Hi everyone. Most of you will have seen I had an off the other day. Insurance is picking the bike up for an assessment on Friday. I’m after advice on what to expect, where I stand etc. If anyone can give me some? Also bike has a private plate on; ive spoken to my insurance regarding removing it as not to lose it if the bike is a write off. They told me not to worry about it at this stage. It’s something I’m nervous of though. Any advice out there? Also if it is a write off; how do I go about valuing it? I’ve done a quick scan; can’t see any RR7 HRC blades for sale. Prices on other bikes vary between £4K to £6k at the minute. Mine was very good condition with 25k on the clock. Seems prices are all other the place. Thank you all
The private plate will be fine, you will be able to transfer it via DVLA once written off. Values are always subjective. You need to research what the current market price is based upon mileage, condition and distance from your house. If you are going to tell them it was in mint/excellent condition then be prepared to provide evidence of this, otherwise they will be abke to argue against it. The distance from your house is important as if they say they found one in the Outer Hebrides for £700 less than everywhere else then it is reasonable for you to argue that isn't a valid valuation unless the want to buy it and pay the shipping/transport costs. Once they make an offer you can decline it but will need to explain why. If you can't come to agreement then it may go to the omdbusman. The good news is that the Insurer will have to pay for this, in 2009 it was £500 and so it was in their interest to up the offer if you were less than £500 apart in valuations. My experience is a bit old but I'm not aware that this has changed dramatically. When mine was written off it was actually a pretty pain free process. The assesor rang me, had a general chat, made me an offer, I asked for more and explained why, mutually agreed on a valuation, and was all sorted in 10 minutes and I had the payment shortly afterwards. He even sent me some pics of the bike as I hadn't seen it as I was carted away in an ambulance after the crash and the paramedics refused to let me see it. Main thing is not to worry, the people you speak to will be professional and whilst there are some charlatans out there, whilst they won't be generous they will want to be fair. My Brother In-Law is, or was, an assessor and if you are fair and reasonable they will be so too.
Thanks Barstewardsquad, that's very helpful information! ive just been told horro stories of people being shafted/losing their plate/etc etc. Guess ill just be polite, have a back up/reasoning for anything I agree/disagree with and offer to send information/bike ads to them.
Get off any nice bits before they take the bike away, as you will probably not get like for like on the aftermarket parts?
I don't see how that can happen because a registered keeper has full ownership of a private plate. Certainly, if the bike is sold, and this would include transferring ownership to an insurance company, the keeper must take steps to transfer or retain the plate. An £80 fee applies. Full details in this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...nsfer-or-retain-a-vehicle-registration-number
My only advise: 1. Do your homework to get a figure in mind for what you can reasonable accept for your bike, leathers, helmet, etc. However, do not divulge that to the insurance until all of the haggling has played out. 2. Always be polite, remembering to get the person you are dealing withs name and contact phone/address/email 3. Listen to everything they have to say first - Don’t interrupt and don’t get in to an argument. 4. Counter in a reasonable way to express your opinion for the bikes pre accident condition, reference service records, receipts, recent photos of the bike looking pristine 5. Avoid at all costs agreeing to any offers, etc on the phone (unless they equal or surpass what you have already worked out to be acceptable from point 1) - say ‘I’ll need to think about that and get back to you’. 6. After any verbal discussions or offers, always send written record of what was said. 7. Remember the bike is still yours until the deal is agreed, so if you are struggling to reach an agreeable amount you can always go for ‘Okay I’ll accept £x, but I also want the bike back as it is in that deal’. You can then look to fix it up for the track, or strip it for spares and sell what you can.
in my limited experience as it was a fair few years ago, you can retain the plate regardless as it’s between you and DVLA, the bike will revert to an age related number normally the one it has originally. the insurer may offer you the bike back at a reasonable cost if it’s repairable by you as they use honda dealers/parts/costs etc and you don’t have to. bear in mind you will get the bill for storage! you can remove any parts you want to whilst in storage as it’s yours but at the yards discretion on opening times, or you can have a full settlement and do what you want with the cash.
Why are you letting them take it away it can be assessed at your home, and you still hold the cards if you wish to buy it back.
Nigel and Red5 are correct if you can dont let them remove the bike if you can possible help it if you do they hold most of the cards. Also if you have any additional extras that you havnt disclosed you really need to get rid dont give them any excuse to lower or refuse your claim. Hope you are OK and back on two wheels soon good luck
Always one to seize upon an opportunity, but might there be a slightly scratched newly-milled chain guard now available?
Just put the plate on retention until you're ready to transfer it at a later date, I would speak to the insurance company to see if you're able to do this immediately. Agreed with others, take off your special parts and send it back standard! Hope it gets sorted quickly and you get a new bike sorted.......just think if you sell one chain guard a month, it'll only cost you £40 a month to get a new bike on 0% Apr!
Spoke to the insurance Friday, bike is beyond economical repair They did say I can have a reduced settlement and have the bike back to repair myself without it having a cat N marker on it. What’s people’s opinion? If I bought it back I’d be buying it to sell on either repaired using Chinese fairings or as damaged as a track bike? Unsure wether to take the risk and have it back or just wash my hands with it? Cheers
If you are going to track it yourself then go for it. If you want to put it back on the road for yourself then go for it. Otherwise I would probably walk away and invest the money it will cost in a new bike. *Working on the basis that you will need fairings, indicators, mirrors and possibly pegs. More so if you need calipers, wheel, swingarm etc.
It will need new fairings, indicators, crankcase and new peg/rear break lever. Otherwise structurally all ok. Tbh I’d only buy it to sell it on so I guess it’s not worth it. If I take the money I can get a new bike quicker lol Thanks for the helpful input Barstewardsquad
Agree with BSS. As one with an eye for bargains, I'd be weighing up what I could sell it for after repairs. Superficial repairs like levers etc are a breeze. When you're talking crankcase, it's a whole new ball game. Other factor is, would you have available time? The flourishing chain guard industry would certainly compromise that. So yes, maximise your settlement and crack on with a new bike!
That’s a very good point Nigel, I probably wouldn’t have either the time or skill to right it. Let alone the motivation when it’s a nice day and I sit there thinking I could be throwing another bike up the road instead of being in the garage! Shame, as I loved that bike and I fear any other HrC RR7 wouldn’t compare but I wouldn’t want it back unless it was original!
Put that thought out of your mind! You have seen over the past few weeks the glamour bikes that myself, @gary1966 and @Sp0oner have plucked. They are about; it's just a matter of scouring the sales sites and not defaulting to second best. Without bragging, my 954 is a prime example: one owner, 6,700 miles (verified via MoT history) and never seen rain (allegedly). Similar bikes of any year are available!!
