for loss of use by giving you the current value to replace it. If they pay you for the full value of the bike when totaled, then they own it (they buy it from you). No different than if you sold it anyone on the street. If you do decide to keep it, don't look at it as if you are buying it back. You never sold it to them. It is still yours. In reality, you are just agreeing to accept less money from the insurance company because you are keeping whats left of the bike. It has some value. The motorcycle has a salvage value put on it by the insurance co. meaning they are going to get some money from a salvage co. for whats left of the bike. If the owner wants to pay the salvage value and keep the bike thats fine. If not the ins. co. will get that money from a salvage co. and let them have it. Example. Totaled value: $9000.00 customer takes all the money and gives up the bike. Salvage co. gives $1500.00 for the crashed bike to the ins. co. and takes it. Or Example. Totaled value: $9000.00 customer wants to keep the bike so ins. co. says Ok, but we are only going to give you $7500.00 because salvage co. will give us $1500.00 so you have to give up what they would give us for whats left if you want to keep it. You can't have your cake and eat it too. In this case you can't get paid the full value for your bike and keep it too. (Message edited by dentguy on January 02, 2009) | ||
| Dr_greg |
Yes, the insurance company claims they will... "...put you in the same position you were in five minutes before the accident..." This means they will give you an amount of money that will allow you to purchase the same bike with 55,000 miles on it (my case). The "buying back" of the totaled bike is---in my mind---a separate issue. My decision is whether it is worth $1,400 to me to have a second parts bike on hand. At this point I feel it is...perhaps it really is not, and I should take the $1,400 in cash. Honestly, if I look at my totaled bike, I don't know that there are $1,400 of parts on it that I'll likely ever use. But emotionally I seem to want to buy it. Perhaps because it was so faithful...right up until the end. However, I'm tired of looking behind; my focus now is AHEAD!! I just brought my NEW ULY home tonight!! I'll get the BAS recall done once they get the parts (or maybe never...I like that rear storage space). And I took a bunch of pictures. As soon as I get them uploaded I'll let you have a look. I'm REALLY STOKED!! Doggone it if 2009 isn't going to be a far better year than friggin' 2008... And my strategy with State Farm is to keep denying their offers until I'm happy. They like to settle claims quickly, and I don't need to settle quickly. As I said, their initial offer was pretty good, but I'm still miffed about not covering my gear. I'll get the most out of them that I can. However, that's in the past (present?), and I'd rather look forward to the FUTURE and all the great trips I'm going to have on my NEW 2006 ULY!!! | ||
| Dr_greg |
MY NEW 2006 ULYSSES!!! I am SO HAPPY! Just look...this is the closest I can come to giving my new 2006 Ulysses a BIG HUG.  Not sure if you can see the BIG SMILE on my face...but it's there! Note totaled #044 Uly in the back of '68 GMC pickup in the background...sigh.  Compliments of the former owner...I guess in the great tradition of "Shovelhead," "Panhead," etc. I think I'll remove it. I don't really have any affiliation with H-D. Sorry if anyone's offended.  In the late afternoon sunshine against my western wall...  Another view...  Rear quarter...  Yup, oil line separator in place...   Small dent in header...scratched blue headers, anyone?  Inside my "operating room" garage...  I was lookin' forward to gettin' to 100,000 miles...looks like it's gonna take a little longer...  Well, "TAM" (black lab/shepherd mix} likes it! Note his tail is a-waggin'...  Bike has new Dunlop D616 rear along with used Scorpion Sync front...they gave me a new Sync rear to match. I'll try the 616 first (I didn't mind them on #044) and mount the rear Sync if need be...  WHAT A BIKE!!! I can hardly wait until mid-March...  Hey, I can pull in the clutch...who says I gotta wait until mid-March?!?!  Once again, I am ETERNALLY GRATEFUL for all you guys' prayers, good thoughts, best wishes, encouragements, criticisms, witticisms, and the like. I'm going back to work at the UNM ME Department on Monday on an abbreviated schedule. Our semester doesn't actually start until January 19, which may be Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I'm sure by then I'll be up for my regular schedule. Of course the main problem is how to spend the time from, say, mid-January, when I'll have all my "new bike tweaking" done, and mid-March, when I can RIDE AGAIN!! Well, at the minimum I'll follow the BadWeB BB&D forum, and keep in touch. --Doc P.S. As you might expect, my first "Shakedown Cruise" in mid-march will be...yep, the very same route. I'll take pics...especially at the "DEER SITE"...it's already a waypoint on my GPS. | ||
