Post Wipeout Care

Liz C · Post by **Liz C** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:05 am

Retrieved Buddy from the tow yard today, 40 hours and $252 after our wipeout on Saturday.

He's a bit scuffed up along left side of faring, headlamp, fender, windshield. Seems to ride okay. What should I be looking for that's not immediately apparent? How do I know if he's out of alignment?

And, does anybody know if I take him to a close-by mcycle shop (as the Genuine dealer is 20 miles away and I am feeling at the moment not ready for it) would it jeopordize my warranty?

Thanks for thoughts on this.
-Liz
PS My boss sent flowers. I work with great people. Even if they do want me to drive the Buick. Which I will... for a while.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:17 am

How did you get the Buddy home? Does is start and seem to be running okay? Any damage to brake levers (they often get smashed, bent or broken in a crash).

It's probably best to take it to the dealer to check it out. You wouldn't necessarily void your warranty by taking it to a MC dealer. Is the dealer too far for you to use roadside assistance to tow it in?

vaderscoot · Post by **vaderscoot** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:56 pm

ericalm wrote: Any damage to brake levers (they often get smashed, bent or broken in a crash).

god i hope not i have been waiting for a front bake lever since december 8th 2007 thanks scooterworks

scullyfu · Post by **scullyfu** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:17 pm

vaderscoot wrote:
ericalm wrote: Any damage to brake levers (they often get smashed, bent or broken in a crash).
god i hope not i have been waiting for a front bake lever since december 8th 2007 thanks scooterworks

gotcha beat, scoot. i've been waiting for a front fender since may of '07! granted its only cosmetic, but i'm just sayin.....

i was at my dealer a week ago and was told they'd been in contact with genuine and was told they'd just got a 'huge' shipment from taiwan. they didn't know exactly what they'd gotten yet, but maybe your front brake lever will be in there. i paid for and am now waiting on the metal part that goes around the head light. again, cosmetic.

now to get this back on topic: does anyone know what the mileage restrictions are for towing? and liz, if your dealer is within that mileage, i would think you could have your scooter towed there under the auspices of it having been in a wreck and you're not sure about its rideability. i think its worth a call to the roadside assistance folks. and if the mc dealer doesn't provide pick up service, the roadside assistance would probably take you there. good luck.

just so you know, with the roadside assistance, you get one tow every seven days.

dannyW · Post by **dannyW** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:13 pm

I'd have it checked out.

A friend laid down his buddy, and bent the frame! he couldn't even tell. total loss

Liz C · Post by **Liz C** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:18 am

Thanks, all. I rode Buddy home about 4 miles. Starts up great, brakes and lights seem okay. I do notice today that the headlight is not centered over the front wheel, so I guess there's an issue there. *sigh* Oh well. I'll talk to my dealer and see what he says. So disappointed... but I'm sure there's a cosmic reason for this, like if I hadn't wiped out when I did maybe there was a worse option luring down the road a piece.

jmazza · Post by **jmazza** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:40 am

the headlight not being aligned could mean that the handlebars got knocked out of alignment. It's an easy fix if the bolt just came loose but you definitely wouldn't want it loosening more while you are riding !!!

ysofisonly50? · Post by **ysofisonly50?** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:52 am

Awww, Liz C, I'm verry sorry about your mishap.. I'm glad you seem ok.. Don't worry too much about your Buddy. She'll be ok too.
Yeah, you may be right about: things happen for a reason.
So just be glad you could still type, and all.
Hope you mend well and fast..
Sunny side up.

Liz C · Post by **Liz C** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:57 am

Eric! This is a great suggestion if roadside assistance will tow from home to service -- but as I read the disclaimers in the RA sheet, it looks like they transport only from the scene of the trouble. Maybe I am missing something? Thanks for this idea. I think I'll call them... -Liz PS Buddy seems to be intact, just bent. Kinda charming, rakish even.

ericalm wrote:How did you get the Buddy home? Does is start and seem to be running okay? Any damage to brake levers (they often get smashed, bent or broken in a crash).

It's probably best to take it to the dealer to check it out. You wouldn't necessarily void your warranty by taking it to a MC dealer. Is the dealer too far for you to use roadside assistance to tow it in?

scullyfu · Post by **scullyfu** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:09 am

scullyfu wrote:i was at my dealer a week ago and was told they'd been in contact with genuine and was told they'd just got a 'huge' shipment from taiwan. they didn't know exactly what they'd gotten yet, but maybe your front brake lever will be in there. i paid for and am now waiting on the metal part that goes around the head light. again, cosmetic.

just an update: i got a call from my dealer today saying my headlight cover came in! WOW. now if i could only get my fender.

Valgal20 · Post by **Valgal20** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:45 am

I HAVE A QUESTION- ABOUT HELMETS- THAT HAVE BEEN IN A CRASH-

OK- SO, Iv herd that you should throw away your helmet if it has been in a wreck, Right?
Well, what counts as a wreck? How bad does it have to be?
If you drop your helmet, do you have to get rid of it? Can you check to see if it is damaged? What signs are you looking for?

