Modding & Insurance - A Cautionary Tale

sledge · March 30, 2009, 08:02:59 AM

Quote from: toronto_moto on March 30, 2009, 07:41:19 AM
With the insurance companies it's all about the $$$$.

Arent all companies in it for the $$$$?

Toogoofy317 · March 30, 2009, 11:39:56 AM

Here in Florida when I bought my bike through progressive they said do what you want with it within state requirements. All we pay for is what came on your bike from the dealers floor.

Same thing with my car and Esurance. They would cover the price to replace a stock stereo but not the one I put in it. Which honestly turned out to be more expensive then my aftermarket. The adjuster was cool on that but had to argue that a headliner on a convertible is not aftermarket?!? For the car I can pay extra for each $1500 in mods think it would be $10 extra a month.

Just my two cents but I don't think any insurance company would see anything as a "safety feature" on a bike if it was then the maker should have included it. Kinda like a car air bags are standard safety equipment. If progressive springs were that much more safe then suzuki should have put them on it! My .005 cents too broke for two cents! Just looked at the bank account sorry didn't want to over draw!

Mary

bassman · March 30, 2009, 12:26:59 PM

Ride to work and back today mushy

. The fork oil level is almost certainly too low after the 'fork spring fiasco'! If the weather holds I'm gonna have to pull the forks this weekend and get some heavier oil in there and up to the right level. I've got to learn to do it one day - so why not sooner rather than later?

bassman

mach1 · March 30, 2009, 02:15:07 PM

geico never asked me if I modded my frame/tail fairing/Sprocket/rear shock/front springs and so on... Do I care no If the bike is wrecked tuff shaZam! the bike is gone so get a new one. I pay so I can ride with out looking out for a cop. If i didn't like riding where cops love to sit and watch I would say screw insurance but now they are reporting non insured people and suspending their registration ass holes.

bill14224 · March 30, 2009, 03:22:18 PM

Mach1, I'm no fan of the insurance racket either, but riding without insurance is really screwing everyone else if something happens to you. Someone has to pick-up the bill. If it's not your insurance company, it's the rest of us.

We would all pay less if everyone carried insurance, but many don't, so insurance companies spread the cost out over all of us. No, it's not fair. Prosecuting un-insured motorists would be fair, but our government doesn't want to do it because most of them would be deported, as most are illegals. They don't want to throw the illegals out because they want to grant them citizenship so they can use their votes to cram more socialism up our asses.

sblack · March 30, 2009, 03:46:31 PM

Wow, reading through this I can't help but think a lot of people really have no idea about their insurance. Have you read your insurance contract or the PDS? I'm yet to see one that doesn't have something along the lines of if you don't notify them of any modifications then the insurance can be considered invalid. So a paint job, which has absolutely nothing to do with the bikes performance, is enough for them to refuse a claim and declare the insurance invalid. While this may not seem fair or right it is what was the insured person agreed to and they are the ones who failed to follow the agreement.

As to the argument of but it makes the bike safer, that is totally irrelevant when it comes to insurance. While many performance modifications can make a vehicle safer, history tells insurers that people don't get them for safety, they get them so they can go faster and are more often involved in accidents than people who do not upgrade to the safer option. So it makes perfect sense for them to expect to be told about all modifications and to deny insurance or increase premiums because of them.

annguyen1981 · March 30, 2009, 04:54:22 PM

Here in MA, we've got a yearly SAFETY INSPECTION that is required. If it doesn't pass the safety inspection, it isn't road worthy. Insurance companies don't CARE about the safety aspect of it all.... that's what the state inspections are for.

All the insurance companies care about is the fact that they do NOT wanna be paying for aftermarket parts on ANY vehicle unless YOU insured them. That's why my insurance company didn't give me any part of the $1500 that I spent in mods on the previous R6... which is fair considering I didn't pay THEM to insure those items.

Toogoofy317 · March 30, 2009, 07:59:18 PM

Florida you don't even have to have insurance! You do have to have medical to not wear a helmet. And there are no inspections either.

In my insurance it covers accesories up to $3,000. I didn't even realized I had it until I took a closer look lol. It is also covered if a missle hit it whew I was worried about that one! My insurance does not require me to report paint changes etc. Just change of address along those lines. And I don't think I'll ever do $3,000 in upgrades?

My biggest suprise is how much they do cover and how little I technically have to report! This is Progressive and in Florida and only $33 a month.