| Froggy |
Greg, you can always part out #44, up till a few weeks ago I was looking for a tail section and bits. I still might need a few little things  | ||
| Dentguy |
Dr_greg, Stand firm on the negotiating with State Farm. I've been through it with a car (kept it) and the Uly (let them have it). Both times I had to go back and forth with insurance to get what I wanted. More so with the auto. The Uly dealings were actually easy. Good Luck. | ||
| Ourdee |
Lookin' good Doc. My 08XT doesn't have the oil line separator. If you throw out your old gear, I want it.  | ||
| Nevrenuf |
dr. greg, when my daughter got hit a couple of years ago, not only was i able to get more out of the insurance co than what they were origingally gonna give me but they also allowed me to keep the m2 of which i parted out and made a few other bucks to get the replacement m2 that i wanted. i would be willing to guess that depending on where your located at would determine as to how bad the insurance company really wants to deal with a wrecked bike. if you don't ask, you don't know. | ||
| Jphish |
Hell Doc - Keep ol' 044 from going to the graveyard. Buy it and it's like having an old friend and willing organ donor where you know there won't be any 'part' rejection. 30 years ago I bought my totaled 37 ford flathead V8 (my first car & had it since I was 15) for $400 - just for sentimental value. Funny (or very odd) how we get attached to inanimate objects. Finally sold it 10 years ago to a guy who had one wrecked on the opposite side - he was going to 'blend' them into a new car. She (or at least 1/2 of her) is on the road somewhere in Michigan. 044 could be a trip saver. Your heading off on a 2 week adventure to (insert favorite place) and your (insert bad part) goes on the fritz. You don't have to wait 10 days, or longer (oops, vacation over) for parts to arrive - you're on your way same day. If it was an 08 I'd buy it - disassemble it - store it in labeled boxes and have my wife airlift a shock to me in the Yukon if needed. Have fun with the new family member...and hug old 044 for me. j | ||
| Hooper |
I think the D616 is the best rear to have...nice and wide with a great tread pattern; soft enough for the road, grippy enough for the dirt. Granted, I've only had two. And it comes with Touratech handguard extensions?! Each of those cost $189.99! That's part of the bargain! I also heartily approve of the "American Motorcycles" part of the bike logo...I really do believe it's an important part of the brand that should be proudly displayed on ANY Buell bike sold in America. Hmm...orange is nice, but... What a great feeling it must be to have one in your garage! I can't decide whether or not to take the plunge and get a CR now or wait until I sell my old misbehavers (the old bikes that don't run anymore). Finally, I WANT a nice labrador who loves motorcycles. (Message edited by hooper on January 03, 2009) | ||
| Eryngium |
What I notice from the photos is the collection of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale boxes in the background. For medicinal purposes, I'm sure. Can someone tell me what the difference in volume is between the "standard" side cases (as shown in Dr Greg's photos) and the Outdoorsman cases - relatives terms is fine, doesn't have to be exact. They certainly look to be smaller (while the top case is larger), but not sure how much. The pdf version of the accessories catalog doesn't give any dimensions. | ||
| Eryngium |
Oops! Just realised I hijacked the thread with my last post. Disregard. Sorry, Dr Greg. | ||
| Froggy |
The Journey sidecases are 42L each, the Juniors (Outdoorsman) are 30L But the Journey topcase from Buell is 38L, can't seem to confirm, but there is a 50L optional one from H&B that dwarfs the 45L topcase on the Juniors | ||
| Tootal |
FANHEAD, now that's just funny!  | ||
| Glen |
when i saw that fanhead sticker i spit coffee out of my nose laughing......i keep looking for one that says" loud fans save lives"..... i'd leave it. | ||
| Skinstains |
I see two fancy pedal bikes in that operating room. Care to elaborate ? Congrat's on that faster tougher orange beast you have there. May it take you to the "ton K" both smoothly and safely. | ||
| Jphish |
Hey ! Where does one procure FANHEAD stickers ? Gotta get me one. Better than the "CAUTION  ILITHIUM CRYSTAL RECHARGING". | ||
