7th may 2008 - one of the worst days of my life.
We were a group of six friends. It was our coll fest on that day and we had been to a nearby restaurant for our supper. We were travelling in three vehicles - 1 Scooty Pep, 1 Activa and my P150. I was riding my friend's activa and he was riding my bike. I insisted on riding MY bike before leaving the restaurant, but he disagreed. I said fine and we started off. He took off with a pillion. I started a bit late, so I was left behind.
College is only 2-3 kms from that restaurant and the road has been newly laid. The road in question is the Uttarahalli-Kengeri main road. When I was nearing my college gate I saw an auto and a few people gathered around. Instantly I knew something had gone wrong. I parked the activa to the side of the road and went to see what had happened. The one who was riding my bike was standing and he was totally covered in sand, head to foot, but he was alright, apart from serious bruises on his hands, no fractures and nothing major. Same for pillion too.
But I couldn't see my bike! I looked towards the side and I was shocked to see my beloved bike in the gutter, completely covered in fine sand. I couldn't bear to see my bike in that state and rushed to it. With the help of a few people, we lifted the bike and propped it up on the main stand by the side of the road. I checked for any oil leaks first. Found none and tried to bring it to neutral. The gear lever just wouldn't budge, so I held the clutch and rotated the rear wheel. Then tried shifting gears and found neutral quite easily. I moved back to see the amount of damage and I was literally saddened to see my bike like that. The front H/L dome completely thrashed, front windshield broken, both the front forks were twisted and hence the handlebar was not straight. The mud-guard clamp was fouling with the front wheel and wheel just wouldn't move. The worst part - the lovely tank had pretty bad dents at two spots. Then I moved to the side. The side panels have lots of scratches and the rear right indicator is broken , and so is the front right indicator. The exhaust pipe pipe had scratches too.
With the help of a few friends the rider and the pillion were taken to the hospital for first aid and I went to find a mechanic. There was a Bajaj service station nearby and I explained to him what was needed. He gathered the required tools and accompanied me to the spot. HE removed the front mud-guard and the clamp which was fouling with the tyre. Tried starting the bike - both kickstart and electric start - but it just wouldn't start. Gave up for sometime and tried again. It started with some difficulty, but it did come to life. I was a bit relieved. I thanked the mechanic, he was a nice chap, did not charge me anything. Riding a bike with twisted handlebar and front forks ain't easy, but I managed to bring the bike home safely, a distance of about 5kms. I gave the bike a wash and wiped it clean. Now it looked much much better!
Later I wondered how the accident happend. I knew that he was riding the pretty fast, about 70kph, while taking that right hand curve in front of the college gate. He went too wide and there was fine sand on the edge of the road. The tyres lost grip the the bike fell to its right. The rider and the pillion have somehow got off the bike before it went sliding into the gutter. Learnt a very good lesson and will never lend my bike to anyone in future.
I took the bike to RV Bajaj today morning. The insurance guy was on leave and hence they could not give me an estimate of the costs. The service manager asked me to leave the bike there and come back tomorrow for the estimate. It was so hard to leave my bike over there. I wish I could stay with it the whole time. I glanced back many times at it while walking back from the service centre. I hope they can repair my bike soon and I hope it will be just like before.
I'll let the pictures do the talking now.
Parts damaged:
1. Right rear view mirror.
2. H/L dome and front fairing.
3. Twisted front forks and handlebar.
4. Front mud-guard.
5. Dents on the tank.
6. Side panels.
7. Exhaust end-pipe.
8. Broken Visor.
What I want to know is the parts for which the insurance company will pay 100% of the cost and the parts for which it will pay 50%, etc.
My bike is a black P150 DTSi UG2 - the one with the silver alloys and the analogue instruments. Can the headlight of the new pulsar be fitted onto my bike while retaining the analogue instrument cluster??
It would be helpful if anyone could put down the individual parts cost.
MODS: I am putting up this thread in the Motorbikes section, rather than the street experiences, since I will be posting the repair details and stuff.