How Long Did It Take to Repair Your Indian Following a Smash? Indian Motorcycle General Discussions >
Founding Member 7,820 posts V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin

 How Long Did It Take to Repair Your Indian Following a Smash? 2  votes

 Less than 2 weeks? 0 votes
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 Between 2 to 4 weeks (1 month) 0 votes
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 Between 4 to 6 weeks 0 votes
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 Between 6 to 8 weeks (2 months) 1 vote
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 Between 8 to 10 weeks 0 votes
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 Between 10 to 12 weeks (3 months) 1 vote
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 Between 12 weeks to 14 weeks 0 votes
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 Between 14 weeks to 16 weeks (4 months) 0 votes
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 Over 4 months 0 votes
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Our member Indie Girl was to join us on our Queensland tour in July but her Chieftain (had a disagreement with a kangaroo) is still not fixed after 6 months!!  😳🙈

When you tow a smashed Indian to the dealership, they will quote you 6 to 8 weeks MINIMUM.  But it can often take longer.  There are several reasons why a bike takes so long to repair, but a primary cause appears to be the lack of parts in Australia.

Apparently, Polaris Australia does not hold any painted parts in stock (eg. fenders and tanks).  And many other parts like the headlight nacelle, primary cover, fuel pump, etc., I know, because I have been waiting a long time for some of these parts for my bike.

In the case of the fuel pump (fuel gauge was not registering properly), it arrived in a large box with no bubble wrap or padding of any kind. Predictably, it arrived with a broken piece and had to be sent back.  Which meant, a further wait of 6 weeks plus for the 2nd shipment. 😧🤯

For this poll, let’s define a ‘smash’ as a bike you cannot ride home.  Not just falling over when stationary and scraping the engine guard that needed a replacement. 😄 A proper tow truck job. 

How long did your bike take to get it fixed?  Count from the day you smashed to the day you picked up the bike completely fixed?  It typically takes about a week for the insurance assessor to inspect the vehicle but let’s include that delay so we are all consistent.

If your bike was written off (and if you are alright), you are definitely one of the lucky ones.  Especially, if they own one motorcycle, it is a killer! 😢

What do you think is an acceptable turn around time for a bike to be fixed following an accident?
Melbourne, Victoria
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CHF10 Senior Member 2,396 posts
CHF10
Should be 2 months MAXIMUM.
Live free or die!
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ME Darkhorse Junior Member 34 posts
ME Darkhorse
my fender took 4 weeks from inspect to completed, i would spit it if i was off the road for 8 weeks

Perth WA (but move area all over the place)

Dark Horse, cams, tuner, and more to come😀

Life is to short to put up with bullshit or bullshitters
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Dr.Shifty Senior Member 1,623 posts
Dr.Shifty
I would put 6 to 8 weeks as the limit for a major smash repair. There is no real repair work they do on either cars or bikes these days, it's only replacing parts. The craftsman days of straightening out bent pieces are long gone. The only exception I can think of is paintless dent removal for hail damage.

Car repairs do not require fully painted parts from overseas, the panel shop paints the raw panels on demand. Why not bikes as well? There is nothing exotic about Indian paint.

I'm sorry that Indie Girl's bike is still under repair, and especially sorry she can't join us next month. I can think of no reason that would justify a six month fix.
Cheers, Kim.

From Woodrising (no, nobody else has heard of it either)
Rides a Springfield Dark Horse
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crash Founding Member 2,565 posts
crash
My bike was off the road for somewhere around 8 weeks.  The damage that I had was relatively superficial in that it was all replaceable parts.  Left and right panniers, top box, seat, engine guards, left and right floor boards etc - the invoice is on the forum here somewhere.

Mind you, I had to drive them.  You have to identify ETA's and hold them to it.  I was micro managing most of the way with almost daily phone calls to find out where the parts were in the system etc. 

I also wonder if the deliver of goods is taking longer now than it used to. 
My pannier lock surrounds (not accident related) took over 3 months to arrive - a relatively small item.

So I am wondering if it is a change to the company policy about their delivery model to Australia (like have to wait for a full container before we ship type model).  This would mean that waiting for parts can be dependent on whether they have a full container to send or not.  Just a thought.

It seems that the lead times to getting things sorted out now are a lot longer than when I had my accident - just sayin'
Ulysses #30673
IMRG #AU100394
Current: RoadMaster (ebony and ivory)
Highett Victoria Australia
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CHF10 Senior Member 2,396 posts
CHF10
Haven't they heard of planes?
Live free or die!
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Washbrook Full Member 271 posts
Washbrook
One point not discussed so far is the point at which they decide to "write it off" in lieu of repair. I have not had an accident on my Indian but I did have a person taken me out when I was on my Drifter. I was concerned about them writing it off because I had a lot invested in my bike that the insurer may not care about. My Indian is the same. Having 2 bikes I would be more concerned about them wanting to just replace my bike if the repair bill passed the tipping point.
Norman Hall [aka Washbrook]
Man of Few Words
2017 Indian Roadmaster [Willow Green over Ivory Cream]
1999 Vulcan Drifter
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crash Founding Member 2,565 posts
crash
CHF10 wrote:
Haven't they heard of planes?


