2017 Tri-Glide versus ~100 Lb deer

hardwickbv

1500+ Posts
Gold Member
Mar 5, 2017
1,903
654
Mitchell, IN
Name
Bob
On the way to work this morning at 0545 it finally happened.

I work on a Naval base in Indiana and to get to work it is 12-13 miles of forest from the gate to the building got within 2 miles of the building and a doe bolted across from the left side while I was running 45 MPH.

Usually, I see them with plenty of time, but the location did not let me see her until it was too late.

Hit her square in the mid-section and was able to bring the trike to a stop without further incident.

Fortunately, I escaped without a scratch but slightly shook up. Coffee was not needed for a while.

She did not fare so well.

I expect it will be months before I get the bike back from the shop with all the problems with getting parts.

IMG_4414.jpg
IMG_4415.jpgIMG_4416.jpgIMG_4417.jpgIMG_4469.jpg

Had to take the fender off to get it home.

Now to wait on Insurance to do their thing.

Be Safe out there

Bob
 
On the way to work this morning at 0545 it finally happened.

I work on a Naval base in Indiana and to get to work it is 12-13 miles of forest from the gate to the building got within 2 miles of the building and a doe bolted across from the left side while I was running 45 MPH.

Usually, I see them with plenty of time, but the location did not let me see her until it was too late.

Hit her square in the mid-section and was able to bring the trike to a stop without further incident.

Fortunately, I escaped without a scratch but slightly shook up. Coffee was not needed for a while.

She did not fare so well.

I expect it will be months before I get the bike back from the shop with all the problems with getting parts.

View attachment 108975View attachment 108976View attachment 108977View attachment 108978View attachment 108979

Had to take the fender off to get it home.

Now to wait on Insurance to do their thing.

Be Safe out there

Bob

Glad to hear your ok.
 
On the way to work this morning at 0545 it finally happened.

I work on a Naval base in Indiana and to get to work it is 12-13 miles of forest from the gate to the building got within 2 miles of the building and a doe bolted across from the left side while I was running 45 MPH.

Usually, I see them with plenty of time, but the location did not let me see her until it was too late.

Hit her square in the mid-section and was able to bring the trike to a stop without further incident.

Fortunately, I escaped without a scratch but slightly shook up. Coffee was not needed for a while.

She did not fare so well.

I expect it will be months before I get the bike back from the shop with all the problems with getting parts.

View attachment 108975View attachment 108976View attachment 108977View attachment 108978View attachment 108979

Had to take the fender off to get it home.

Now to wait on Insurance to do their thing.

Be Safe out there

Bob

Glad you’re OK Bob..I’ve had a few of those Woods Rats over the years sneak out and bite me…!.
 
Makes you wonder if deer whistles might be worthwhile.

Whistles only work to get them to look at you while they are standing so you can see thier eyes shine.

If they are being pushed or are just Hellbent to get across the road (which was the case this time) they are useless.

Even if she was standing next to the road the terrain had me at a disadvantage and I wouldn't have seen her.

I was lucky that I hit her reasonably square and it didn't send me into a spin. A little left or right and it could have easily happened.

I didn't think I had left the road but when I went back to look my right tire left the road for a good 60-80 yards and I missed a sign by a couple feet as I was returning to the road before I finally came to a stop.

Amazing what you miss in a split second and under pressure.

Thanks for all the replies

Bob
 
Wow! If it's gonna happen, that's how you want it to happen.

Glad you are ok! :clapping:

Nice job of not over-reacting, that is when bad stuff can happen.

Good you got to ride it home.

Kevin

P.S. Keep us updated with how the dealership handles the repair. Sometimes a bent engine guard will also bend the frame tabs, which could total it out, or could result in them wanting to replace the frame.
 
Dealer picked it up today

The dealer came down and picked it up today.

Said they wouldn't get it on the lift to assess the damage until next Thursday.

Let the long-drawn-out process begin.

Bob
 
Got a call Friday and they had started looking at it for and estimate.

They wanted to know what aftermarket part I had put on the front end because they said it didn't look stock.

Told them the only thing on the front end is some Lighting and Pro Action internals shock parts.

Nothing should have changed the look that much except for the deer.

They thought I may have raked it. Told them not yet but if it is not totaled I probably will.

They are closed on Mondays so hopefully later this week we will know something.