| Dr_greg |
I think the D616 is the best rear to have...nice and wide with a great tread pattern; soft enough for the road, grippy enough for the dirt. Granted, I've only had two. I'm definitely going to leave it on and see how it goes. I never minded the D616 front/rear combination when I first had the bike. And it comes with Touratech handguard extensions?! Each of those cost $189.99! That's part of the bargain! I also heartily approve of the "American Motorcycles" part of the bike logo...I really do believe it's an important part of the brand that should be proudly displayed on ANY Buell bike sold in America.  Yeah, I forgot to post the picture I had taken of those: I think the handguard extensions are actually $50, but I've often wondered about them; now I'll find out. And I heartily agree about the "American Motorcycles" badge; I'm very happy to have another one. What a great feeling it must be to have one in your garage! I can't decide whether or not to take the plunge and get a CR now or wait until I sell my old misbehavers (the old bikes that don't run anymore). Yes. Yes it is. You could start wrenching on the old bikes...sounds like a good winter occupation to me. Finally, I WANT a nice labrador who loves motorcycles. Actually he loves people; the motorcycle is incidental. I've often thought about taking him along on camping trips in a sidecar. I think he'd enjoy it. What I notice from the photos is the collection of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale boxes in the background. For medicinal purposes, I'm sure. Indirectly, that was the reason behind the deer hit. After finally getting the wrenching finished (the evening of Friday, December 5), I perhaps "celebrated" a bit much and as a result didn't leave until 8:45 a.m. the following Saturday morning. Thus I had to ride after sunset. Had I left earlier (as I usually do) I might have been OK. Oops! Just realised I hijacked the thread with my last post. Disregard. Sorry, Dr Greg. Not a problem; we all do it. I've taken up so much of this forum's bandwidth of late that OT posts are a welcome diversion. when i saw that fanhead sticker i spit coffee out of my nose laughing......i keep looking for one that says" loud fans save lives"... Well then, maybe I'll keep it. Mrs. Greg says it's a "PANHEAD" sticker with the "P" modified. Maybe so. I see two fancy pedal bikes in that operating room. Care to elaborate ? Ah yes, pushbikes (as the Brits seem to call them)... I used to be a bicycle racer (road) in SoCal in the early 70s, until I got hit by a pickup truck on March 30, 1972 (killed my best friend, me with broken femur, arm, coma for two weeks, etc. ). I continued to ride afterwards, but no more racing (did 1975 Davis Double Century in 12:32). Did lots of bicycle touring in CA, CO, NM. My oldest son (Paul) picked it up; he was a kamikaze bicycle messenger in Honolulu while at grad school at UH. The hanging bike is my old Geoffrey Butler time-trial bike, the bike on the floor is my son's Kona "Jake the Snake" cross frame with all the fancy stuff. Alas, I've backslid a bit from my racing weight of 137 lb, but haven't we all...I really enjoyed climbing; in cycling I had finally found a sport that favored skinny guys who didn't mind lots of hard work and suffering. And that was back before cycling was even known in the USA; no TdF coverage, etc. Fun times, those. Congrat's on that faster tougher orange beast you have there. Thanks! I'm VERY happy. Gonna do a little investigative wrenching today (I'll remove my fabric splint...don't tell my surgeon). Hey ! Where does one procure FANHEAD stickers ? Gotta get me one. Better than the "CAUTIONILITHIUM CRYSTAL RECHARGING". See above... Still a little undecided about keeping #044; it would be nice to have that $1,400 in my pocket (my unit of dollar measure is a set of tires; Mrs. Greg's is an extra house payment) but I'd also like to keep the ol' guy around. Decisions, decisions... --Doc | ||
| Tootal |
