Do you tell your insurance company about your mods?

Just wondering whether people tell their insurance company about the modifications they've done to their bikes??

Say i was to do something to my bike, would my insurance company get me to pay even more money? or because its only third party fire and theft would it not matter? (i tired phoning them today but they was closed and i'm too inpatient to wait till tomorrow )

 

Many motorcyclists buy bikes with a view to making modifications, to extract the best ride, performance and look of their motorcycle.
Once a motorcycle has left the manufacturer, any changes to it are classed as modifications. These range from upgrading your exhaust, to a change in colour, to updated suspension. No matter how small you consider the modification is, you could be invalidating your insurance policy, even fitting a top box!
Some insurance companies will not want to cover a modified motorbike, so owners would need to investigate specialist insurance policies and may have to pay a premium for the cover. However, many insurers will cover modifications. If in doubt, contact your insurer to discuss it. It’s really not worth the risk if you have an accident!
There’s a common misconception that modifications will always increase their insurance premium. This is not necessarily the case.
Insurers companies report that aftermarket exhausts cans are the most common modification made and if they are seen as performance enhancing, they could affect your insurance premium.
Changes that increase a motorcycle’s capacity by up to 5% are unlikely to increase an insurance premium, but anything over that could lead to an increase.
Always check before your modify your bike.
Insurers strongly recommend motorcyclists notify them of any modifications so they can assess whether they’ll affect the premium.
The last thing a biker wants is to be involved in an accident or to have their bike stolen, only to find that because they failed to notify their insurer about a modification that their policy has been invalidated. Your insurer could even refuse to indemnify bikers against any claims made by other individuals!
If you fail to notify your insurer and you are involved in an accident or your motorcycle is stolen, on some occasions your modifications may not invalidate your policy, but it could mean your insurer will only replace the model of bike you were insured for, and wouldn’t include sums for modifications that had been carried out.
Some modifications can affect the legality of riding your motorcycle. No modification should include objects that protrude from the bike, which in an accident could injure the rider or another individual.
Some modifications could also affect your MOT, so it’s always best to check before you go ahead and change anything.
In addition, the DVLA must always be informed when you are making the following changes:

• Colour
• Engine size
• Cylinder capacity
• Replacement or modifications of chassis or body shell
• Frame number

 

aha thanks for that, that's really helpful insane that they would want to know something as stupid as a top box ! i guess some of them are really expensive though

 

I am with Bikesure and I told em ALL my mods. Took about 30 mins. If you don't tell em , they won't pay!!!

 

Yeah i will be phoning them monday or tuesday when ever i get the exhaust on, did you find you had to pay extra? i might see if i do have to pay extra maybe see if they will add it to the voluntary excess or something i dunno.

 

As Mega & Rob say - it's really not worth taking a chance. I suspect that the older & more experienced the rider (with lots of NCB), the less difference any mods will make to the premium. I'd imagine that a younger guy with a modified bike will face a hefty loading on their costs.

 

Not with Bikesure, but most you do for "performance" mods.

 

Exhaust = more BHP = assumption you want to go faster= extra premium.

 

Shhhhh. I fitted aftermarket silencers as a 'safety option'. Other road users can now hear me coming, so that prevents accidents .

 

Exhausts will only carry a sizable increase if they are perfrmance enhancing, ie. increase the power of the bike by + 5%. Now those of you savy with a calculator will have realised that you're talking full system territory there and that's assuming it's set up correctly (which is rare at best).

So if you're using a slip on be sure to state that it's less than 5% performance increase.

For reference I've got in excess of £1k mods on my triple and it didn't effect the premium at all. On the upside, they're all covered in event of a tumble and my insurance is valid.

 

the exhaust is just a slip on it shouldnt make much or any difference to the bike the rest of my mods are visual things like tinted wind screen, tail tidey and led brake light. I'll phone insurance (devit) tomorrow and see what they say and report back with my findings they should know that theres not much point adding performance parts to my 250 as it wouldnt make much difference and be pretty pointless therefore... I should get this all free in the perfect world that is lol

 

People fit/make modification(s) incorrectly/badly and dont tell the Insurance Companiies = Euro Regulations re modified bikes.

And I think you (jack_bm) will be lucky if the "operative" at Devitts has any ideawhat you are talking about and dosent report you for sexual harrassment when you say you have fitted a "slipon"

 

Not overly impressed with Bikesure at the moment. My dad is with them and he informed them that he has put handlebar risers on so as to ease the pressure on his wrists and increase his vision whist riding. Their answer is we won't insure you . He has had to remove them for the moment and will look to move insurers when renew time is up.

Stupid if you ask me.....

 

(Underwriter thought added)

 

Were the 'bar risers' like this?

 

Rob....Napa said INCREASE vision....nothing about vision issues...stop being a drama queen on your soapbox there!
Ex bloody insurance salesmen....I dunno
Annnnnnd the insurance company are happy to still insure him so long as risers removed....think about it. They aren't worried about handling are they?

 

Possibly but increasing the comfort of the ride has to be safer doesn't it?

Anyway, we have removed them for the moment and will look around when renewal is due but i'll certainly be thinking twice before I use Bikesure.

 

Nice