Lost a Jesse bag

[dcstrom]

And yes, I mean lost it, in that it's gone for good!

On Wednesday, Somewhere in a 100km stretch in northern Argentina, I lost a pannier. I didn't hear or feel it go, so it could have been anywhere in that stretch, unless somebody picked it up. I rode back the entire 100km standing on the pegs most of the way, trying to spot the pannier in the grass on the edge of the road. I made a police report in the hope that it will help with the insurance claim.

I lost all my clothes other than what was wearing... Riding gear. On top of that, camera gear, tools spares and assorted other stuff is gone.

I think this may have been the start of my problem with the left pannier... earlier in the day I was riding this crappy section of road and had a silly tipover. It's always the same, I seem to do ok with the riding part, just have trouble stopping! This is not the first time this trip... same thing caused my dislocated shoulder in Peru.

This time I stopped and put my left foot in a rut - stupid - nothing there so the bike was going over. I bailed out and changed my trajectory just in time to miss landing in a deep puddle.

Some guys came along and helped me lift it so no hernia this time. But I think landing on the left pannier might have loosened the clamp. The Jesse bags only have one clamp holding them on, convenient for getting them on and off but if it comes loose well - you can arrive at a gas station after a 100km stretch and stare in disbelief at the empty space where the bag used to be...

What do you think of my new setup?

In Brazil I went to a BMW dealer to get my favourite BMW accessory - tie downs that are used on the bikes when shipped. They are also my favourite BMW price - $0.00. They are coming in handy now.

Ironically if I had used one on the pannier that flew away, I wouldn't have this problem.

I'm philosophical about this - I have had so much good luck on this trip, I can't be too upset, luck was bound to run out at some point. Better this than some of the other possibilities eh?

If anybody knows anything about how to deal with insurance companies for a lost baggage claim, I'd be happy to hear from you. I've heard some horror stories...

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY is that if you have a tipover with your Jesses, double-check that it's secure on the rack before continuing.

 

[jiml53]

Sorry to hear about your lost Jesse bag. Unfortunately that isn't the first time I've heard of someone losing one. Great pics...enjoy

Jim

 

[EricV]

Bummer on the lost side case. Two things come to mind,

1) Send a nice email to Jesse saying how much you like your Jesse bags and have enjoyed using them during your epic adventure from DC to Argentina and back, but sadly lost one on the road in Brazil some unknown distance after a tip over event. And what would it cost to replace that pannier and ship it to you somewhere ahead on your travels. You never know, they may love your story and cut you a break. Send them pics too, of the bike with both panniers during different points on your trip and of the above jerry rigged set up.

2) Insurance wise, accessories are often consider to be like stuff that was sitting in the trunk of your car. In other words, not a bike insurance claim, but rather a homeowners/renters insurance claim. If you still have some of that for any dwelling, you might talk to your agent about that. I would be tempted to report it as a theft, as you honestly don't know when it disappeared, which would be a comprehensive claim. If you can come up with the receipt to send to the insurance company, thus proving you purchased it, even if it's the invoice from Jesse, faxed or emailed to your insurance agent, that might do the trick too.

Good luck! When do you intend to hit the states again?

 

[justbob]

I know a guy that has a left side Jesse bag available (from a 2012 Tenere) if you're interested maybe I can get you two hooked up.

 

[Big Blu]

Ouch, can't imagine how you felt when you discovered the missing pannier, surprised would probably be an understatement.
It's good to here your trip is going well and that you'll not let this minor loss get you down.

Have fun, be safe.. ::008::

Paul

 

[Swagger]

Hmmm unlucky that you lost it. Lucky you didn't drop it on a congested highway ... think of the litigation involved with that scenario. Insurance claims with aftermarket kit can be fraught. Good luck my brother!

 

[dcstrom]

Thanks Eric - I have home insurance and travel insurance that covers baggage up to $3000, any idea which would be best to claim against? Spose it depends on the fine print, with I haven't really looked at yet.

Bummer on the lost side case. Two things come to mind,

1) Send a nice email to Jesse saying how much you like your Jesse bags and have enjoyed using them during your epic adventure from DC to Argentina and back, but sadly lost one on the road in Brazil some unknown distance after a tip over event. And what would it cost to replace that pannier and ship it to you somewhere ahead on your travels. You never know, they may love your story and cut you a break. Send them pics too, of the bike with both panniers during different points on your trip and of the above jerry rigged set up.

2) Insurance wise, accessories are often consider to be like stuff that was sitting in the trunk of your car. In other words, not a bike insurance claim, but rather a homeowners/renters insurance claim. If you still have some of that for any dwelling, you might talk to your agent about that. I would be tempted to report it as a theft, as you honestly don't know when it disappeared, which would be a comprehensive claim. If you can come up with the receipt to send to the insurance company, thus proving you purchased it, even if it's the invoice from Jesse, faxed or emailed to your insurance agent, that might do the trick too.

