Bike Insurance and Modifications

Although having bike insurance is mandatory, what many bikers may not be aware of is the fact that even the simplest of modifications that enhance the bikes performance or one that contravenes the law, for example, the regulations that govern the lights, indicators and even the number plate can render your insurance invalid. It is vital to inform your bike insurance company of any changes you have made. So what changes can affect you?

The first, and most obvious are the tyres, as any biker knows, race tyres are stamped with 'Not for highway use', however even using road legal tyres that are not recommend for your particular make and model of bike can render your bike insurance invalid. If you put a wider wheel and tyre on your machine it will not behave as the manufacturers intended. This will be enough for an insurance company to deny your claim.

The second is the exhaust mufflers, or cans, as bikers like to call them. Like tyres, race cans are stamped but even road legal after-market exhaust mufflers can allow the engine to breathe more freely, creating a higher revving machine that produces more power. More worrying to the bike insurance companies is the fact that having an after-market exhaust system indicates that there may have been some engine work done, gas flow porting, high compression pistons and so on. Having an after-market exhaust system almost certainly guarantees that the insurance investigators will want to examine the internals of the engine. If they subsequently find that the internals have been modified, you will find yourself liable for all damages caused by the accident.

It is possible for the unwary to buy a bike that has been raced. The new owner therefore has no idea what kind of changes have been made to the engine. A good clue is the fact that the engine will suffer at low revs and is likely to have a very high gearing and, if the sump nut has been drilled for a retaining cable, the bike has almost certainly has spent time on the track. Since someone selling off their former race bike is unlikely to spend extra money on it, they are more likely to just replace the original wiring loom and fairing. Therefore pristine fairing and scuffed forks are at odds and so should be regarded with suspicion.

Lights are another aspect that has to be adhered to. Often people who add a fairing to their bike will replace their indicator stalks with tiny indicator lamps attached to the side of the fairing. While these lights may seem visible to the owner as they examine it in the shed or garage, the fact is that they may not be visible at certain angles on the road. Not only will these cost you the price of repairs, they may also cost you your life.