I posted this on the General forum but I thought I should share it with my fellow Clubbie brethren(and sisterhood :P)

After I told this story to a colleague, he commented that I leave a charmed life. Even though I agree that the situation could have been worse, the repair costs is not agreeing. Anyways, on to the story.

On Saturday evening, I was driving on my driveway and heading into my garage. I've made it a habit to coast in neutral while driving into my garage and just soft pedaling the brakes into the garage. Anyways, I was going about 5mph into the garage when suddenly I heard a sudden crash. I just remembered that my bike was on the roof rack and my garage does not have clearance!!! ARGH!

I quickly backed up Einstein and my adrenaline was just jumping. The roof rack had been torned off the contact points and the bike actually seemed unharmed(apart from the shifters being pushed sideways on the handlebars). I quickly carried the bike rack and bike off Einstein and inspected the damage. There are 5 scratches. 2 shorter ones(about 2 inches long) and 3 longer ones(longer than 4 inches). Unfortunately the big damage was behind the antenna(thank god I went with the shortie antenna). There's 2 large dents(it looks like it was just bevelled down and not an actual "dent") but it also broke the paint. Also to note, the scratches all went through the base coat(my roof is black but I see red paint). One last damage was the right roof liner(the molding that wax can never be cleaned off of) got bent at one of the contact points.

Initially, I thought I could just get a PDR guy to massage out the 2 large dents since it seems to have just bevelled downwards but no one is able to do it since the paint was damaged on the same spot. I checked with a few body shops and they want anywhere from $1200 to $1000(if I paid cash). This includes replacing the molding, bodywork to remove dents, prepping and shooting the whole roof. Firstly, I find it crazy to shoot the whole roof when the scratches are not that big(albeit deep) and the major damage was the two dents. I'm tempted to DIY with removing the dents(removing the roof interior and popping it back out) and just spot painting it. If I screw it up, I can always get the body shop to redo it(since they're doing the whole roof, what's a few more issues? ;p)

My question is, does the repairs seem absurdly expensive? Anyone living in SE Wisconsin know of a reputable body shop that is reasonably priced? I just want to confirm that the estimate I got was not inflated(although the cheapest place I found is usually the most expensive and is a top notced body shop). ARGH I am so mad at myself. At least the 8 thousand dollar bike was not totalled. Surprisingly the bike rack is still intact and usable. :P

 

I would say that is about right. I had my roof refinished after a fender bender that included a launched license plate that landed on my roof causing scratches and dents. They too repainted the whole surface and the cost was about what you quoted. Others on here know more, but this maybe something insurance could help with?

 

bummer

but how in the hell did you forget your bike was on the roof? I am constantly checking on the bike(s) through the sunroof. On another note if the hit was enough to dislodge the rack it was enough to damage the frame of the bike. Take it into a good shop and have it checked for cracks and mis alignment. if its aluminum or Carbon fiber you are SOL if there is damage, steel and ti can be fixed. remeber frame failure at speed really hurts when you smack mother earth.

the roof cost seems about right. the door on my truck got hit and its going to cost $2300 to fix it and paint it

 

Let me get something straight here: your BICYCLE costs $8,000?!?! HOW?! Is it made of berylium or solid titanium? Please tell me it has some sort of moped engine on it. I cannot justify spending more than $600 for a bicycle but that's just my opinion.

 

I can see it coasting 8k, i used to have a 6k CF mountain bike. I took a jump wrong and land way too hard and the whole frame cracked. I broke my foot and hand. The company replaced the bike and i don't ride anymore. I sold the brand new bike for 6k. It covered hospital bills from it.

Good luck witht he clubbie

 

Buzz: Don't have a sunroof and my mind was probably off somewhere. It's carbon fiber and I got it checked. No structural damage. Luckily for me the roof rack got ripped off or the frame would have been toast. That plus the handlebars and shifters moved(the impact was only on the left shifter actually) Nothing else actually had impact. Anyways yea, everything seems fine.

beasley: Yea, it's actually north of 10 grand with race wheels on. Made from carbon fiber. And a few titanium bits. Only engine is from me. ;p Forgot to add that personally I would not spend that amount. However, with sponsors, the amount out of pocket was rather "minimal".

 

Wow, I am so sorry to hear of your accident. I recently had some damage done to my beloved Clubbie and I feel for ya, buddy! The $1,000 - 1,200 sound about right especially if they're going to do a quality job.

Remember, you have bodywork to be done, a primer coat or two to be sprayed. Then you have your base coat, your top coat, and then the clearcoat. And there is plenty of sanding to be done between each one of those. This might be the time to get a really cool top coat, maybe something with some pearl or metalflake in it.

No matter what, I'm sorry to hear that this happened and I hope it all works out to the best for you. You might also consider putting a BIG sign inside the garage that says "DID YOU REMOVE THE BIKE??!!"

Good luck mate!

 

So sorry to read of your mishap, however that cost of repair sounds rather inexpensive to me...though I do live over here on the NE, metro area.

Glad to read this did not completely ruin the roof of your MCC!

 

Oh man! Isn't that a pisser?? You just want to kick yourself. Sorry to hear that.

I've done stuff like that too. I took my newly lifted 4x4 truck into an underground parking not even thinking about the ceiling clearance. I ended up hitting a pipe and it took my satellite radio antenna off the top. I had to let air out of the tires to get the truck back out of the parking structure.....meantime there were lots of mad people behind me honking.

Story of my life!

 

Wow, that should have ripped your bike in half! I take the door opener and toss it in the back when we have our Niners on top.

Sponsorship is a good thing. We get employee prices from our favorite bike shop and we officiate their annual race for free.

 

That's a modestly priced upper end road bike. I have never owned a motorcycle that costs as much as my current mountain bike. If you get sucked into the sport you would be amazed what is justifiable.

Sorry to hear about the incident IzzyG, it's happened to a number of my friends. Probably why I am shy about owning a roof rack. I'll just keep mine loaded in the back of the pickup. Get that fixed in time for RAGBRAI!

 

I once did the same thing with my bike when my old Saturn was new (1996), and this after I swore I'd check every time I entered the garage. Yes, it can happen. I put up a convex mirror over the garage door and found it satisfying to glance at it as I drove in the garage. No trouble since then. My Clubbie now has no roof rack, so for now I'm spared the risk.

 

I will bet one billion dollars that you never ever do that again.
I'm glad the bike was not totaled. My neighbor also has a carbin fiber bike that he paid $6,500 used. It is really light and he belongs to a club that goes out every weekend for long fast rides.
I personaly would rather have a motor on my bike.
Ronnie948