So following my shunt last week I want to replace the brake, clutch lever, foot pegs and add some more crash bobbins.
Do I need to let my insurers (Bennetts) know about such changes?
those I wouldn’t as they are not “performance” mods
If I was putting new exhaust better discs, fairings I probably would.
Are they aware of the accident?
If not then notifying them of the brake, clutch lever and footpegs will probably raise alarms bells.
Crash bobbins- yes you are supposed to notify them of those- it probably won’t raise your premium- it didn’t for me.
I was with Bennetts.
They can be decidedly weird about some stuff.
For instance, I put on a carbon fibre swing arm cover on the S1000R and suddenly they wouldn’t insure the bike for me because they only have one category for carbon fibre and it puts you into a higher risk category.
I went with Carole Nash- they had no problem insuring the bike with loads of mods on it.
I wouldn’t but then in the event of a crash, don’t expect more money for upgraded parts you’ve put on. Apart from the crash bobbins all of those are standard equipment the bike needs to run and function.
I assume when you say ‘the brake’ you mean the brake lever?
On the crash bobbins, I had them added on my firsst insurance (ebike) and they knocked off £30 for them. Others have not made a difference. Again, if you crash, you probably won’t get the money back for them but I can’t see how they would argue the bobbins had any impact in an accident.
Hi guys,
Thanks for that.
Hogtrumpet - yes they are aware of the incident, but I have not made a claim. Basically the clutch lever (stock) is a little bent out of shape and the foot peg is fine apart from a little scratch. This doesn’t seem worth claiming for, but seems a good opporutnity to upgrade these parts as the existing ones a little damage.
I suppose I’ll put these items on the bike and notify them as ‘general upgrades’?
The bike is still entirely functional it’s just a little bruised in places - you think under these circumstances it will still raise alarm bells?
Serrisan - yes I meant brake lever.
Beschy, something to be warned off for the future.
MCE sometimes (depending what sales assistant you get) claim that if it’s only a report accident (i.e. no claim) they have to take it as a fault accident. Be warned as they (andy maybe others) will use anything they can to put premiums up.
Thanks Serrisan - yes I’m already anticipating this when renewal time comes - will they withhold a no claims bonus for havng the accident (even if there was no claim)?
In the eyes of the Insurer, anything that is added to the Bike that is not “As it left the factory” is classed as a modification and requires declaring, Some Mods (Crash Bungs etc) shouldn’t raise the premium as they are there to protect the expensive panels and in the event of an accident could save the insurers money, whereas performance mods obviouslyt make the bike quicker and more likely to be in an accident (in there eyes) Bling Mods (Short levers, anodised bits etc) will raise your premium as they look at them and think you like to ride like a Hoonigan as you like to tart your bike up
You should declare them to your insurance company and they’ll tell you if it affects your premium or not. When I fitted a new exhaust to the CB500 I told the insurance company and they advised that because it didn’t affect the performance it was not an issue. It’s always best to air on the side of caution in situations like this because insurance companies have teams of people that look for reasons to void a claim.
I second Serrisan’s comment on MCE - I had a back box stolen (It was empty and only worth peanuts) and dropped the bike due to a wet surface in my works car park (only minor scuffs on the fairing) - however (ignorant of MCE’s position) I asked them about a potential claim on both, but didn’t progress anything. HOWEVER then discovered when I came to renew that they had put both down as “claims at zero value”. Obviously now have to state that when seeking quotes as MCE share details. And yes, premiums went up because …
When I first went to change my insurance from scooter to bike I told them I had crash bars and they wanted to increase the premium (by a reasonably significant amount) to cover the ‘modification’.
I’ve never bothered to notify replacement mirrors, levers, screen etc - where would it end, anodised bolts, performance air filter?
Bikesure requires you to notify of any stickers you apply … !!
I asked them if they also wanted to know about any new stone chips … she didn’t find that funny !!
lol
I asked MCE if they needed to know about my bar ends, levers and radiator guard. They’ve said no two years in a row now so I guess they’re not bothered.
I haven’t told Bikesure of my “mods” … oops!
They must make my CG125 go faster…
From working on the other side, it’s performance mods they’re more concerned with.
As for aesthetic ones; well it’s entirely up to you, it could be argued that if your bike is damaged/stolen/written off and you have not declared the superficial mods then you won’t get anything back for the money you’ve spent on them as insurance will only pay out for a factory standard bike as that’s all you’ve declared.
Having said that, most insurance companies will only pay out what they think the current market value of the bike is (read cheapest one they can find).
So if there are similar bikes for sale, i.e. same model and year as your own bike at a higher price, surely that would be contrasting evidence of a higher value of your bike?
That being so, if there were a few of us with similar bikes up for sale on the freebie websites, like Gumtree, that may help gain the owner a higher claim.
Does this apply to any type of cover or just comprehensive? Does it matter what mods you have on your bike if they don’t have to pay?
I guess it does if they’re performance mods. I’m pretty sure that the increased quote I got for having engine bars was a tpft quote