Mary

Pigeonroost · March 31, 2009, 05:57:12 AM

The sky is fallilng, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Where would this asinine trane of thought stop? Your bike or auto or commercial truck or whatever needs replacements for wear parts. That includes almost everything and certainly shocks, springs, brake pads, oil filters, fluids, tires and on and on and on. So, I mod my bike by using Avon tires instead of OE 'stones; or by using aftermarket brake pads, or oil filter or RaceTech springs or Amsoil Shock Therapy fork oil. Can they deny coverage based upon such? When my insurance asked if my bikes are modified, I tell 'em what I've done. Now, the other side of the coin can show too. Put a front end on your bike that was salvaged from another bike, or cut and weld the frame, you had better divulge such things to them.

Common sense should never be bad advice. Lawyers disagree with that, but bottom feeders sometimes do see things differently in the murky muck.

prs

bassman · March 31, 2009, 12:34:55 PM

Blimey! I didn't foresee such interest or such strong views on the subject! Clearly there is a big international difference on insurance requirements - and also a lot of variation between the various US States' requirements. It's simple in the UK - one set of rules covers England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. If you don't 'toe the line' then don't complain if you get caught. Me - I'm just the unlucky plonker who ended up with the wrong underwriter - story of my life...doh!

bassman

scottpA_GS · March 31, 2009, 12:54:31 PM

what if you bought the bike w. progressives and didnt know? they have no case there... just say u bought that way..

lawman · March 31, 2009, 12:56:09 PM

Quote from: scottpA_GS on March 31, 2009, 12:54:31 PM
what if you bought the bike w. progressives and didnt know? they have no case there... just say u bought that way..

Insurance fraud...
Prison...

tripleb · March 31, 2009, 01:03:09 PM

Mary, are you sure about carrying insurance in FL? I'm almost positive that you have to carry at least liability in case you hit someone.

After checking on it quickly, it seems you are right, but if you get in an accident you are liable for damages. That's crazy if you ask me

"liability insurance for motorcycles is voluntary and not mandatory unless you have caused an accident, but it is highly recommended to be purchased for your protection. If you plan to carry passengers it is also a good idea to see if you need extra insurance coverage for them."

tripleb · March 31, 2009, 01:04:38 PM

Quote from: lawmanQuote from: scottpA_GS on Today at 03:54:31 PM
what if you bought the bike w. progressives and didnt know? they have no case there... just say u bought that way..

Insurance fraud...
Prison...

lawman, I think you are being extreme just to get a reaction. if you didn't know than they can't possibly prosecute you...

bassman · March 31, 2009, 01:34:04 PM

This is getting farcical now! If I claimed that the bike had the progressives in when I bought it, the insurer wouldn't give a toss! They'd just say 'Sorry Sir - 'Caveat Emptor' - Let the buyer beware!. Then they'd take me to the tower, flog me, then chop off 'me head!

bassman

sledge · March 31, 2009, 02:05:12 PM

Quote from: scottpA_GS on March 31, 2009, 12:54:31 PM
what if you bought the bike w. progressives and didnt know? they have no case there... just say u bought that way..

In this case if you say no you are telling lies because the truth is you dont know yourself. Your answer should be....."Not to the best of my knowledge"

lawman · April 01, 2009, 08:36:59 AM

Quote from: tripleb on March 31, 2009, 01:04:38 PM
Quote from: lawmanQuote from: scottpA_GS on Today at 03:54:31 PM
what if you bought the bike w. progressives and didnt know? they have no case there... just say u bought that way..

Insurance fraud...
Prison...

lawman, I think you are being extreme just to get a reaction. if you didn't know than they can't possibly prosecute you...

If you claimed you didn't know and the previous owner, say, put it in his ad, and you "just say u bought that way.." you most certainly could be prosecuted. And they don't have to convict you to wreck your life prosecuting you. I can tell you that there are jurisdictions in Virginia that, for instance, go through pawn shop records looking for suspicious pawns to prosecute theft. It's not unreasonable to think they might check a few months back on a craigslist post.

For that matter, the insurer doesn't have to WIN in denying the claim to ruin your life making you scramble to sue them. Look at post Katrina insurance issues in New Orleans, for example...

Lying to insurers is a bad idea. Leaving insurers in the dark is a bad idea. A lot of you will do it, some of you will get lucky. The day one of you doesn't get lucky will be a sad, sad day.

tripleb · April 01, 2009, 09:05:37 AM

as I see it, insurers get what they deserve since they fight tooth and nail to deny legitimate, just claims because it costs them...they're real scum if you ask me

sledge · April 01, 2009, 09:44:22 AM

Quote from: tripleb on April 01, 2009, 09:05:37 AM
as I see it, insurers get what they deserve since they fight tooth and nail to deny legitimate, just claims

So why tell lies and give them MORE reasons to refute claims?

tripleb · April 01, 2009, 09:58:48 AM

well, according to lawman you don't have to tell a lie. you can unknowingly have aftermarket components on your bike and have a claim denied because of said parts.

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Modding & Insurance - A Cautionary Tale