Does polaris make them now as well??  - then no!!
I suspect that a plane calculates it's cost based on weight whereby I believe a ship is based on space used (ie, container).  remembering that we are not likely to shell out for the cost of delivery on top of the cost of the goods.
Ulysses #30673
IMRG #AU100394
Current: RoadMaster (ebony and ivory)
Highett Victoria Australia
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V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin
All very interesting discussions.  I feel for anyone with just one motorcycle if it takes several months to get it repaired.  I only own one Indian and no other transport so I am in that boat.  One of the reasons I am saving up for a second motorcycle.

Washbrook wrote:
One point not discussed so far is the point at which they decide to "write it off" in lieu of repair. ...I had a lot invested in my bike that the insurer may not care about. ...just replace my bike if the repair bill passed the tipping point.
If all the accessories are listed on your policy, it should all be covered in the first couple of years.  However, as the bike age, agreed value drops so the price gap between the new and your bike increases and that means out of pocket expenses.  

In in regards to writing off - I believe it is somewhere around 80%.  If the repair bill exceeds 80% of insuranced amount, they will write it off.  Due to life time guarantee on repair potentially coming back to bite them in the future.

I my bike was ever in a smash and if the repair bill was 79% of the insured amount and the choice was given to me.  I would choose a write off over an extensive repair.  For one thing, I will get my new bike much quicker!! 😆
Melbourne, Victoria
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CHF10 Senior Member 2,396 posts
CHF10

crash wrote:
remembering that we are not likely to shell out for the cost of delivery on top of the cost of the goods.

Considering air shipping of parts isn't actually that expensive and I can (and have) had parts shipped to my door in less than a week for a very reasonable cost, then I completely disagree as I am absolutely likely to pay for shipping. That said, in the event of repair to any vehicle of mine, the cost is borne by the insurer. Not me (other than excess if I'm at fault).
Live free or die!
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CHF10 Senior Member 2,396 posts
CHF10

V-Twin wrote:
I my bike was ever in a smash and if the repair bill was 79% of the insured amount and the choice was given to me.  I would choose a write off over an extensive repair.  For one thing, I will get my new bike much quicker!! 😆

I have thought about what I'd do in the event of my only motorbike being in a smash, and the answer is always along the lines of "whatever is needed to ensure it's a write off".

That said, you don't need to have a big crash on an Indian to write it off.
Live free or die!
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Washbrook Full Member 271 posts
Washbrook
V - Twin,

One can become emotionally attached to a bike, my other bike used to be my fathers before he died so in some cases it is not the money that drives a decision and as CHF10 said, it does not take much these days to write something off due to part costs. 

Lets hope for all of us that this is a purely academic discussion and that none of us hit the road.
Norman Hall [aka Washbrook]
Man of Few Words
2017 Indian Roadmaster [Willow Green over Ivory Cream]
1999 Vulcan Drifter
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V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin
Washbrook wrote:
One can become emotionally attached to a bike, my other bike used to be my fathers before he died so in some cases it is not the money that drives a decision...
Completely different discussion in that situation.  My old man use to ride an Indian from the 40s... if I had my hands on that, sure, it will be fixed at all cost.
Melbourne, Victoria
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V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin
CHF10 wrote:
...had parts shipped to my door in less than a week for a very reasonable cost,
I rarely find airfreight charges from the States to Australia be reasonable to ME.  For example, USD$120 for a pair of boots, shipping cost is USD$70 on top.  Our supermarkets are filled with pallets of oranges (and other fruits) from California at certain time of the season.  Sometimes, it says when they were picked and it is not uncommon to see they are only 5 to 7 days old.  How can such a heavy freight be worth shipping by air and still sell for a few dollars per kilo and someone make money?  Yet, we pay big freight tickets for bike parts (personal import) or wait a long time (sea freight).
Melbourne, Victoria
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Washbrook Full Member 271 posts
Washbrook
V-Twin wrote:
I rarely find airfreight charges from the States to Australia be reasonable to ME.  For example, USD$120 for a pair of boots, shipping cost is USD$70 on top.  Our supermarkets are filled with pallets of oranges (and other fruits) from California at certain time of the season.  Sometimes, it says when they were picked and it is not uncommon to see they are only 5 to 7 days old.  How can such a heavy freight be worth shipping by air and still sell for a few dollars per kilo and someone make money?  Yet, we pay big freight tickets for bike parts (personal import) or wait a long time (sea freight).


