Declaring Mods To Insurance

Originally Posted by sarah

which isn't worth the paper that it is written on.

express have been utterly rubbish for us. they got details wrong, wouldn't send out amended insurance documents when we added cover (for business use), and were hopeless when we got knocked off the bike.

Yup - mate was supposed to have breakdown cover with them.

Chain came off his SRAD on the M1 one afternoon. Left him there for a good few hours, when he finally had enough and arranged other transport to pick him up and his bike.

Never use breakdown cover with insurance, as the times I've had to use it in the past, it's been krud.

[northwind]

I had RAC cover through CIA (terrible company btw, either criminally incompetent or incompetent criminals, I'm not sure which) and that was as good and bad as the RAC are for direct membership...

Carole Nash seem to have a network of local firms, which suits me very well indeed, last time I logged the call to their call centre, and 10 minutes later got a call back from a local company. Usually it takes that long for callcentre monkeys to find you on the map.

Also no arguing about what was going to happen, I told them on the phone "It's knackered, needs a new starter relay, I can get it going but it's not safe to ride" and there was no mucking about at the roadside, just right on the trailer and home because that was what I asked for. I liked that a lot.

Originally Posted by northwind

Carole Nash are pretty much the winners for modified bikes IMO, they even do agreed value on recent bikes (mine's off agreed value but it was comedically down for £5000 last year, which was like sending me a letter saying "Dear Mr Cunningham, please commit insurance fraud now") But then, you do tend to pay more with CN.

If CN agree to a stupidly high value given the mods you've done and informed them about then you're not commiting insurance fraud. They took on the risk at a price that was set to take into account the value, and they agreed that value. If you valued it higher than it was actually worth, and they agreed to it then it's their problem for not negotiating the value down or the premium up.

Mind you, if you'd 'had the bike stolen' or it 'suddenly and unexpectedly caught fire' miles from a fire extinguisher and claimed the agreed value from them, then that is insurance fraud.

I've used CN's breakdown cover a number of times over the years and they've never let me down. Last time was when they picked up my smashed Bandit off a country lane in Norfolk and trailered it back to Flitwick in Bedfordshire. I was in hospital when they collected it, and still in hospital when they dropped it off outside my garage 3 hours later, out of sight of the road at the back of my house.

See Bennetts have come through evertyimr for me. My first off was not my fault but bike was written off. I had a hire bike delivered the next day (although I could not ride for a week) and I had my cheque for the cost of the bike within a month!! The injury claim came through about 6 months later. I have broken down 3 times and each time have been picked up within an hour of calling Bennetts. So although they don't cover mods for me the experience has been great.

Originally Posted by HooliganDan

See Bennetts have come through evertyimr for me. My first off was not my fault but bike was written off. I had a hire bike delivered the next day (although I could not ride for a week) and I had my cheque for the cost of the bike within a month!! The injury claim came through about 6 months later. I have broken down 3 times and each time have been picked up within an hour of calling Bennetts. So although they don't cover mods for me the experience has been great.

Were any of the bikes you have claimed on modified in any way?

[northwind]

Originally Posted by Lozzo

Mind you, if you'd 'had the bike stolen' or it 'suddenly and unexpectedly caught fire' miles from a fire extinguisher and claimed the agreed value from them, then that is insurance fraud.

Well, yes, that was what I was getting at

Originally Posted by TheStudent

Were any of the bikes you have claimed on modified in any way?

Yes but it was a non-fault claim so the other part paid out, if I was at fault I'm sure Bennetts would have inspected the bike and told me to shove any money I would have got. What I don't understand is that Bennetts say that the bike has to be the same as when it came from the factory, so theoretically putting a different make/spec tyre can invalidate your insurance if you had a fault claim. Also alledgedley (and I find this hard to believe) adding an alarm is seen as a non standard part!! Crazy.

Bennetts were fine about the modifications on the phone, pushed the price up to £800 but they were ok with it, BUT....

Rang express, all declared honestly, £270 :O

So, it sounds fishy to me so i am going to ring them today and ask for the quotation to be sent out in the post so i can check it over before taking it out. There is one minor snag, if you tell an insurance company your exhuast is stamped "NOT FOR ROAD USE", will they refuse to insure the bike, ask you to change it, or still cover you at an obviously increased price?

Also, do seat cowls and crash bungs need to be delcared? I suppose i should just ask them that one really.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by TheStudent

So, it sounds fishy to me so i am going to ring them today and ask for the quotation to be sent out in the post so i can check it over before taking it out. There is one minor snag, if you tell an insurance company your exhuast is stamped "NOT FOR ROAD USE", will they refuse to insure the bike, ask you to change it, or still cover you at an obviously increased price?

Also, do seat cowls and crash bungs need to be delcared? I suppose i should just ask them that one really.

Remember you get a cooling off period for all insurance products, not to mention that if the policy turns out not to provde what you were advised over the phone you have a guaranteed out on mis-selling grounds, I've had to use that myself.

I declare everything, down to flush mount indicators It makes a longer list that way. Though CN's forms put me in my place. "Turbocharged?" "Is it a trike?" "Has it been lengthened more than 12"" "Has the engine been replaced with a more powerful engine?" "Is the power output over 300bhp?"

NFRU is an interesting one, there's no reason at all why they can't insure you and they can't use it as a get-out of a claim as long as you do, but some companies won't touch it on the basis that they thinj a NFRU can will be performance enhancing. SO just ask, everyone is different.