Author Topic: Insuring Modified Bikes.  (Read 9118 times)

Offline Simon Ratcliff

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10
  • Karma: +0/-4
    • View Profile
    • Email
Insuring Modified Bikes.
« on: October 06, 2016, 06:58:28 PM »
....is not a problem for any one whose bike deviates from standard. E.g brakes, engines, frames, front forks. Why anyone would want to bother though........Anyway, www.BikeSure.co.uk also http://www.devittinsurance.com/blog/a-guide-to-motorcycle-modifications-part-four-up-front/ can cover them to name but two :). Did make me wonder for a moment how owners of Tritons, Tribsa's, Norvin's etc had got their bikes insured for all these years but obviously it's not a problem. This subject came up on another thread when I mentioned a plan to customise my classic bike..........some of the elderly do tend to worry themselves a bit ::).
« Last Edit: October 06, 2016, 07:20:20 PM by Simon Ratcliff »

Offline mini-me

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1084
  • Karma: +19/-24
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2016, 08:48:42 PM »
Quote
Did make me wonder for a moment how owners of Tritons, Tribsa's, Norvin's etc had got their bikes insured for all these years

As an elderly person who was there among the Tritons and all that in their heyday, that is a reasonable question to ask.

The answer was it was a different world then; No EU crap, no such thing as the litigious breed of lawyer and amazingly insurance companies were mostly honest.

I'd walk into an insurance brokers office, oft times a cubby hole offshoot of something else, once a printers shop I recall, and say I wish to insure such and such a bike, of xxx cc, year xxxx tell them my age and address hand over a bag of old and walk out with an insurance certificate mostly 3rd part or TPFT.

Now it takes me, in this computer age, over an hour to fill in dumb arse online forms with questions that cannot be answered or are irrelevant.

Trying to insure a modern scoot alongside my vintage bikes was  ridiculous.

another example.
 10 yrs I replaced a Sherpa van with a  Sherpa mini bus and the conversation with the same company as the previous was insured went along the lines of

"we don't insure mini-buses"
"but its the same kind of vehicle with windows and seats"
"its a mini-bus sir"
Ok I'll fill in the windows and it'll be a van again"

"oh a van, we don't insure commercial vehicles sir"

"but you insured the previous van for the last 5 yrs"
"But it was not insured as a  commercial van sir"

"Nor will/is this one."
"its a mini-bus sir we don't insure mini-buses.

Ok I'll fill in the windows and remove the seats.

"we do not insure modified vehicles sir"

at that point I destroyed the phone.

I use the insurance co  you mention, and another also a specialist bike insurer, never again the CN one.

The diffrence between the tritons and so on an the sort of cobbled up crap I see to today labbelled as blobber or rat bike, such as huge engines in aframe cobbled up from scrap, of which only the number on the headstock is genuine are a different matter, I have no doubt the insurance industry is geting well clued up on such things.

As I said it was a  different world back then, and you snowflakes will never understand how different.

As for what you do with your 'classic' and as someone who assembled the first Commados at Plumstead I'll never see them as that, I can assure you I don't give a monkeys fart what you do to your bike, much less worry about it.

No off you go and do it, then come back and show us all.

postscript.

Quote
IMPORTANT NOTE: It’s essential to speak to your insurer before you make any modifications to your motorcycle so you can understand the policy implications. Some modifications will dramatically increase your premium, and other modifications might make it very difficult for you to find a company that will insure you at all. Failure to disclose any modifications can also result in your insurer refusing to pay out on a claim, especially if the modification contributes to the claim.

which is more or less the original point I made?


Offline Simon Ratcliff

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10
  • Karma: +0/-4
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2016, 10:17:28 PM »
As for what you do with your 'classic'....................I can assure sure you I don't give a monkeys fart what you do to your bike,much less worry about it.

So you keep saying, so why keep droning on....and on..... Riveting story about your insurance application.......


Offline mini-me

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1084
  • Karma: +19/-24
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2016, 10:03:54 AM »
 ;D

show us the finished job.
It'll never happen.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2016, 10:06:27 AM by mini-me »

Offline Simon Ratcliff

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10
  • Karma: +0/-4
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2016, 03:50:12 PM »
show us the finished job.
It'll never happen.

