Bike mods question while getting Insurance | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bike mods question while getting Insurance

voyageur

voyageur

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I wanted to know what people mention when the insurance is asking about modifications done to the motorcycle.

Reason for asking: I'm currently with Desjardins. As part of getting insurance for my car, I was shopping around and found 'The Personal' to be offering a multiline discount with my home and auto. While confirming the nitty-gritty, they asked me about mods done to the bike and I mentioned that I had an M4 slip-on that came with the bike (it's true). And, my opportunity to save 40 bucks a month went down the drain. As per them, the slip-on is considered a performance mod and increases the power of the motorcycle.

Do folks with full exhausts disclose this or not needed? I know I cannot go back and change it, but maybe it will help someone else and possibly me while shopping next year.

Edit: I don't think Desjardins asked me this question or maybe they asked and since I didn't modify it myself I might have said no.
 
voyageur said:
I wanted to know what people mention when the insurance is asking about modifications done to the motorcycle.

Reason for asking: I'm currently with Desjardins. As part of getting insurance for my car, I was shopping around and found 'The Personal' to be offering a multiline discount with my home and auto. While confirming the nitty-gritty, they asked me about mods done to the bike and I mentioned that I had an M4 slip-on that came with the bike (it's true). And, my opportunity to save 40 bucks a month went down the drain. As per them, the slip-on is considered a performance mod and increases the power of the motorcycle.

Do folks with full exhausts disclose this or not needed? I know I cannot go back and change it, but maybe it will help someone else and possibly me while shopping next year.

Edit: I don't think Desjardins asked me this question or maybe they asked and since I didn't modify it myself I might have said no.
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If you don't disclose any mods, and the adjuster discovers those mods while investigating an accident, then the insurance company has grounds to deny any claims you make. You're basically giving them money every month with no chance of ever making a claim. I would disclose any mods either you or previous owners make to the bike. Every single time.

Here's a good thread for you to read:

www.gtamotorcycle.com

Desjardins denies claim due to modifications

Read your policy and all the documents that come with it. This is the reason to not just buy cheap and to have a good broker who advises you. https://globalnews.ca/news/7825120/vehicle-modifications-insurance-complications/
www.gtamotorcycle.com www.gtamotorcycle.com
 
They could certainly deny coverage on any items you haven’t informed them were on the bike.

That being said:

When I submitted my claim the adjuster called me and we spoke about my ‘unreported mods’

Tank pads
Mirrors
Fresh rubber

Were all covered once I submitted receipts. I suspect if I tried to make a claim on a mod that actually effected the operation of the motorcycle (e.g. exhaust) I may not have received such a positive result.
 
I don't mention the pipe.
 
I don't pipe, although I didn't mention the frame sliders that I put on the WeeStrom.
 
I live in fantasy land and think the onus would/should fall on the insurance provider to prove the undisclosed mods were the cause of the loss claim.

Of course, you’d need to hire (and pay) a good lawyer to argue that for you, insurance being so overwhelmingly stacked against the customer.
 
Wind Shear said:
I live in fantasy land and think the onus would/should fall on the insurance provider to prove the undisclosed mods were the cause of the loss claim.

Of course, you’d need to hire (and pay) a good lawyer to argue that for you, insurance being so overwhelmingly stacked against the customer.
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In mine, some bikes come prepackaged with all that crap on them, and those people get slotted into a different insurance bracket.
 
I suspect that if you had access to good data, there is probably reasonable correlation between mods and claims. The mods don't necessarily make things more dangerous but I suspect that in general, people that mod their bikes have a higher risk profile than those that leave their bikes stock. This obviously doesn't apply to every rider but insurance is based on averages.

FWIW, Hagerty classic car insurance asks if your car is stock or modified. They have no problem insuring modified vehicles but the premium is double that of the same vehicle stock.
 
It'd be interesting to know. Would adding a trunk and panniers lower your rates, because you're now carrying stuff that you're worried about wreaking, or raise them because you're more likely to travel further?

I would expect that anyone modding to improve real or perceived horsepower, is going to be engaged in more risky activities with their bike.
 
When I insured my Tuono, I offered to send a copy of the invoice showing the suspension upgrades were installed by a mechanic in a suspension shop. and that was enough for them. All they wanted to know after that was what the upgrades were worth...
 
Pretty sure that insurance "professional" didn't know what they were talking about.

Exhaust adds noise... that is essentially all.