Thanks! I'm VERY happy. Gonna do a little investigative wrenching today (I'll remove my fabric splint...don't tell my surgeon). That reminded me of when I had surgery on a toe and had to wear a surgery shoe, which was basically a piece of leather sewn to an 1/8" piece of plywood. When I went back to the doctor he asked why I was wearing some old sneakers with the toe cut out. I told him the surgery shoe ripped out along the side. He asked me how that happened so I explained that I was playing football and sidestepped a tackle and it ripped out. He just looked down and shook his head. He was use to working on stupid kids. I didn't do myself any harm so he let me off with a warning! Good luck with the new steed, looking forward to March myself. Happy wrenching. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Preliminary Wrenching Just started taking a look at 2006 Uly #564...here's what I've found so far... 1. Heat Shield. Anyone recognize this heat shield?  The heat actually gave me a couple burns on my leg, so I'll be interested in how this works. 2. Airbox. It looks to be stock, not perforated. While the mods may help, I'm glad it's stock at this point.   3. Under the flyscreen. Boy, I'd forgotten how neat things are stock.  By the time I have wiring for heated grips & LED pilot light, GPS, etc. it'll look messier. Perhaps I'll try to be neater this time. Oh, note the "duct tape" residue...anyone speculate on what that might be for? 4. Right Turn Signal. It needs a little work...already accomplished.  5. Back of Flyscreen. Anyone know what these strips of velcro might be for? Stop the horn vibrating?  Overall it looks to be in excellent condition; I'm still REALLY happy. --Doc | ||
| Ourdee |
Drug Runner's bike? Looks like some velcro to the top right side of the horn also. Hard to tell what he may have had in there. The velcro on the flyscreen is positioned so that if 2 steel/aluminum straps were bolted into the top mounting holes the other in the bottom mounting holes with velcro on them you would have quick access to the space behind it. It would then stick out enough that they would want to build up some tape at the top to keep the rain out. Check for marks on the bars and tops of the forks to see if anything else had been mounted on it. I'm also interested in how well the side heat shield works. | ||
| Jlnance |
I believe the location of the stock horn is down, not up. Can someone confirm? Looks like they moved it around a bit to stop the vibrations. | ||
| Mad_doctor |
Hey Doc, There was a post a while back, Someone came up with an idea of putting a terminal strip under the flyscreen. I have not done this YET, but will this winter. It really does make sense, because you can run a wire from a fused tap directly off the battery, then fuse per item. It's easier to run only one wire for a feed. I wrap my wire with 3M high temperature tape. It's a little spendy, but it is scuff resistant,and heat resistant. Just my .02 | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hey, I'm still here... Hey Doc, There was a post a while back, Someone came up with an idea of putting a terminal strip under the flyscreen... 1. Terminal Strips. Fancy that. I think it's a great idea!  Made my "under the flyscreen wiring" MUCH more sanitary than "last" time. Thanks for the tip. 2. Breather Hoses. As I was preparing to reroute the breather hoses, I was using a penny to trace out some stainless steel sheet to produce blockouts, when I thought, "hey, just use the pennies themselves." So, in the spirit of Honest Abe, here we are...  3. Cruise Control. My "cruise control" consists of disconnecting the throttle return spring at the throttle body, as shown below:  The engine vibration (yeah, even at 3,500 rpm there is some...) is sufficient to return to idle when released. And, the torque required at the grip is greatly reduced. Yes, Dr. Greg is rather "limp-wristed"...go ahead, make my day! I'll sic 2nd son "Keith" on ya...look out! 4. Winter Riding. I ride year-round. Yeah, you may think that New Mexico is balmy, but even in Albuquerque we're at 5,000 feet elevation, and the winter morning temps are usually in the low 20s, sometimes teens. So, I've found the Symtec heated grips are the best $30 I've EVER spent on the Uly...  This version of the Symtec grips came with a toggle switch HI/LO control (my previous version had a rocker switch). I mounted the toggle horizontally (L is HI, R is LO...kinda like fast-lane/slow-lane). I also installed an LED pilot light (1K current-limiting resistor) to indicate whether the grips are on or not...they're "ON" in the pic.  And for the torso, there's my Gerbing heated jacket liner (and heat-troller, of course), for which the wiring from the rear to the front is shown here:  The snap to secure the coiled cable to the subframe is one of Mrs. Greg's "sewing box specials"...works great. Been tested thoroughly on '06 Uly #044. 5. Bar Ends. I cannot speak too highly of the HVMP bar-ends. I've crashed numerous times (just being honest), and these have "taken a licking and kept on ticking"...the deer hit included. HVMP even sent me (free and unsolicited!) a new set of bolts for them (shown below). BUY THESE!! Or the Wolfman's gonna gitcha!! (any other American Graffiti fans out there?...that movie describes my adolescence to a tee..not sayin' which character most resembles me, but it wasn't John Milner).  