Recently added topbox, scottoiler and GPS to my zed, so merrily trooped off to ebike website to update policy

Topbox and Scottoiler mods, no probs

GPS mod - that'll cost you another 60-odd quid please sir

So I emailed them, check this out:


so if I understand right, I have to tell them about the GPS, pay extra for it -- but they won't cover it ?!?!

am I missing something blardy obvious, or am I getting shafted?

I might be completely wrong here, but since when is attaching a GPS, topbox or scotoiler to your bike a modification!?

The only modifications I would specify in my insurance would be anything that dramatically increases the value of the bike or the performance. GPS systems can be detached and hopefully that's what you do when you leave your bike unattended for any periods of time, as far as I am aware they are also covered under house insurance if you have that. The topbox I can kind of understand but still personally wouldn't bother listing under modifications and as for the scotoiler.... listing that is just zappy!!


I'm with ebike and have a topbox on my bike that I took off my last bike when I part-ex'd, I wouldn't dream of adding that under modifications. If anything happened and no insurance I have would pay out for it, I'd get another cheapy of Ebay!

they seem absolutely clear that it's up to them what a modification is, not you

I don't think it's so much that not declaring it might mean they won't replace it, but more than your whole policy may become invalidated if you've not declared mods.

I'd Email them back and ask what they would clasify as a "Modification".

I'm with BeanFeast with the "anything that dramatically increases the value of the bike or the performance."
But charging extra for a mod that A) Is not covered by the insurance policy and B) Is not a permenant fixture on the bike and will be (more often than not) not attached is stupid!

Kinda goes along the line of suitcases in a car, you don't have to advise the insurer that you are carrying luggage, but, make a claim on your household insurance in the unlikely event of a claim

this is one for Ian to answer....personaly i think all insurance is a form of legalised gangsterism, protection money. and way too many anomalies(sp?) on how insurance is worked out...ripped off?...yes mate.

Just been chatting to someone who knows rather alot about insurance since he often sues insurance companies on behalf of claimants and he said (now writing polite version) that they must justify and explain this. he can see no reason at all why they could justify an extra charge on insurance policy for a GPS.

If you get nowhere pm me for his email addy he said you are welcome to email him for assistance.

As Nemo says if they say it isn't covered then they shouldn't charge you for adding it (unless they are arguing by having it on there you present a greater risk of accident because you'll be looking at that instead of the road and therefore they want to charge more for that extra risk). Ask them to explain why, if it doesn't make sense complain. Chances are the muppet you spoke to doesn't really know the true answer so keep asking until you get a reasonable explanation or an endorsement to your policy so that it is covered.

As for what is a modification, anything you add to the bike that wasn't part of the manufacturers original specification is a modification. It doesn't have to enhance performance or increase the value greatly to be of interest to the insurance company.

I guess its specific to the insurance company. Carole nash specifically told me they dont care unless its performance increasing (engine, exhaust etc) or a custom paint job.

Sorry to hijack your thread, but this has just made me think.

I recently purchaesd an ER-5 that has had full fairing put on it (the seller also game the original headlight, mirrors and indicators). When I insured it without thinking said the bike was unmodified, is there a chance my insurance is invalid?

yes. phone the company to check - no harm in doing it.
if you're worried they might increase your premium then think which is worse, no insurance at all or paying extra? cos that's the only choice.

For things like this the attitude of insurers will vary but what most will do is if you are involved in an accident only restore the bike to its original condition which means you would not get the fairing repaired/replaced unless you paid for it out of your own pocket. Best to check with your own insurer though and if they ask for a bit more then at least you know it will be covered.







Carole Nash are a broker not an insurance company. If they tell you this ask them to put it in writing that the specific insurer agrees that no disclosure of any other modification is necessary.

So my Loobman (£20 piece of kit) and the ciggy lighter (£5) would need to be added to the policy?

