Advocate For Yourself

[XHombre]

As some of you may know, my 2nd VTX in the last 3 years was totalled about 7 weeks ago by some dork in a panel van who made an improper lane change... right into me. It was the other guys fault 100% and fortunately, I only sustained a few minor scrapes and a couple of still-painful bruises.

The insurance settlement that I ultimately rec'd for my dearly departed blurple baby was better than good. However, I had a greenhorn adjuster who needed to be educated in order for me to be properly compensated for the 500+ dollar helmet that was trashed.

2 days ago I rec'd a check from my insurance co. for my helmet in the amount of $300. The company's new helmet policy is to reimburse the insured for the full value of a new helmet, as opposed to the old policy where they comped you for the pro-rated value of your helmet based on a 5 year lifespan. For those who are unaware, there isn't a helmet made, to my knowledge, that is warranted for more than 5 years from the date of purchase or the "born on date" (aka the date of manufacture). It is the latter date that is most critical as the inner shells for all approved motorcycle helmets are made from polystyrene which is basically a hard form of styrofoam. That material changes chemically over time, essentially it dries out and after 5 years from the manufacture date, no safety or certification organizations will deem any such aged helmet to be safe or structurally sound for continued usage.

When I got hold of the adjuster by phone today to find out why I had received about $250 less than the MSRP he tells me that he went online to research the value of my lid and 300 bucks is what he saw as its value on some sites. I knew better!

There are a number of sites that were selling my helmet (a premium model made by a very reputable firm) at a deep discount(anywhere from $150 to$380 off MSRP) because my helmet's graphic design was only made in 2008. That means that the deeply discounted helmets that he saw online were not "fresh" or new, but at least one and in some cases nearly two years old, therefore their useful and warranted by the manufacturer lifespans had been diminished by 20-40%! Meanwhile there are still plenty of online retailers selling the same helmet at the full MSRP! That's not exactly ethical in my book!

Moral of the story:

1. You can and should negotiate, correct or argue with your insurance company if you suspect that they are not reimbursing you for the full or fair value of any compensable item.

and;

2. Make sure that the helmets you are considering purchasing are "fresh" and have as close as possible to their fully intended lifespans remaining. Always check the "born on" date (often on a sticker on the inner shell) and if substantial time has elapsed from the date of manufacture (anything over a year is my criterion), either negotiate a better, pro-rated or discounted price for it or take a pass and find fresher goods and get your money's worth.

Also, please remember that your helmets' useful lifespan ends after 5 years from the day it was made. Don't risk severe head injury or brain trauma by wearing an out of date lid. Otherwise you are gambling with your body's most precious asset...your brain. Stay safe and enjoy the ride! And remember to stand up for yourself!

[adamrol2]

Hombre
Great write up. I would have never considered this so thanks!

[GOG]

Thanks for the info! I never knew helmets expired! I just figured if I got in a wreck or dropped em they were shot. Ya learn something new every day!

[cmgoldstein]

Excellent points! Thanks.

[davemack]

Very good write up, Thanks....

[SCteach]

Learned something new, thank you.

[Bigdog 1]

Thanks, great info!

[shuterbg]

Good write up. We were preparing to replace my helmet next year as it would have been 5 years old then. But well then I had a little fall. I was just a passenger and lost my footing. I fell backyards down a slight hill. I ended up with a concusion and whiplash. I decided to get a better helmet. I plan to not be stingy when it comes to replacing my helmet again.

[KeyWasted]

Good to know! Thanks. "Insert thumbs up thingy here"

[roughrider]

Originally Posted by shuterbg

Good write up. We were preparing to replace my helmet next year as it would have been 5 years old then. But well then I had a little fall. I was just a passenger and lost my footing. I fell backyards down a slight hill. I ended up with a concusion and whiplash. I decided to get a better helmet. I plan to not be stingy when it comes to replacing my helmet again.

You fell of the back seat of a motorcycle? When did this happen? sb

[Legal_Eagle]

Excellent advice Xhombre. The same is true of tires--they have a useful life as well (don't remember the time frame) and retailers sometimes sell them past their useful lives. If you check the TID (tire identification) number, the last four digits identify the week and year of manufacture. E.g.: ID ending in 1508 would have been manufactured in the 15th week of the year 2008.

[shuterbg]

Originally Posted by roughrider

You fell of the back seat of a motorcycle? When did this happen? sb

It happened oh about 4 or 5 months ago? I don't really remember. It wasn't one of my best moments so kinda kept it a little low key, but have mentioned it a few times. Anyway, we needed to go to Jon's to pick up my husbands bike that had just had some service done. he had been out of work because of hurting his knee and we didn't know how long it would be before we would get to ride together. So I talked him into riding my bike with me as a passenger over to pick up his bike. I hate being a passenger but wanted to ride home with him. so he parked the bike in teh driveway where there is a bit of a hill. I was getting off the bike and I lost my balance. I fell backwards head first down the hill and hit the back of my head. Thank God I still had my helmet on or I don't think I would be here. I did ride home and probably shouldn't have. The next day i went to work and started feeling dizzy and sick to my stomach. coworkers said I was acting strange and my eyes looked weird. I woke up the next morning in pain and went to the doc. I had a concusion and I had whiplash. who knew one could get whiplash just falling off a bike. So ya thats what happened.
Went and got me a pretty pink shoei helmet.