Mods would be big bore kits, turbochargers, superchargers, engine swaps... thats modified.

I've never said anything about exhaust.

I have been run off the road before, and insurance covered the damages. They didn't care about exhaust. They just assigned a value to repair the bike, and cut me a cheque.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk
 
Priller said:
When I insured my Tuono, I offered to send a copy of the invoice showing the suspension upgrades were installed by a mechanic in a suspension shop. and that was enough for them. All they wanted to know after that was what the upgrades were worth...
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Desjardins?
 
Here's what my Desjardins agent said when I asked about installing an exhaust on my SXV:

This is what needs to be determined:
Any vehicle where changes in appearance and/or performance have been made after market that affect the original manufacturer's design specifications and/or increase the value of the vehicle.
I spent a few minutes searching and I came across HP increase. I don’t know how correct that is but that would not be a good thing. That is enhancing performance. Specs would sort this out. Model/serial number etc. Instead of flatly declined this modification underwriting will review.

I never bothered to follow up past this point, as it didn't sound like it would be worth it, no pun intended.
 
Relax said:
Here's what my Desjardins agent said when I asked about installing an exhaust on my SXV:

This is what needs to be determined:
Any vehicle where changes in appearance and/or performance have been made after market that affect the original manufacturer's design specifications and/or increase the value of the vehicle.
I spent a few minutes searching and I came across HP increase. I don’t know how correct that is but that would not be a good thing. That is enhancing performance. Specs would sort this out. Model/serial number etc. Instead of flatly declined this modification underwriting will review.

I never bothered to follow up past this point, as it didn't sound like it would be worth it, no pun intended.
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The model/serial number of the slip on muffler sorts out how much extra power is made? Facepalm. Agents need some base lessons in vehicle function.
 
Insurance providers know that bikes are imported and sold to certain standards set by our dot. Changing things makes them unsafe from thier set standards.
 
Relax said:
Desjardins?
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No, my previous broker. Just switched to Desjardins, actually. Same coverage on the Tuono, including $1000/wk wage replacement, for $500/yr less (~$1800 to ~$1300). And they knocked about $900/yr off our astronomical car insurance with RBC (no claims or tickets, but a new Civic that gets used for commuting = crazy money).

I'm really hoping the rates stay low, but I've been told they sometimes come in low to get your business, then jack the price a year or two in...
 
Are some pipes still track only? What if you flash an ecu or put a power commander in?

Will the new pipe run rough without a software fix?
 
Baggsy said:
Are some pipes still track only? What if you flash an ecu or put a power commander in?

Will the new pipe run rough without a software fix?
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Lots of pipes are stamped 'Track Only', and it's something that's increasingly enforced, especially in California and France. I'll be surprised if similar enforcement doesn't make its way here.

I know the Aprilia V4's don't work well with just a slip-on without an ECU update. Most never notice, using their ears as a dyno, but it's pretty obvious when you use an actual dyno. They run hot, too. The old days of a slip-on magically releasing 10 hp are long gone, and it's rare now for just an exhaust to do much beyond make more noise and reduce weight. I wouldn't buy a bike with exhaust mods without equivalent fuelling updates for fear of a lean motor that ran hot.
 
Baggsy said:
Are some pipes still track only? What if you flash an ecu or put a power commander in?

Will the new pipe run rough without a software fix?
Click to expand...

Varies by bike and pipe manufacturer.

Generally, flashing or putting in a piggyback device, even without swapping out the stock pipe or headers, will almost always make the bike perform better since the OEM ECU is coded to meet emissions standards, and is not coded for performance.

As for whether an aftermarket pipe is street-legal or track-only really depends on whether it meets emissions and noise standards. Canada has adopted the US Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board standards for both, and the bike manufacturers submit their models for testing with the stock pipe so it can pass easily. Most aftermarket pipes will not pass both emissions and noise standards, so none of the manufacturers will even submit a bike installed with one for testing. Plus, it's expensive and time-consuming to certify every combination.

But sometimes, the manufacturer will offer an OEM "sports silencer" from one of the aftermarket companies, which is tuned and tested so it passes noise and emissions control. My Hyper has a street-legal slip-on Termi pipe and my wife's S1000RR had a street-legal Akra as well. But also in the catalog are full-systems (pipe, headers and ECU) that are labelled "racing and closed course use only".

*wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge* Uh huh. Right. Sure!
 
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