Hardly worth the £30 admin fee they would charge to do it

IC you say you have fastend a washing up liquid bottle to the bike with cable ties and sticky taped a bit of fish tank filter tube to the swinging arm. . . . .

. . . . that will be another £400 a year
. . . . . . .. and who is this lubed man you keep mentioning?

Unfortunatly if it suits an insurance company to do so they will tell you your tax disc holder is a mod.

well mine's a Carbon-Fiber(ish) style, that's gonna cost a bit.

I may need to let them know I have bolted an L-plate on too

i've gone back to eBike asking about the GPS

but to be fair I added my scottoiler and topbox with no problem (and no cost), anth and busa i think you're being a bit silly now

We get our new bike at beginning of Month TT Centenary Ltd Edits Gixx
Just look at the quotes!!

(fek , its not copied and pasted very well --but am gobsamcked at the last one !!!!)
£505.29 £46.09
@ 10 months
£100.98 deposit £350.00
£679.95 £54.40
@ 11 months
£81.59 deposit £600.00
£679.95 £54.40
@ 11 months
£81.59 deposit £600.00
£2,029.04 £162.32
@ 11 months
£243.48 deposit £450.00
£7,596.76 £607.74
@ 11 months
£911.61 deposit £500.00

it might be the case that your insurer feels your whole bike is at more risk of being stolen because of the gps fitted to it?

as for insurance, check this company:

https://www.aquote.co.uk/frames.asp?pagecod...rrer=XSBAG00002

theyve quoted me very happy for the last 2 years.

just got a reply from eBike:


which makes sense, but still p!sses me off.
guess i've not got much choice other than to pay it
and of course shop around for a better deal when my policy is due for renewal...

I also got a good quote from A-Quote for the last two years!

This reminds me, i need to tell em about the power commander i fitted. But if they're gonna charge too much i'll just take it off as it doesn't seem to do very much anyway

As someone said earlier, it seems that insurance copanies seem to be a legal form of the mafia.

Next thing will be that, if you change a light bulb, you will need to contact them.

As you can tell I don't like insurance companies much at the moment, this is because of an incident that happened a couple of weeks ago.

Our garage got broken into. I was putting some shelves up in there all day, and some little F***ER, must have heard what I was doing, so kept an eye on it.Our garage isn't attatched to the house it self, but is at the end of the back garden where the road is(only a footpath at the front of our house).I hadn't opened the main door to the garage at all, as I enetered the garage from the garden side via an ordinary sized door.
I went to pick my wife up from work, and as I left the house I happened to notice the time, I arrived back home (13 mins later), and my wife said to me "Why did you leave the garage door open ? " .Alarm bells went off in my head and I said I hadn't as explained above.
Some little morons had taken some tools and damaged the ignition lock(only cosmetically).So I then went indoors and rang the police and then the insurance company.At this point I got a surprise from the insurance company.
Because it was after 8pm it was an after hours number, (insurance and mortguage with the same people)and they told me that because my garage wasn't attatched to the property that they wouldn't come out until the morning, to which I replied "WTF".So I had to sucure the garage myself until the insurance approved garage door people came round in the morning.
When they came round in the morning they secured it properly, until I had a replacement door and frame fitted(which only took a couple of days to be fair).
After they had gone I rang the insurance number and said what the hell is going on ? Telling them that I had to secure the door myself, and if I hadn't I would be claiming for thousands of pounds worth of stuff that was in there E.G My bike and BBQ and loads of tools.I followed on to say that I had saved THEM money for doing something that should have been done there and then.Then near the end of the conversation they said that because I had claimed more than oce this year, that they would be INCREASING my insurance payments.To this I replied, do you realise that I have several accounts with you and a mortguage(which they didn't), and so now in the process of changing everything over to a new company.

All in all, I can't beleive how badly I was treated, I have been with them for 14 years with both mortguage and insurance and several accounts.This has lead me to feel sorry for low income families that can't afford insurance and lose verything, because even if you do, you get shafted anyway.


Andy