Cat N motorcycle

Carnmore

Apologies if this is the wrong forum.

I'm considering getting a Cat N Triumph Scrambler.

Is there an accurate online valuation tool for motorcycles and how much will Cat N status affect the value?

Will the insurance premium be significantly increased? I've read the insurance companies require an MOT but the bike is 2017 so not due an MOT.

Thanks in advance.

Car_54

Carnmore wrote: »

I've read the insurance companies require an MOT but the bike is 2017 so not due an MOT.

There''s nothing to stop you getting an MOT if that's what the insurers want.

MEM62

The problem with any bike that has been previously written-off is selling it. Nobody will want it when you want to change for something else. It should therefore be cheap - really cheap to the point where it doesn't matter to you if you cannot sell it on. Unfortunately, most post write-off bikes do not reflect this and are over priced (often only a few quid cheaper than a bike with a clean history), which is why I would never buy one.

wgl2014

Not really an answer to your question but.....

Be extremely careful buying a previously written off bike. Unless you can see absolute proof of the damage and what was repaired (and by whom) there could be all sorts of hidden issues.

Personally unless I was experienced in bike mechanics and the particular model being looked at it would be too much of a risk.

Goudy

It is impossible to value written off vehicles accurately unless it's by weight for scrap.

As already mentioned, they can be a minefield.

If you consider it's quite a high end brand and still quite new, the damage (Cat N is cosmetic and/or electrical) would have been quite extensive for the insurance to write it off rather than pay for the repair, and it's repair would have to have been economical (cheap) enough for it to be worth while for someone.
These don't really add up to a decent proposition.

As it's so hard to value, some insurance companies won't offer cover for them or offer polices with high premiums or high excesses, but there are specialist that'll insure nearly anything with wheels if you don't mind what sort of cover you get.

One thing does jump to mind is why is it still on the insurance register?
Anyone with half a brain would have bought another frame with a logbook and rebuilt it around that, which makes me think that it's repair was probably half arsed and as you're asking about value, someone's being greedy with it.

Again, it's already been mentioned, but you can MOT it if you need to at any time, it doesn't even need a logbook or number plates, they can do it on the VIN.

Carnmore

Just been informed the Cat N damage was a snapped oil pump chain causing damage to internal casings and the clutch. All damaged parts have either been replaced or repaired.

wgl2014

That sounds unlikely to me. Insurance is for accidents, fire damage or thefts not mechanical breakdown.

MEM62

wgl2014 wrote: »

That sounds unlikely to me. Insurance is for accidents, fire damage or thefts not mechanical breakdown.

+1 on that. Even if it is true, the value needs to be significantly lower than a comparable machine with a clean history. Better still, the OP should steer clear altogether.