Here's a pic of the right bar-end installed...note that it's taken some abuse...  6. Which seat? I REALLY LIKED the '06 stock seat (i.e. non-low} even at a lowly 5'-9", but my replacement bike has the low seat. Some folks like it, so Ill see. But since I'm keeping #044, I put the "regular" seat on the new bike...I think it looks better. I'll definitely try the low seat (just sitting on the bike it doesn't feel THAT much lower), but we'll see...  7. Entertainment. Finally, my favorite kind of rides are camping trips: from weekend to summer-long. I LOVE camping. And...when stuck in the tent on a rainy evening, there's nothing better than a movie on the iPhone! But of course the device needs charging, so gotta hook in a connector...  Now my life is complete...for the moment. Regarding my physical recovery...I'm a little surprised at how long it's taking my body to "bounce back" (no pun intended). My three fractures are doing fine, but at work I'm only good from about 10:00--3:00 (old banker's hours). Sigh. I think I underestimated the "licking" my poor old 61-year old body took. This was the worst crash since 1972 in terms of trauma. As my 3rd son (now in China) says, "at least your life isn't boring." No, no it isn't. Others (RatBuell?) have been injured worse than I...then of course there's Miguel DuHamel and Scott Russell (ol' "hole in the leg" himself). Anyway, I'm hoping by Spring Break (mid-March) I'll have been back on the Uly for a couple weeks, and maybe I can even think about another "Tour de Texas" or something like that. Actually today I've felt a little better. Maybe there's hope yet... --Doc | ||
| Hooper |
+1 on the HVMP...when I nailed my deer, one of my bar ends came out - the bolt was slightly bent. The guys at HVMP saw my post here on BadWeb and PMed me with the offer of a FREE new bolt to get my HVMP bar ends back in shape for my rebuilt Uly! It was just unbelievable to me...such solidarity, service, and brotherhood. The bolt wasn't bent enough to keep it from doing its duty on "The Deer Hunter", but I thanked HVMP for their gracious offer. (Message edited by hooper on January 23, 2009) | ||
| Ratbuell |
Looks great. It's nice to be reminded what Barricade Orange looks like without the ...uh.... 'patina' of mud, salt, and bugs I am curious, though - in your 'name that heat shield' pic, why is the front end of the ECM held in with a zip tie? And, to what looks like the rear shock reservoir hose? Also, to answer the above question - yes, stock horn positioning is down, not up. I put a pop-rivet through the horn bracket and support brace, down by the hole the horn itself attached with, to cut down on the vibrations. So far, no rattling (I did it about 3 days ago, not much riding on it just yet). I'd guess the velcro could be a light blocker. I put a small bead of RTV on the top edge of my front fairing, where the main support cage met the orange flyscreen. Having that small, bright 'horizon' of reflected headlight brightness always aggravated me, so I sealed it up. And, spend some time riding on the low seat. As I mentioned a while back, I'll bet you find yourself scootching back every half mile or so - when I rode with the low seat, it kept stuffing me onto the airbox. I love my Uly, but that's a bit silly...lol. Congratulations, keep healing, and when the time comes - ride safe! | ||
| Jphish |
Hey Doc - Pleased to hear of the slow, but steady, recovery. Yep, us 60+ guys don't heal as fast - but I crash just about as well as the younger guys. I was hoping wisdom would make up for the toll the years have taken...but that too appears elusive. I like your bar ends - got a Kaoko throttle lock on mine with the 5oz ends, wish they were a bit heftier. Be patient - by spring you'll be 'back in the saddle again' (sung to a Gene Autry 45 with solo 6 string & 6 shooter) Be well. j | ||
| Ourdee |
Doc, The low seat works for me, but I ride on the tank. Wadda I know? | ||
| Ulyranger |
"The guys at HVMP saw my post here on BadWeb and PMed me with the offer of a FREE new bolt to get my HVMP bar ends back in shape for my rebuilt Uly! It was just unbelievable to me...such solidarity, service, and brotherhood. The bolt wasn't bent enough to keep it from doing its duty on "The Deer Hunter", but I thanked HVMP for their gracious offer. " I've been contemplating acquiring these, this about seals it for me. Sounds like people I'd like to do business with. Dr Greg, wish you a speedy recovery and getting back in the saddle soon. Hope your son is healing well too.... |
