Morrissey
Well-known member
I've been toying with the idea of building a Custom bobber, specifically a Yamaha XS650 bobber. Lots of support and great hard tail kits out there etc. I deal with a great shop who can connect me with the various services I will need to get the bike built right, but my questions are more about the legality of these bikes.
1) Certification. I know there can be a big difference between how strict vs how lenient shops can be around certifying a bike. I know some shops will measure the distance between turn signals, size of signal lights, brightness, kick stand safety switch, indicator lights on the dash, thumb kill switch etc. Obviously if you're building a bobber many of these things mandated by the MTO will be absent from the bike. Even if I certified the bike first, then did all the modifications, how likely am I to be able to safety the bike in the future if I decide to sell?
2) Insurance. I know every time I renew my insurance or get new insurance, they always ask if the bike has been modified in any way. Obviously cutting the frame in half and having a hard tail welded on constitutes "modifying" the bike. So, what do you tell them? If you're honest up front and they deny covering the bike, you're screwed. If you "forget" to mention it and have a claim and they find out the bike had been modified, they can deny my claim based on not providing accurate information, again, screwed.
This all seems to be murky territory with many pit falls. If there is anyone on here who has waded into these waters before and come out the other side I'd love to hear from you. Any advice etc you can share, especially regarding the safety/certification and insurance side of things would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
1) Certification. I know there can be a big difference between how strict vs how lenient shops can be around certifying a bike. I know some shops will measure the distance between turn signals, size of signal lights, brightness, kick stand safety switch, indicator lights on the dash, thumb kill switch etc. Obviously if you're building a bobber many of these things mandated by the MTO will be absent from the bike. Even if I certified the bike first, then did all the modifications, how likely am I to be able to safety the bike in the future if I decide to sell?
2) Insurance. I know every time I renew my insurance or get new insurance, they always ask if the bike has been modified in any way. Obviously cutting the frame in half and having a hard tail welded on constitutes "modifying" the bike. So, what do you tell them? If you're honest up front and they deny covering the bike, you're screwed. If you "forget" to mention it and have a claim and they find out the bike had been modified, they can deny my claim based on not providing accurate information, again, screwed.
This all seems to be murky territory with many pit falls. If there is anyone on here who has waded into these waters before and come out the other side I'd love to hear from you. Any advice etc you can share, especially regarding the safety/certification and insurance side of things would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers