Insurance and bike options

[mikey_b]

When buying a brand new bike these days, it’s become very common to have an extensive list of accessories and options to choose from when ordering. Heated grips, taller screen, fancier paint, tyre pressure sensors, comfort/high/low seats, different brake reservoirs etc etc. And that’s before the myriad of luggage options you can get.

When it comes to filling out the forms for insurance quotes, what do you guys declare as ‘modifications’? Strictly, surely only the cheapest base bike with no options at all is ‘standard’, but on the other hand a lot of insurance companies won’t even quote (at least not via GoCompare et al) if the bike has more than one or two changes from standard made. Surely they don’t really mean to refuse to ensure any brand new bikes - so what gives?

[vonhosen]

A lot of higher models in the range have all those accessories as standard, so there is no modification on that model to declare (other than maybe adding some luggage).
I personally tend to buy high spec'd models.

[Zarco]

I just guess what Abus padlock and chain I have from the list of about 500 options on the form.

[paddy1970]

You don't need to declare options...they are not modifications.

If your bike is stolen/crashed, the options will be taken into account at their (devalued) cost (i.e. peanuts!).

[bogie]

Anything that came from the factory/dealer should be included in the invoice so I count that as standard.

Anything significant I change myself later I declare as a modification e.g exhaust, seats, wheels, suspension

Use a specialist insurer that will cover mods like for like. Last 2 years ive used Bikesure as broker as 2 of my bikes are modified.

[KTMsm]

paddy1970 said:

You don't need to declare options...they are not modifications.

^^^ This

If it's a option that's fine

If a dealer fits something that not an official option - or you fit anything - that's a modification

No one cares about a charger, heated grips etc generally just mods that increase performance or risk of theft