I took a buddy off-roading today. It was his first day on a quad. I told him to take it easy today and just learn as much as possible so he could come along on a big trip to H/M or Coal Creek this summer. Instead, he was cocky and overly aggressive. I told him to cool it and he did for a bit, but he brainlessly went down a tough hill that he had no business attempting, hit the brakes hard as the nose went down, and failed to shift his weight to the rear. He went right over the handle bars and the machine crashed down hard on its top side, breaking the brake handle, master cylinder, speedo, and severely bending the rear rack and destryoing the handle bars. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt. He landed on his feet and stumbled down the hill, falling into the water. (He did deserve the dunking.) All in all, the damage is worth about 400 or so bucks in parts. This was only 15 minutes after we unloaded from the truck. The only thing I don't know how to do is bleed the brake lines, so there really won't be any labor costs.

Man, I'm ticked. That was his first and last ride on my quad. (He never offered to pay for any of it.) Oh well. I guess our friendship will revert back to fishing and other things that have no risk of me watching him die or destroy my machines. We took it apart when we got it home, so as soon as I can get the parts it will be back together quickly.

My poor 375. It has had a rough ride since it became the #2 machine. I'm glad its built like a tank. It started right up and ran great in spite of its wounds.

At the bottom of the hill, when we got it back on its wheels, he asked me which way to ride it back up so we could take it to the truck. I told him he wouldn't ride it until I got it to level ground. He then said, "You want me to take your 650 up the hill then?" I said, "No. That's like asking me if I'd like you to sleep with my wife!"
He waited until I got them both up! That 650 would be the death of him for sure.

Anyone know where to get discount AC parts? Something like 10% or greater discount?

 

Dan; Your buddy is responsible for the cost of repairs, just like he would be if he borrowed your car. Besides he operated it irresponsibly which makes him doubly liable. You don't borrow something from someone and break it and not pay for it. The law is on your side to, if you have to take him to court, BTW I would as he is not a very good friend if he didn't offer to pay for it after wreaking it.

Bear

 

Dang right he's responsible. I've known him for over 30 years, though, and he has sacrificed greatly for me in the past. I'm not going to cash in the friendship over this one. He also once helped me replace a water pump, fan clutch, and alternator on my Jeep for nothing. I have very little mechanical skill and we worked on that one for an entire day. It just chaps my ***, though, that he didn't offer to pay anything on this one. That's why he doesn't get to go again. Besides, he's not financially blessed, so he probably didn't offer because he couldn't afford to. I wish he'd just say so, though.

 

He could of least offered to help fix it and pay for what he could. He should have talked to you about the situation. I would never just not say anything.

Bear

 

Man, sounds like a rock and a hard place situation. Order the parts and "make mention" of the cost of the repairs. See if he steps up.
He may not understand the costs involved. I know that untill I started pricing them I had quads written off as "toys" that were not necessarily expensive. This was based on a bad camparison to dirt bikes 15 years ago with no real experience form then till now.

Brent

 

Actually when you let someone borrow your car you are liable for anything that happens. If that individual runs over someone then your insurance will be responsible and you will be ultimately responsible as the owner of the car. A person may choose to sue the driver for being negligent but this is often a losing proposition.

As a matter of fact, I would not recommend ever letting anyone (other than very trusted folks like family,etc) ride any vehicles as not only are you responsible for damages caused to and by the vehicle but could also be responsible for injuries sustained by the driver in any crash.

So, I think you are wise not to let this get in the way of a friendship and consider this a lesson in letting other folks borrow things.


Hey tta583, I used to have a 1987 GTA, loved that car. Let someone drive it, he drove wrecklessly and flipped it. My insurance covered and I was told by my attorney to consider myself lucky that the driver didnt get hurt and sue me. After that I really lusted after the 89 Turbo T/A. What a bad a$$ car, its performance still compares to the best. (0-60 something like 5 secs or so).

 

It is like an unwritten rule in our group that we go out with, if you take someones machine (either sleds or quads) and do ANY damage, the person that does the damage is responsible, no questions, that way there is no arguing about it. I would mention it to your friend and see what he says.

 

606zpx; Not it the state of Washington it isn't. The driver had better be insured along with the vehicle. No insurance and the fine is worse than premiums for the yesr.

 

I have full insurance coverage, icluding injury. There is a 500 dollar deductible, however, so I'm not so worried about those issues. Its simply the principle that he should step up and offer to pay what he can. I know his financial situation is tough, so I'm not expecting the whole deal, but as an act of good faith, he should offer something more than labor. Heck, its not that tough of a fix, even for an amateur mechanic like me.

The good news is that I contacted my dealer today and ordered parts. They came out half the cost of what I had found on the net. The total will be 200 bucks, unless I replace the rear rack, too, which would make it 300. My brother has a master metal worker at his company and he said he'd be able to fix that rack as good as new. We'll see. It's definetly worth a try.

In the mean time, I'm going to be more careful with who I take. I don't think that the 375 is a great machine for a beginner because it is so heavy and has quirky handling that takes a bit of experience to master.

I'm also going to implement Doober's rule and have guests agree up front that they cover any damage. I hate to have to do that because most guys will step up, but you know what they say. If it happens twice, the second time is all my fault.

 

Yes, much different here in Georgia and Florida then. The liability rests with car owner primarily.