Off insurance query

Hi all,

Had my first off yesterday evening - basically someone pulled out from between stationary traffic without looking while I was filtering down the outside of said traffic.

they knocked into the back of the bike (pillon footpeg) and sent it down. Scratches to all fairings, big hole in the tail fairing and a broken gear leaver. It made me sad to see my poor sv lying there but luckily I was completely unhurt.

Anyway, my questions is this - stupidly I've not got round to fixing the broken horn since buying the bike and was wondering if its possible that her insurers will refuse to pay based on this?

In the case of this accident I would never have had time to reach for the horn anyway (made even more obvious by the fact that they hit the rear of the bike - I was already most of the way past them) but wondered if it might open up a can of worms in terms of insurance payout...?

Cheers in advacne.

If the insurance company don't ask about it, don't mention it. (This applies to any claim ever). I doubt they will bother, they just want a list of damaged parts and the price it will take to fix so they can claim it back from other persons.

I _think_ that having a working horn is compulsory and your bike isn't considered roadworthy without one, which would invalidate the insurance, and get you charged for driving an unroadworthy vehicle, driving without insurance etc.

edit to add linky
http://www.ukmot.com/bike/6-1.asp

Was working before the accident wasnt it....

[timwilky]

I spent 20 years assessing for many motor insurance companies, never tested a horn once on all my inspections.

Besides which who is to say it wasn't damaged in the accident.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by speedplay

Was working before the accident wasnt it....

+1

Add the broken horn to the claim - definately working before accident - test all lights etc. to check everything else that may have broken as a result of the accident.

[Biker Biggles]

Dont mention the horn!
You mentioned it once and I think you got away with it.

[Nick_69]

Horn worked fine before hand, it was the drivers fault, horn or no horn so dnt risk them not paying out

Only raise it if anybody asks. It was working as you used it to beep goodbye to your wife/gf/mother as you left home that morning.

Don't add it to the claim now, you are just drawing attention to it, casting doubt over if it was working, and may raise questions over "if it was working why didn't you use it?"

If you want it sorted under the insurance, complain after the claim is settled when you collect the bike from the repairers.

As they book the bike out and hand back the keys

"Is everything working OK?"
"Of course sir!"
"Can you just check my rear lights and my high beam with me before I ride away?"
"Of course sir!"
Check all electrics on the bike
"Hmmm, the horn doesn't seem to be working"
"Was it working before the accident sir?"
"Of course it was (big lie!), maybe a cable has come loose while you've been doing the bodywork. Don't you check round all these things to ensure the bike is roadworthy before it goes back out?"
"Of course we do sir (another big lie, and the guy thinks oh sht!), I'm sure the horn was working when we checked it (another big lie), must have an intermittent fault, come back into the office sir and lets get the bike booked back in to get the horn sorted out"

They probably won't have checked the electrics unless they needed the lights disconnected to do the work, and almost certainly won't have tested the horn, but it's reasonable for you to expect that they have ensured the bike is roadworthy before they give it back to the customer. Phone the insurance company and complain if the above conversation doesn't go as expected.

did I say the horn was broken BEFORE? whoops - meant once I limped the bike home after the accident.

thanks for all your advice though chaps. much appreciated.

this is my first accident ever in 5 years of driving and 5 or 6 months of riding and its already proving to be a royal pain in the ass despite the 'straight-forward-ness' of the incident!