Bob
 
Estimate Received

Got the estimate from the dealer yesterday just over $10K total including $2500 labor.

No damage to the frame.

Now to waiting on insurance to cut a check.

Bob
 
Got the estimate from the dealer yesterday just over $10K total including $2500 labor.

No damage to the frame.

Now to waiting on insurance to cut a check.

Bob

I would expect it to go up a bit by the time they are finished. Unless they did a VERY thorough disassembly and inspection to write the estimate (which I seriously doubt they did), it is almost a given that once they get into the repair, they will find damage that could not be seen on the initial inspection.

YMMV

Lon
 
Triglide vs deer

Glad you made it through all that. I can just about guarantee that you will probably be looking at $15000.00 after it is all said and done. HD shops are notorious for quoting one price then afterwards the price for the repairs go up at 1/3 of the original price. Sad but true.
 
Glad you made it through all that. I can just about guarantee that you will probably be looking at $15000.00 after it is all said and done. HD shops are notorious for quoting one price then afterwards the price for the repairs go up at 1/3 of the original price. Sad but true.

That's not exclusive to Harley Dealers, it kind of goes with the territory with collision repair. I was (retired now) and autobody tech most of my adult life, transitioning into and estimator/ass't shop manager as my body started to give out, and there is absolutely no way to give an accurate quote for repair without disassembling the vehicle as far down as will need to be done to complete the repair BEFORE writing the estimate. That is the only way you can see every part that is damaged, and even then, no matter how good you are, you will likely miss something until you get deep into the repair and start to fit parts back together. I will also pretty much guarantee that his dealer (and probably most, if not all) did very little or no teardown before writing the estimate. The insurance companies know this, and in making total/fix decisions, they figure in an amount for supplemental damage to the original estimate)

Lon
 
Let the rebuild begin

Got the funds from the insurance company today minus deductible.

Went to the shop and the service manager brought the trike out into the sun so I could inspect it and go through the estimate line by line.

Deleted some items as they put them on the list if they had a scratch on them.

The parts guy was putting in the order when I left, we'll see how it goes we have a few painted parts to wait on and I know the 2+2 Wide handlebars I had on there are backordered.

Came home and ordered a Rake Kit from Papa Zook, FST Cartridges for the forks and an 838 AC from DK.

Now we wait.

Bob
 
Deleted some items as they put them on the list if they had a scratch on them.

Bob

I am absolutely NOT trying to be a dick, and no judging, just thought you should know that by deleting items on the estimate that the insurance company paid for, the insurance company will look at that as insurance fraud.

Chances are that they will never know, but if you have a good deal of supplemental damages found, they may come to the shop for a re-inspection, or may come out at the end of the repair for a post repair inspection. Depending on the Appraiser that comes out, it could be a problem.

Once again, NOT trying to be a dick, I don't care one way or another, just thought you might like a heads up.

Lon
 
I am absolutely NOT trying to be a dick, and no judging, just thought you should know that by deleting items on the estimate that the insurance company paid for, the insurance company will look at that as insurance fraud.

Chances are that they will never know, but if you have a good deal of supplemental damages found, they may come to the shop for a re-inspection, or may come out at the end of the repair for a post repair inspection. Depending on the Appraiser that comes out, it could be a problem.

Once again, NOT trying to be a dick, I don't care one way or another, just thought you might like a heads up.

Lon

Bullshit You do not have to even fix this trike or car or what ever is insured . you payed the insurance company your insurance premium, now they paid you for the insurance claim. we have customers come in all the time that just want to make the car or truck drivable and safe and save lots of money they walk out the door with a hand full of cash. If you have another crash & they find things they all ready paid you for last time that were not replaced they will not pay again for that part. keep your receipts and take pictures . You could go to swap meets and Ebay buy used take off parts and save a ton of money .
 
Bullshit You do not have to even fix this trike or car or what ever is insured . you payed the insurance company your insurance premium, now they paid you for the insurance claim. we have customers come in all the time that just want to make the car or truck drivable and safe and save lots of money they walk out the door with a hand full of cash. If you have another crash & they find things they all ready paid you for last time that were not replaced they will not pay again for that part. keep your receipts and take pictures . You could go to swap meets and Ebay buy used take off parts and save a ton of money .