[XHombre]

I'm happy to see that this thread is helpful.

Between shutterbg's saga and a short story about a really scary accident I incurred 3 years ago lies a valuable object lesson for anyone who really cares about themselves.

I had my first motorcycle accident of any kind 3 years ago after nearly 42 years of riding motorcycles. One minute from my home a well-concealed deer darted out in front of me and my C model. We were moving at about 65 mph when a perfect T-bone collision resulted. The first thing I remember hitting the pavement was the center-front portion of my face. In actuality the first thing that hit asphalt was my right shoulder as I instinctively tucked and rolled whilst being launched over the bars. Nevertheless, I don't remember the shoulder slamming to the ground, what sticks in the mind is my head slamming into the street really hard.

I was wearing an Arai fullface helmet and it undoubtedly saved my life. It was my good fortune to "fall right", thus not snapping my neck like a toothpick. The contrast between my tumble and shutterbg's is as stark as can be and yet we both know that, more than likely, our helmets saved our lives. The irony between our two tales is that she did sustain a serious head injury. In contrast, I did not have a mark on my head or neck, no bruises, not even a stiff neck or headache. Mind you, I broke six ribs clean through in my upper back, totally shatterd a scapula (shoulder blade) and suffered a detached ligament in one of my thumbs... not to mention some very nasty road rash!

To me, the bottom line is really quite simple. God forbid, I could have easily been paralyzed, but, thank the Lord, I wasn't. Had I been so injured, though, even to the extent of becoming a quadraplegic, my brain still had and I like to think, still has, full and normal function. So, looking back on my brush with The Fates, the lesson I learned the hard way is that as long as your brain works, no matter what other injuries one might sustain in an accident, you still can have and enjoy a measure of quality of life. No brain function or severe head trauma means no life at all to speak of or, at best, a significantly diminished quality quality of life.

Low speed or high speed conditions are inconsequential. Your head is always the most vulnerable of all of our parts when we are on two wheels! If you don't protect your dome for your own sake, please do so for your wife and kids, your significant other, your Mom and Dad or just for the heck of it. It really does make alot of sense.

[Todd WA]

A Born on date......that expires...........get real.....


If that's true then never get married...................The helmet had nothing to do with it.........It's like "lube-it-or lose it" (every 3K) but my rig is every 5K....so now what??

Get real fokes.........

[XHombre]

Huh, Todd?

[Tombstone]

Originally Posted by Todd WA

A Born on date......that expires...........get real.....


If that's true then never get married...................The helmet had nothing to do with it.........It's like "lube-it-or lose it" (every 3K) but my rig is every 5K....so now what??

Get real fokes.........

Uhm...who pee'd in your cornflakes?

[Tombstone270]

Originally Posted by Todd WA

A Born on date......that expires...........get real.....


If that's true then never get married...................The helmet had nothing to do with it.........It's like "lube-it-or lose it" (every 3K) but my rig is every 5K....so now what??

Get real fokes.........

Of what you speak, understand us not....???

tomb

[Zurn]

why does it burn when I pee?

[XHombre]

Did you accidently put salt on your cornflakes instead of sugar?

Come back, Todd WA, we won't bite! We're all Bozos on this bus.

[slacks]

Originally Posted by XHombre

We're all Bozos on this bus.

WOW, now THAT is an obscure reference I haven't heard in a loooong time!

[Tejas_Ranger]

Originally Posted by Tombstone

Partner...gonna toss out a personal opinion here...and we all know just how valuable an opinion usually is.

Thus far, I've got 23 years of active duty time and I've been in places and have done things all over the world, some of which I'm proud of and others I'd really rather forget ever happened at all. I've had troops who didn't come home and other troops who made it home despite facing some pretty stiff odds that, by all rights, should have swung the pendulum the other way. I firmly hold to the belief that each and every one of us are born with a pre-determined date/time to die. I further believe that when that date/time comes up, it doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, you're gone. Now, I don't expect -anyone- else to hold to this belief as everyone else has their own ideas about everything else anyway but this one is mine and it's brought me more than a little peace of mind over the years.

Originally Posted by Tombstone270

Of what you speak, understand us not....???

tomb

I think he was talking about what Tomb wrote in the be careful thread.


Tejas

[Tombstone270]

Originally Posted by Tejas_Ranger

I think he was talking about what Tomb wrote in the be careful thread.


Tejas

Ok did not read that one... but though he was qouting XHombre...

lost as usual ....I be


tomb

[Todd WA]

Originally Posted by XHombre

Did you accidently put salt on your cornflakes instead of sugar?

Come back, Todd WA, we won't bite! We're all Bozos on this bus.

I'm still stuck in the back of the bus.... must of fell asleep.

[XHombre]

Has this thread gone on a bender or is it just me?