What's the story with insurance write offs?

I'm looking at this bike on Ebay which the seller lists as being a former write off. Now I understand there are various categories but don't know much more than that. Anybody bought a current/former write off or is it strictly not for the faint hearted? (I am very faint hearted.) I'm waiting to hear from him what category it was.

The bike would be for Mrs Tiger (ssh, it's a surprise) and she would kill me stone dead if she thought it was some tarted up wreck...

Reassure me, guide me or put me right off please Org.

[jambo]

I've always said it's a bad idea to buy a bike you haven't looked over, but from what the seller is saying the damage was fairly minor, and parts have now been replaced. There's no reason to be overly wary of it but I'd expect it to go for decent money given the number of bids so far, so look around and make sure you don't go above what it's worth.

If it was a category D write off that is purely cosmetics, so if the bike looks fine you're ok.

Jambo

Yep, cat D is just cosmetic so should be fine (so long as the saller isnt telling porkies, and it will say what catagory it was on the V5C document). Cat C is OK too, just requires a bit more work (my car was a cat C, I bought it back and fixed the rad and bonnet - good as new). Anything else and I wouldn't bother. There are pleanty of good deals out there for bikes that have been sold from insurance companies, they seem to write things off so easily. My car cost me 240 quid to put back on the road and you can't tell the difference. The insurance said it would cost 2 grand!

I've bought ex-write offs before and the V5C has never said that is has been subject to a Cat C or D write off.

If my SV had gone through the insurance they might possibly have written it off because the mileage was higher than average - all it needed was a radiator and bars/levers to get it back on the road safely and legally. The rest of the damage was minor cosmetic stuff like fuel tank dented and scratches on the exhaust etc. I repaired it all myself and have just found a new fuel tank to replace the dented one - I might even have sourced an unscraped exhaust. Most of the scratches polished out and you'd never know, but an insurance company would have looked at a big bill for replacement of the parts and possibly written it off.

I'd say go and have a look at it, because it sounds like the guy has done a proper job of buying the plastics that pushed it into write off territory and saved a bundle on the labour charges by doing the repairs at home.

Originally Posted by Lozzo

I've bought ex-write offs before and the V5C has never said that is has been subject to a Cat C or D write off.

I'm not sure how recently this came in, but now you have to (or at least I did) send off for a new V5 after puting the vehicle through a VIC test after it's been put back on the road, and the new V5 states that it was a catagory x write off. If someone manages to get it back off the insurers without them officaially notifying the DVLA then sure, you could get away with not having it on there. It doesnt really affect anything other than resale value, insurers have never asked me about it, although I assume they would also have access to any info on the V5.

Thanks for the top tips troops. Seller seems reluctant to answer my questions, never a good sign, but at least I've got a better idea of what it all means.

[yorkie_chris]

cat D = cosmetic damage
cat C = repairable salvage
cat B = parts only
cat A = scrap metal

VIC test is only for cars that have been written off as cat C, not applicable to bikes at all.

For bikes cat C and D are mostly the same thing, no practical difference to what you need to do to them, just apply for a V5 (costs a couple of quid) then get it MOT'd.

There's nothing shown on the V5, the only way this shows is if you do a HPI check, I've never had anything like this asked about or said by insurance.

All the above is AFAIK from buying a couple of salvage bikes and running them on the road.

In your case you don't have to worry it, he's already done the hard bit of repairing it and getting the MOT.
Maybe bear in mind that your resale price could go down a bit if somebody HPI's it (you don't have to declare it by law if its cat C or D afaik)

I hear what you say about Cat C/D mate but this has got damage to the engine casings on both sides and both crash bungs were bent. Doesn't sound like such 'a low speed spill' to me and he's confirmed it as Cat C. Could the frame be twisted? What other traps could be lurking?

If this was a Fazer I'd walk away but these half faired Hornets are rarer than hen's teeth for reasonable money. In Scotland anyway, you guys dan saf have got loads.

*exhales* Let me think about it.

[yorkie_chris]

Test ride it, if it feels straight then it most probably is.

Remember the assesors have inspected it and seen no frame damage (though they can be retarded at times)

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Test ride it, if it feels straight then it most probably is.

Work prevents a test ride but then buying unseen is part of the thrill of ebay innit?