OK, being that you worked in the Collision repair industry and dealt with insurance companies all day, every day, I guess you are correct.....
 
I don't want to get between the past two posters kicking each other's butt, but I do know from personal experience that you can collect a repair check from the insurance company and never actually fix the damage. Never heard of an insurance company trying to come back on a customer and having them criminally charged, but then again I have only lived in three different States.

As far as deer whistles working I think the jury is still out on those. Had many years as a third shift Trooper in Illinois. Several of us in my area used such devices, heck for a couple years I had about 6 of them mounted across the front of my squad. Running 110 to 115mph at 3am you certainly don't want to hit a 200 pound buck. We had squads hit deer with and without the whistles.

What I have heard over the last several years from my northern friends is that playing loud music scares more deer away than anything else. Not sure if that is true or not.
 
I don't want to get between the past two posters kicking each other's butt, but I do know from personal experience that you can collect a repair check from the insurance company and never actually fix the damage. Never heard of an insurance company trying to come back on a customer and having them criminally charged, but then again I have only lived in three different States.

As far as deer whistles working I think the jury is still out on those. Had many years as a third shift Trooper in Illinois. Several of us in my area used such devices, heck for a couple years I had about 6 of them mounted across the front of my squad. Running 110 to 115mph at 3am you certainly don't want to hit a 200 pound buck. We had squads hit deer with and without the whistles.

What I have heard over the last several years from my northern friends is that playing loud music scares more deer away than anything else. Not sure if that is true or not.

I too have had insurance companies pay what it would cost a dealership to get the bike or truck back to pre-damaged condition by a dealership. I did the work myself, with the insurance companies knowledge, and paid myself for shopping for less expensive parts and for the labor.

Oh, and while I was typing this I remember about 20 years ago when another biker dropped his bike and it landed on mine in a parking lot at bike night. ooops. His insurance paid me based on the dealership quote to fix it, and they knew that I was going to fix it myself, did not phase them at all. That was when I lived in Mississippi, the owner of the bike that dropped on mine lived in Tennessee, and the incident occurred in Tennessee.

I have had no insurance claims in over 10 years, possibly laws have changed?

Yeah, I have used deer whistles for years. Not sure at all if they work, but I don't think they attract the deer, so for $10 I possibly am warning them away from me.

Kevin
 
Ive had deer whistles on every semi truck Ive owned. Cant say they work or not as Ive hit deer. Ill tell what works 100%. Especially on two lane country roads that feel deerie- yes its a thing. Hitting the air horn every couple hundred feet scares them away. I do the same on a bike with the standard horn.No, I dont care if I disturb some yuppies sleep. They dont pay my bills.
 
As far as the insurance goes this is how I see it.

When I contacted them about the accident, they stated that they would send an adjuster to look at it and take photos.

Once that was done the adjuster said to take it to a shop/dealer for the estimate as they could not do the estimate.

when the estimate was completed by the dealer with no input from myself it was sent to the adjuster, and he approved it as written.

Since I own the bike outright, they cut me a check and for me to work with the dealer on getting the bike fixed.

They did say the if I had a loan on the bike, they would have to send the check to the dealer and they would have to fix the bike as estimated.

My take is it is my bike, and I can do what I please once the estimate is approved. It pays to not owe anybody anything.

Enough said on that subject.

So far, I have found that the FST Cartridge inserts are on backorder till mid-October, the 828 AC is on the way.

Haven't heard about the Rake kit.

Since the fender and lower parts are painted parts coming from Harley, I expect the have at least a month lead time, I will contact the dealer next week to see if they know when for sure.

Just playing the waiting game for now.

Fortunately, deer season is coming soon so I now have time to focus on reducing the herd.

Bob
 
All parts are in except the handlebars!!

Krome Werks 2+2 wide bars are on backorder till 11/28.

Looking for other options plus I have asked them to take the old ones of so we can do a closer inspection to see if we can get by until the backorder comes in.

Will be down 2 months tomorrow.

Bob
 
Krome Werks 2+2 wide bars are on backorder till 11/28.

Looking for other options plus I have asked them to take the old ones of so we can do a closer inspection to see if we can get by until the backorder comes in.

Will be down 2 months tomorrow.

Bob

Man, that sucks...down two months and backordered parts. Hopefully the existing ones can be used while waiting.

Kevin
 

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