Honda Shadow VT750 louder exhaust noise, low power

Question

Recently, my motorcycle got smashed by my girlfriend (who was driving behind me) in the rear.

As a result of the impact, I got propelled into the rear of the car in front of me.

Both fenders are broken, and at first it looked like that would be the biggest of issues.

Now, when I start the bike, the noise it makes is arguably louder then before. It also seems to have lost power, e.g., when I shift up to 4th gear, the chain starts rattling because it isn't turning over fast enough. It rides and shifts alright, but the loss of engine power is noticeable.

I know we cannot be a 100% sure what caused this without inspecting it in a garage, but going on the symptoms, could you give me some pointers as to what it might probably be?

Symptoms: - Just after accident: engine stalls when no throttling, even in idle - Exhaust noise is way louder - General loss of power, I have to engage the throttle over 50% to get decent enough acceleration to get going, where it used to be only a small nudge to the handle.

Answer 1

Before I begin I must say that any accident of any degree cannot be diagnosed on-line and definitely needs to be taken to a mechanic for through inspection.

However , based on your description I have a few points which might be helpful.

• If your exhaust got louder and you experience loss of power check if the exhaust is not damaged, If it has cracked then the sound will increase multi folds and you will experience a loss of power especially in motorcycles.

• Your chain might have started to rattle due to the collision to the rear wheel might have nudged the rear wheel slightly forward introducing chain slack and on acceleration the noise probably near the front sprocket.(Again contributing to loss of power)

• In most motorcycles the ECU detects an accident and it cuts the fuel supply to the engine the moment the bike falls on its side to avoid spilling over the engine bay and causing fire. If your stalling problem continues then take it to a garage to check the overall components.

Additional checks:

• Getting rear ended is one of the worst accidents on a bike, check for and cracks or bends in the chassis of the vehicle.
• Check the alignment and bends ( It will not be noticeable until you drive on uneven surface)
• Check the brake lines and hoses and also any damage to the Rotor.
• Check if the front fork has developed a bend(highly probable)