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"pretty Red" Is Only Pretty On One Side Now. '97 4Th Gen. I Have An Insurance Check For $4,435.16. Let's Get Started


EldoradoBill

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I bought her new in July 1998. A brand new 1997 4th Gen VFR, the last of the carburated V4s. I loved her then, and despite a low side on 9/30/14 that has done cosmetic damage to the right side, I love her still.

I low-sided turn 7a at Sonoma Raceway all by myself. It was probably the most graceful lowside ever not caught on film. Here's a link showing my leathers and Pretty Red. http://imgur.com/a/FLrtm(I'm currently repairing the leathers myself as it is all cosmetic damage.)

So now, my plan is to either repair Pretty Red to as close to original as I can or turn her into a track bike. I'm leaning toward the former as I don't get out to the track very often.

I would appreciate any and all input regarding ideas to simply repair, customize in some cool way, part sources, etc.

thanks in advance

Bill

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With that check you should be able to almost any mods you want!!!

I knooooooooow, right? Blank canvas and all that. If I wanted to, I could get away with replacing only the front fairing, right side body and brake pedal, plus whatever underlying shit that got bent. The estimate I got was for even more, but I have a $1,000 deductable. I'm thinking I can really fix her right saving on labor. I'm pretty good with the fixing part. It's the I-can-do-whatever-I-want that screws me up. Too much freedom, too many choices. Serious first world problem.

I'm thinking there's got to be some pointers and URLs that would be really helpful and this forum is the place to start.

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i did the same thing. Had some nasty air bubbles in my brake lines which didnt mix with a 2 year old cupped pilot power on a high speed track(Road America). I ended up repairing and plasti dipping a different color for now. The plus side is you dont have to worry about dropping it anymore.

Did the clutch cover crack at all?

post-5100-0-97408900-1414049556.jpg

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Hi Bill,

Look up the topics posted by member RESIN on how to fix broken ABS panels.

That scratched clutch cover can go to Sebspeed for a make-over

Glad you are unscaved and as for racing.. if you can't do the time.............. :goofy:

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You could find some fairing panels that are barely scuffed, and repair the bike good as new.

DIY, time and effort will turn out a nice product for far less than dealer prices. Those guys are just parts swappers, and since they don't love your bike, they're not likely to do a good job. Insurance pays out dealer repair rates, so you should be able to make your bike better than new again and have money left over for some choice mods.

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Hmm. Sorry to hear about the low side. As was mentioned, learn how to fix plastics because the fairings are hard to find these days. I am also intensely curious how you got that much money from the insurance? Seems they should have just totaled it and given you ~three grands. On top of that, it was a wreck at the track, which most insurance refuse to cover.

Previously agreed value insurance?

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Hmm. Sorry to hear about the low side. As was mentioned, learn how to fix plastics because the fairings are hard to find these days. I am also intensely curious how you got that much money from the insurance? Seems they should have just totaled it and given you ~three grands. On top of that, it was a wreck at the track, which most insurance refuse to cover.

Previously agreed value insurance?

Several people at the track (i.e., other riders) said, "Tell 'em you did it on the street!" I said, no. I get what/why they say that, but at the end of the day, it would be fraud and I don't roll that way anyway. I made a mistake, the bike went down. End of story.

I opted for full on truth. I filed a claim, included an estimate from a Honda Dealer, included mutilple high-res pictures and I scanned in the course agenda as well as my certification of completition from California Superbike School. The class -- and this is really important -- is about being a better rider, not about preping for racing. The latter is not covered, the former is. I spoke with the claims agent and a couple others (it just depends on who picks up the phone) and always told the same story, which is easy since I stuck with the truth. I've been with them since 1993 and this was my first claim.

I got a second letter about being at least 51% at fault for faling to maintain proper control, which is true. So, I'm probably going to lose my good driver discount, but I can appeal that. All in all, I'd rather have a pretine Pretty Red, but things turned out pretty darn good and I'm making my leathers look friggin' awesome. Now, to do the same for Pretty Red.

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I have many 4th Gen body parts in good/fixable shape, pm me for links to pictures, I just picked up a perfect upper right in red :wink:

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