Good luck! When do you intend to hit the states again?

 

[EricV]

Thanks Eric - I have home insurance and travel insurance that covers baggage up to $3000, any idea which would be best to claim against? Spose it depends on the fine print, with I haven't really looked at yet.

I suspect that the fine print in the travel insurance only covers baggage lost when in the care of others, (airline, bus, hotel, etc.), rather than baggage lost off your vehicle in transit. I would check the limits of your home insurance comprehensive claim, and the fine print in regards to accessories Vs items in the car that are stolen/lost. And honestly, have a candid conversation with your insurance agent. They work for you, and often have leeway with claims, as well as being able to best direct you to the part of your coverage that suits your needs.

My previous agent once told me, in regards to my motorcycle farkles, that they were essentially "in the trunk", and if they were stolen off/out of the vehicle, it would be a comp claim on my homeowner's policy, so make sure that coverage met my needs and keep all my receipts! I kept my comp deductible low for that reason. This is slightly different, in that it is a loss, rather than something stolen, but again, that depends on how you wish to present it. It likely fell off and remained in the road or at the side of the road and was picked up by someone else. That can be construed as theft, even though you left it behind, so to speak. And you did file a police report.

I don't know the value of the pannier and contents, but I would suggest you make as detailed a list as you can. My gut says it's on the home owner's insurance as a comp claim, but I'm not an expert, just a guy that's had to make a couple of claims. In my case, theft from the vehicle parked in front of the house. And I've been fortunate to have excellent agents and solid coverage when I needed it.

I hope it works out for the best. ::008::

 

[krussell]

And honestly, have a candid conversation with your insurance agent.

I think this is great advice. It's important to get that off the record input before you actually file a claim. They can often guide you toward the best possible outcome.

Reminds me of a fire permit I needed to get for a rural property I used to own. Walked into the fire department, asked the lady at the front how one applied for a bonfire permit. She replies, "So you want to apply for a ceremonial fire?" I said "no, just a bonfire." She looks straight at me, totally dead pan, and says "So you want to apply for a ceremonial fire, RIGHT?" Umm, yeah, sure, that's the ticket. Five minutes later I walk out with my ceremonial fire permit, I'm trainable.

Hope it goes well, please let us know how it all works out.

 

[EricV]

Reminds me of a fire permit I needed to get for a rural property I used to own. Walked into the fire department, asked the lady at the front how one applied for a bonfire permit. She replies, "So you want to apply for a ceremonial fire?" I said "no, just a bonfire." She looks straight at me, totally dead pan, and says "So you want to apply for a ceremonial fire, RIGHT?" Umm, yeah, sure, that's the ticket. Five minutes later I walk out with my ceremonial fire permit, I'm trainable.

Off topic - Reminds me of a race shop I used to frequent. Way out in Industrial Portland, (East Marine Drive), and no gas stations near by, but they had race gas. Legally, they can't allow you to pump race gas into a non-race vehicle. People would show up on fumes, begging for gas. Owner/shop dude would look at them and ask, "is that a race vehicle?" 90% of the time, they would say no, and he'd tell them the law, then sell them a 5 gallon jug to pump into, which they would then pour into their cars. Once I ran over there in my Mitsu Motero to pick up some parts and only realized I was on fumes when I got there. "Is that a race vehilce?" Why yes, it is!" "OK, here's the key, let me know how many gallons you pumped". ;D I had enough race jugs anyway.

 

[Ironhand]

Thanks Eric - I have home insurance and travel insurance that covers baggage up to $3000, any idea which would be best to claim against? Spose it depends on the fine print, with I haven't really looked at yet.

They both likely provide coverage. You'll want to look to the "other insurance" section of each policy. Typically travel policies are written to be excess to any other available coverage.

 

[dcstrom]

Turns out the house policy has a deductible of $2000 and travel policy has none... so the choice is obvious...

 

[martin_nj]

What tires were you using in that mudpit, er, i mean "road"?

 

[dcstrom]

Good news! My insurance (World Nomads) came through with the payout on the lost pannier and contents. I'd made a detailed list of contents (it took some time to remember everything that had been in the bag) and finally submitted the claim in August. Total came to $3200 (it included some expensive camera gear) and my payout was $3k - which is the maximum under the policy, so definitely no complaints.

Martin - tires not very relevant to the image of the tipover, since it was caused by me putting my foot down in a hole when I was stopped... but at that time I had an Anakee III on the rear and a well-worn Heidenau K76 on the front. Luckily that road was mostly dry, and the churned up parts were hardened but still a pain to navigate through.

What tires were you using in that mudpit, er, i mean "road"?

 

[Checkswrecks]

Congratulations!


And the name of an insurer for those who want to venture beyond their borders.

 

[toompine]

World Nomads Insurance. Just looked that up and plugged in a fictitious trip and the coverage is extremely good and the cost quite reasonable. Will be keeping their web link handy