Modified Bike Insurance

[Big Phil]

Hi,

Just thinking that lots us modify our bikes in some ways with the likes of after market exhausts and power commanders etc. which generally seem acceptable and don't add to premiums even if they add a few extra bhp. However, at what point does insurance get hard to come by or very expensive? If for instance you unleash 200 bhp out of a GSX1400 via modifications how do you go about getting insurance and at what price?

[seth]

I use M.C.E. for our insurance
As long as you tell them they allow everything except turbo chargers, hyperchargers and supercharges .
Emma's bike has a few mods including a custom paint job.
All 3 bikes have luggage and other mods
The blue and white k6 has the most including cams and full akroprovic system.
All about £100 each to insure fully comp .

[gsxbarmy]

I use M.C.E. for our insurance
As long as you tell them they allow everything except turbo chargers, hyperchargers and supercharges .
Emma's bike has a few mods including a custom paint job.
All 3 bikes have luggage and other mods
The blue and white k6 has the most including cams and full akroprovic system.
All about £100 each to insure fully comp .

And have you ever checked that they actually list these additional parts @seth ? I tried MCE a few years ago and gave them a list of my mods, asked them to send me a list (which they failed to do) and when I rang up, they claimed they had no knowledge of same.

They don't have a great reputation - I sincerely hope you never have to claim.

[seth]

I was with Carol Nash for years untill they left my mate stranded in German when his bike brokedown luckily we have friends there who helped us get him to the ferry.
Another friend broke down in Italy and it took 6 months for his bike to come home and it was damaged by the 6 garages who tried to fix it .
And finally a friend who had brain cancer was going to be charged nearly the full cost if his insurance to cancel it even though he only had months to live had sold the bike and couldn't ride anything.
I know about MCE and thier short comings they don't generally repair crashed bikes for a start.
The costs any mods aren't covered they only pay out as if everything was standard .
But from what I see from all kinds if place it seams all the insurance companies are much and much the same .

[gsxbarmy]

@seth  when your insurance comes up next, get a quote from Bemoto. Run by bikers for bikers and they do go the extra mile to get a good deal. And are building a very good solid reputation.

https://www.bemoto.uk/

[Mick_J]

+1 on BeMoto, I've been with them since they started and have been very happy with them, they offer better cover for less money than anyone else (for me anyway).  Renewals are based on retention rather than new customer targets.

[seth]

@gsxbarmy
Cheers buddy I'll check them out I have 1 policy due at the end of the summer.
After the Carol Nash debarcal and getting fed up with the merry-go-round every time a policy is needing renewed .
It gets a pain.
Thanks buddy .

[Notty]

My insurance with Bennetts was £18 cheaper this year? 

[Hooli]

That's saved you £4.50 per mile @Notty

[Tally]

I'm with Carole Nash this year and they asked the question is my bike modified in anyway and I said only cosmetically, I.e renthal bars ,belly pan ,undertray, aftermarket clip-on exhaust can , led headlamp and indicators. No mods to the engine or running gear, and they said ' fine that's perfectly ok your premium is £47.84 fc (if my memory serves). I also hear good things about be-moto so I will contact them when I'm up for renewal.

[DP1400]

I guess it all comes down to the conversation you have with your insurance company. In truth, i`d think that 99% of all bikes on the road are modified in some way, even carriers count as a mod, technically.

I have a van which has a 64mph speed limiter `fitted`. I told my insurers because I thought it would make my premium cheaper. It had the opposite effect. When I questioned the logic, ie. that it couldn`t be driven so fast as a `standard` one therefore it was a safer insurance risk, they argued that in the event of an accident, any modification had to be replaced/reinstated which would be an additional cost to them.

Its for that reason why modifications sometimes cost more. If we have a rack fitted, the insurance company has to ensure that its cost is taken into account should the bike be subject to an accident and it had to be replaced.

On balance, I consider my `14 to be pretty standard, but in point of fact, I can think of a dozen non-standard parts fitted, albeit all cosmetic parts, apart from the cans which could arguably be considered a performance enhancement. My insurance company know of only the cans.....Ooops! I`d better give them the full list come renewal and see what they say!

[seth]

A strange thing that's came over the years with different companies for insurance is do I carry a pillion? (Emma has her own bike)
Strangely both yes and no have had a effect on the premium and both upwards and downwards sometimes with the same company but in different years or the same year on different bikes (both gsx1400's) in the same year .
Just goes to show it's a market these days and changes day to depending on how many policies they are selling at any one time as far as I can see anyway.

[GSXKING]

That's saved you £4.50 per mile @Notty

STOP THAT @Hooli 

[Hooli]

I'm with Carole Nash this year and they asked the question is my bike modified in anyway and I said only cosmetically, I.e renthal bars ,belly pan ,undertray, aftermarket clip-on exhaust can , led headlamp and indicators. No mods to the engine or running gear, and they said ' fine that's perfectly ok your premium is £47.84 fc (if my memory serves). I also hear good things about be-moto so I will contact them when I'm up for renewal.

I'm with CN too, I got a huge long list of things sent with the documents which are modifications that don't need declaring. Stuff like heated grips, undertrays, luggage, different mirrors etc etc.

[Milts]

I know it's an old thread.

I dread paperwork things, and sorting out bike insurance falls into that category for me.

So when my renewal came through I remembered some of you on here recommending BeMoto.

I found them very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, in fact it turned out to be a pleasant experience!

I decided to go with them on that basis, maybe not the cheapest quote I could find as I didn't try, just felt satisfied with their service, give them a try.