Even if a helmet is DOT approved- does it have an age limit? Does it wear out over time and have to be replaced?
Thanks

Bethers · Post by **Bethers** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:48 am

If the helmet is dropped, or hits the ground, yes, it should be replaced. Just because you can't see damage, it might be compromised and it's not worth taking that chance.

There is not an age limit - although they might make better helmets as years pass, so an older helmet might not have the same security as a newer one (although it might - that's really going to somewhat depend on how good a helmet is purchased to begin with).

nissanman · Post by **nissanman** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:35 pm

There is a product out there that helps determine if a drop is severe enough to warrant getting a new helmet or not. It's some sort of a shock sensor that sticks to the helmet, if it senses a large enough shock due to falling, crash or whatever it shows a red symbol. Normally it'd be green. I can't for the life of me remember what the actual product name is but I'm sure a few minutes on google and you could find it. Don't forget that really old helmets shouldn't be worn either, some people feel that anything 5yrs or older is done... something to do with the rate at which the styrofoam deteriorates over time when exposed to heat, vibrations etc. Makes the protection less effective at absorbing impact force and distributing it properly.

That's enough thinking for now... helmets, everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

IndieJones · Post by **IndieJones** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:19 pm

nissanman wrote:There is a product out there that helps determine if a drop is severe enough to warrant getting a new helmet or not. It's some sort of a shock sensor that sticks to the helmet, if it senses a large enough shock due to falling, crash or whatever it shows a red symbol. Normally it'd be green. I can't for the life of me remember what the actual product name is but I'm sure a few minutes on google and you could find it.

What, like the thingies the Mythbusters use to see if their latest experiment was fatal to their crash dummy?

Valgal20 · Post by **Valgal20** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:23 am

Hmm, maybe I should think about replacing my old one- and get a new one (as soon as I get my scoot)

Ed Hit · Post by **Ed Hit** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:47 am

+1 on the replace thing! The foam or whatever is inside the helmet absorbs impacts but essentially "breaks" kind of easily. (better it, than your skull). I might not be describing this correctly, but I am pretty certain that you want to replace it.

The one alternative that I know of is that some companies will X-Ray a helmet to see if the foam is still intact. If it is, then you are good. Could not tell you who does that or how much it costs tho...

polianarchy · Post by **polianarchy** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:50 pm

Maybe, Valgal20. How old is your helmet? Who's used it in the past?

Also, I'd be leery of painting a helmet, as I've heard that some paints can destroy the integrity of the plastic. Better to use a decal or sticker, instead.

pocphil · Post by **pocphil** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:44 pm

LEGALLY SAFE AND PRUDENT ADVICE FROM HELMET MANUFACTURERS:

Always replace a helmet after ANY impact. This means a drop from over 3 or 4 feet.

Never paint or apply stickers to a helmet, the paint or adhesives can break down the specialized polymers used in the helmet.

Replace a helmet every 5 years regardless of how often it is worn.

HOW I LIVE:

I have dropped my helmet off the handlebars, off the barstool and off the shelf in my closet. I don't feel that it has been compromised in any way.

Stickers - Yes
Acrylic Paint - Yes
Laquer Paint - No

I replace helmets when they look or smell too nasty inside (helmet funk) or if they're getting positively crappy looking. This is usually around 5~8 years. I own around 8 Helmets, so they're not getting worn out, I'm usually just changing styles or something new and better comes along.

When you take off your lid in the summer, and it's kinda moist n' funky in there, wad up a bunch of news papers and fill it up. This will suck up the moisture and keep the funk at bay. There are several helmet-liner cleaner/refreshers. Most are similar to febreze, they're safe for the material in the nylon liner and also won't break down the polystyrene impact foam. Do not use Isopropol or any other alcohol, it will break down this foam.

Don't use windex (or any other window cleaning product containing alcohol or ammonia) on any part of your helmet. Especially not the optical shield (or any other plexi / lexan windshield) Use only warm water with a drop of ivory or similar other soap and then polish it with a product like Maxima spray & shine. Many modern cleaners will destroy / fog clear plastics.

Valgal20 · Post by **Valgal20** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 4:50 pm

Thanks Pocphil- Well, I KNow I need a new helmet now. I went into my local CycleGear Shop, and showed them my very nice, freshly painted, second hand, 3/4 helmet- Well, they scowled at me.

Yea, I knew the helmet was old-ish, I thought it was 4 years old- It is 8. I thought it looked nice, fit nice, and was BLUE. Well, now Im going to have to poney up $100 for a NEW helmet. I got my second hand one from a guy who had it for a passenger helmet, and pretty much never used it. SO, now Im looking for one JUST like it, Blue and Black (to match the buddy) 3/4 'cause i cant see out of the full face, and doesnt look like a space age helmet- I just want it Smooth. Well, as soon as I get my scooter Ill get this one.

Modern Buddy

Post Wipeout Care

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