You're on the wrong thread. I'll put it down to dementia. I guarantee the job will be finished. Parts one and two of a welding course will be finished this time next year. By that time the design process will have been finished leaving fabrication of parts, welding of assembly followed by machining of axes perpendicular to swing-arm axis, on a milling machine. Strip down bike and build up on modified frame, which is a spare frame bought for £50. The seller had convinced himself it was bent, I told him it wasn't, he insisted it was bent, I gave him £50.

Which is the biggest problem with forums to do with old bikes, way too many no-it-all-back-in-the-day-when-I-where-a-lad-they-dont-make-em-like-they-used-to-you-cant-tell-me-owt shite ad infinitum. 'Experts' typically doing virtually zero mileage yet know everything about everything.

So I've finally learnt my lesson and have decided forums are definitely not for me. I thought I was just being unlucky coming across this type of 'enthusiast' again and again.

Look out for a Commando with BMW (Hossack) forks in the classic mags. Or if you see the bike out and about e.g at the Manx, come and say hello. Aufwiedersehen! :)


Offline Rex

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1534
  • Karma: +11/-69
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2016, 06:40:51 PM »
Methinks he doth protest too much.

Offline mini-me

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1084
  • Karma: +19/-24
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2016, 09:22:32 PM »
A snowflake student, with wet dreams.

We'll never see it.
and he's on a welding course for gawds sake, next course will be how to hold a screwdriver by the blunt end.

I seen dozens of these dreamers come and go.

$%^.

Offline oldpugjeff

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2016, 05:20:55 PM »
mind you, had a mini pick up for a couple of years. had insure it as a commercial vehicle. did no good to explain that the pickup bed was 3 foot by 3 foot. damn nightmare. didnt tell them it had a full race 1100 engine in it.best and worst engine i built. fast as hell but thirsty and wouldnt idle below 2000 rpm.happy days

Offline Rex

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1534
  • Karma: +11/-69
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2016, 06:18:20 PM »
 >>>bought for £50. The seller had convinced himself it was bent, I told him it wasn't, he insisted it was bent, I gave him £50. <<<<

You probably won't see this, but I'll post anyway. If that spare frame has no V5C (and for fifty quid I'm assuming it hasn't) then you'll have to go through the DVLA registering process, and forks are one of the "Big Things" the clubs and DVLA focus on when choosing whether it's a custom/cobbled together from parts/whatever which affects the issue of an age-related or Q plate.
Q plates affect the insurance and resale value in a big way, so you'd do better to go the long-winded route and build the spare frame into a bike and get it reg'd standard and then modify it later, but I'm guessing you won't.
You'd also be advised not to trust "welding course parts one and two" but tack together the components with a cheap MiG and then get a pro to do it properly. I'm guessing you won't do that either.
Always seems to me that when people plan things years in advance they never get completed...maybe as John Lennon said, life just keeps getting in the way.

Offline iansoady

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 734
  • Karma: +6/-1
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2016, 10:07:33 AM »
I think everyone's being a bit harsh. Let's wait & see.......
Ian
1964 Norton Electra
1969 BSA/Suzuki
1992 Yamaha 250SRV

Offline mini-me

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1084
  • Karma: +19/-24
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #10 on: October 09, 2016, 11:59:59 AM »
Have you seen all those Model 10 sunbeam parts on ebay?

Offline iansoady

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 734
  • Karma: +6/-1
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #11 on: October 09, 2016, 01:23:10 PM »
No, I must have a look!
Ian
1964 Norton Electra
1969 BSA/Suzuki
1992 Yamaha 250SRV

Offline iansoady

  • Advanced Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 734
  • Karma: +6/-1
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Insuring Modified Bikes.
« Reply #12 on: October 09, 2016, 01:26:26 PM »
Thanks for the pointer - unfortunately the bits he has seem to be the ones that are fine on my bike. I'd love a timing cover but hens' teeth are more common.
Ian
1964 Norton Electra
1969 BSA/Suzuki
1992 Yamaha 250SRV