Bike issues

Hey guys,

Well, it finally happened. I met an idiot on the road that tried to share my lane with me (he was in a car) and ran me off the road. I hit a curb going about 50 (approx). The bike stayed up, but my windshield was broke (it kept me from going over the handle bars), the rims are bent, and it won't turn over (or even make a sound as if it were trying).

I've been having trouble finding a local shop that can straighten motorcycle rims. I found some out of state, but I'd prefer local so I did not have to pay for shipping my rims. The damage does not look too bad either... the lip on one side of both rims looks bent just enough to break the seal. I'm wondering if I couldn't just hammer them out myself.

Anyway... does anyone have any advice on how to self-repair the rims, or knows a local shop that does MC Rim repair or a place I can get some cheap salvage rims for a 2002 Honda Shadow VT1100c (Spirit)

Now on the question as to why it won't attempt to turn over... any ideas? I thought about the battery cable, but it does have power, and the kill switch button is on the on position. When I try to start the bike though, it is just silent. I'm assuming something was knocked loose. When I hit the curb... the bike started acting like it wanted to die on me, as if if it were running out of gas, if that helps any. however, fuel line issues would not cause the bike to be silent when trying to start it.

Thanks for the help guys,

Chris

I'm glad your all right, at least you didn't say you were hurt.
No idea on the rims.
As far as not starting. Do you have a starter fuse or a main power fuse that could have blown?

Jerry

I can check on the fuses... I'll have to figure out where they are first :-) (I'm at work at the moment).

As for injury, I was sore for a few days.. mainly due to all the adrenaline that shot through my body causing me to tense up, plus the shock to my back from the bike bucking up under me.

Good to hear you are safe.

Won't THERE insurance pay for the repairs? If they didn't stop, I'd still think about reporting it to my insurance...unless you just have collision.

Rim: I'd get a salvage one.

Won't start: Switch assy, battery cable, main fuse would be where I'd look first. If you went over the handlebars, you might have dammaged the switch assy. That's a weak point in our bikes anyway. If all of these check out, I had a short in my wiring harness that caused the main fuse to blow periodically. You may have gotten a short in the wreck, so if the main fuse is blown, don't be suprised if it does it again. It blew for a reason!

I reported it to m insurance and they said I did not have collision on my policy, just liability and comprehensive. They said if I had hit a deer, they'd cover it as an act of God, but since it was a curb, no luck.

Anyway, it turns out the only real damage is the front wheel. I just received a replacement and plan on changing it out this weekend. I've never done this before, so does anyone know off the top of their head what size tools I'll need? Are there any special considerations I need to handle when putting the wheel back on? I think my brother mentioned axle grease last time the tire was changed.