I lived in the USA for 5 years and sent back stuff all the time using Air Parcel post and it is actually quite reasonable, cheaper than sending from here to there. The Stores are the problem as they mainly use auto calc programs. It depends upon the Webstore. Some use a % of retail price as the postage with a min charge. They also view postage as a way to make more margin. Small suppliers who are nice people will just charge you the actual postage and then you will find it cheaper to buy OS even after postage is added.
Norman Hall [aka Washbrook]
Man of Few Words
2017 Indian Roadmaster [Willow Green over Ivory Cream]
1999 Vulcan Drifter
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V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin
Thanks Washbrook, I didn't reaslise that's how the shipment was calculated.  I just assumed it was always their cost.  Silly me.  😟
Melbourne, Victoria
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Washbrook Full Member 271 posts
Washbrook
Usually the larger guys are who you need to be careful of. Small guys are usually a lot more reasonable.
Norman Hall [aka Washbrook]
Man of Few Words
2017 Indian Roadmaster [Willow Green over Ivory Cream]
1999 Vulcan Drifter
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CHF10 Senior Member 2,396 posts
CHF10
Yup. There's millions made every day from shipping markup. And definitely agree about the smaller guys being much more honest and reasonable.
Live free or die!
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Nudge Full Member 76 posts
Nudge
I hope i never have to find out, keep it upright guys. It would kill me if i had to wait that long.
Cheers 👍
Leo
Sunbury, Victoria
IMRG: AU101514
2017 Indian Scout.
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Dr.Shifty Senior Member 1,623 posts
Dr.Shifty
Some of the bigger sellers have better arrangements with the US mail people and can offer better shipping cost than the casual seller. I've bought parts from US forum members who checked the shipping cost at the local post office and it was on par with ebay sellers I've used.

For instance, I'm looking at a photography accessory at the moment, major US seller B&H Photo is $27 shipping, most other online US camera stores are double that.
Cheers, Kim.

From Woodrising (no, nobody else has heard of it either)
Rides a Springfield Dark Horse
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BigTone Administrator 1,638 posts
BigTone
Dr.Shifty wrote:
Some of the bigger sellers have better arrangements with the US mail people and can offer better shipping cost than the casual seller. I've bought parts from US forum members who checked the shipping cost at the local post office and it was on par with ebay sellers I've used.

For instance, I'm looking at a photography accessory at the moment, major US seller B&H Photo is $27 shipping, most other online US camera stores are double that.
B&H ship a lot of stuff to OZ and it takes only a couple of days.. Great service..
Cheers,
Tony
St. Kilda  Victoria
IMRG: 20380071
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V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin
Dr.Shifty wrote:
I'm looking at a photography accessory at the moment, major US seller B&H Photo is $27 shipping, most other online US camera stores are double that.
Isn't it interesting... once upon a time, Adorama has cheaper shipping rates.  Now, B&H is better.  I also switched to B&H from Adorama for the past 2 years or so.  If USretailers want to sell more to Australia, better shipping rates would help.

It seems we have a few photographers here!!  👍🙂
Melbourne, Victoria
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Croc Senior Member 570 posts
Croc
Hm, It's not just o'seas shipping that can be a rip off.  When I lived in Alice a certain bike shop (no names, but they sell & service HD)
would state a wait period of up to 3 weeks to get parts in.  They reckoned it was due to the location.  I ended up finding out that their
standard practice was to wait until enough customers needed parts so that they could place a large order.  This meant they often got a
major delivery discount & one shipment.  Trouble is, they would then charge each individual customer the same freight charge for their
parts! (i.e. ten parts orders would mean ten people being charged the freight price for the whole order).
I got my own parts from interstate (usually overnite or a day or so wait) & took them in to be fitted, the shop was NOT impressed.
I'm Not Completely Useless . .
I Can Be Used As A Bad Example!

Kwinana W.A.

Ulysses   #48275
IMRG      #100932
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V-Twin Founding Member 7,820 posts
V-Twin
Croc wrote:
I got my own parts from interstate (usually overnite or a day or so wait) & took them in to be fitted, the shop was NOT impressed.
It is tough to be in a certain business but dishonesty (charging individual freight charges when the dealer didn’t encounter the cost) will not do well for that business.  Most customers are not silly.
Melbourne, Victoria
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Croc Senior Member 570 posts
Croc
V-Twin wrote:
It is tough to be in a certain business but dishonesty (charging individual freight charges when the dealer didn’t encounter the cost) will not do well for that business.  Most customers are not silly.
Hey V-Twin.  Yep I agree, it was interesting to see HDs being serviced at a Yamaha dealer!
A lot of guys only went to the other shop when they really needed to & quite a few sent bikes
down south or north for servicing!
I'm Not Completely Useless . .
I Can Be Used As A Bad Example!

Kwinana W.A.

Ulysses   #48275
IMRG      #100932
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