What is a modification!? - Motorbike insurance

rtho782

Well, it's renewal time, and the annual nightmare commences.

Shopping around via comparison sites, and as is quite common for motorbikes, I have a few modifications. Here's a list.

Bar ends (the weights on the end of the handle bars, basically these ones have replaceable plastic bits on making crash damage easy to repair)
Engine and Frame guards (similar to above, plastic things that hit the ground first if dropped, preventing damage to the bike.)
Changed brake/clutch levers (prettier than OEM, more adjustable, and shorter so they don't hit the ground if dropped)
Taller screen (keeps the wind off me)
LED indicators front and rear (prettier than OEM, no replacement bulbs)
LED rear light cluster (as above)
Tail tidy (shorter bit to mount the number plate to, prettier)
Scotoiler (drips oil on to the chain increasing chain life)
Heated grips (keep hands warm)
Louder Horn (cars notice me)
Topbox and panniers (for carrying stuff)
12v Acessory socket (for GPS)
Smaller rear sprocket (reduces acelleration, but increases fuel economy)
Exhaust muffler (louder so cars notice me).

None of these are performance mods, although I guess you could argue the exhaust possibly is. Most of them actually make an accident less likely (e.g. horn) or reduce the cost of a potential accident (frame sliders). The rest are cosmetic (indicators) or comfort (heated grips, screen).

Why does adding these increase my quote SO MUCH!? Even going to bikesure and just adding the bar ends, heated grips, and crash guards, because they only let me enter 3, TRIPLES my quote, when NONE of these mods have any performance enhancing effect.

Their list of modifications includes such things as "Stickers indicating increased performance". SERIOUSLY?! A STICKER is a modification that needs to be declared to insurance?!

I'd better wash my bike daily as the dead fly stuck to the front of it will probably count as a modification otherwise.

System

It's got nothing whatever to do with the logic of whether each of those modifications has any scientific connection with performance, safety, or anything else.
It is simply the case that people who have modified vehicles tend to have more accidents. There may be an ascertainable reason, it may be a complete mystery. But if the insurance companies find that there is a statistical correlation, then modified vehicles will attract a higher premium.


Incidentally, it is not always true for all categories of vehicle and driver.
My classic car has a bigger engine from a later model which does as it happens have greater power and performance. But declaring it made no difference to the premium. The reason presumably is that statistically older drivers of classic cars are safer whatever kind of hot-rod they drive.

rtho782

Correlation is not causation.

The below image would seem to indicate that only pirates can stop global warming....


It might well be that people that like to put stickers on their cars indicating increased performance are likely to drive like loons and kill kittens, but you need to base your premiums on them driving like loons not on the presence of a sticker, which is easily removed.

In actual fact, the insurance companies are just trying to hide things in the policy they can later use to deny a claim - "he didn't tell us he had a sticker".

A "reasonable person of sound mind and judgement" would not consider a sticker to be a material fact, so would not expect to have to declare it to his insurance.

forgotmyname

Adding all those extras attract little magpies that like to remove those very same extra's.

If you dont want to pay the extra then dont modify it. My cars modified and the quotes are not far off what the comparison websites quote.
Mainly because i use a club scheme and not a high street insurer that knows little about modded cars.

Probably helps that from the outside my car looks and sounds like it did when it came off the production line.

No silly look at me, I'm a twit exhaust or wheels.

rs65

Some modifications can make a vehicle more theft attractive.

It can also cost more to repair accident damage to pre-accident condition.

Both of these factors put premiums up.

dalesrider

I only delare what I want replaced should I need then too.

So in your list all I would declare is the exhaust.

Everything else I would consider not bothered about, so long as I got the bike back.

Have to say that one well Farkled bike

FlameCloud

dalesrider wrote: »

I only delare what I want replaced should I need then too.

So in your list all I would declare is the exhaust.

Everything else I would consider not bothered about, so long as I got the bike back.

Have to say that one well Farkled bike

Your insures will likely see it differently.

forgotmyname

If you dont want them to payout in the event of a claim then why bother to declare anything?

Arg

rs65 wrote: »

Some modifications can make a vehicle more theft attractive.

It can also cost more to repair accident damage to pre-accident condition.

Both of these factors put premiums up.

If it's plain third party then theft doesn't come into it and if they've declared the value of the bike with its mods then repair costs don't come into it.
Let's not remind us that some "mods" are for our own safety such as winter tyres or engine guards.

rs65

Arg wrote: »

If it's plain third party then theft doesn't come into it and if they've declared the value of the bike with its mods then repair costs don't come into it.

If its plain third party then repair costs don't come into it either. plain third party should only be affected by performance modifications.

mikey72

The smaller sprocket will change the top speed in each gear, so that'll certainly be a performance mod.
The exhaust is louder, so I would say less restrictive, so again a performance mod.