South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

Bennetts have now bought in draconian measures regarding modifications on bikes. Details are on their site and on the 'Boycott Bennettes insurance' facebook page. Even stickers are on their long list of mods. Ignore at your peril. Cheers

Always been told to avoid Bennetts despite their claim that they only sell motorcycle insurance ( which gives the impression they are biker friendly ) Job to know who to insure with nowadays. No-one seems to have a particulary good reputation.

Yeah know what you mean mate. I find the only way is by word of mouth. Bit worrying if Bennetts lead by example though. This is also gonna cripple the accessories market too.

I've been with Masterquote for several years now, and very happy with them too

We're overdue a true Biker friendly insurance, dare I say it, non-profit making cooperative.

Maybe set up by Bikers - for Bikers that are fully committed to riding defensively, within the conditions of the road ahead and within "UK" law.

I'll continue to dream of all that money I could have saved over the decades if I could have signed up to such a policy

Nice idea fellow Steve E don't think you'll ever find a customer who sheer defensively and within the law though. Although we do of course

Just received this from Bennetts......


Our Modification Policy

Providing Clarity on our Modifications Policy:
Bennetts is a broker and it’s our responsibility to ask the right questions about you and your bike, to enable our panel of insurers to provide you with an accurate quote.

It is entirely reasonable and normal within the industry to collect details about modifications and accessories, as they can affect the value and performance of your bike. This is a complex area and it is our job as a responsible broker, to gather all the information required, to ensure that insurers have what they need to properly assess the risk. This is why we offer free advice over the telephone.

When you tell us about modifications and accessories, it will not necessarily increase your premium but insurers do need to know about them.  Of course, there may be some scenarios, where insurers may decline to quote.

Our main concern is that you have the cover you need - it is far better for an insurer to know about a modification up front, rather than finding out at point of claim. 

Our online quote system currently only caters for up to 3 modifications, but should you have more than 3, just call us on 0800 056 3843.  We are working to update our online system to accept more than 3 modifications in the future. 

Whilst many bikers will be well aware of the majority (if not all) of modifications and accessories, we also understand that to some customers it can be a complex area. In the absence of industry-standard definitions we have produced a Modifications Quick Reference Guide for our customers, which we hope you find helpful.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many modifications can I insure?

If you are using our online quote system, you can insure up to 3 modifications. However, if you have more than 3 or need advice and guidance, just call us on 0800 056 3843.

Will my modifications/accessories affect my premium?

Telling us about modifications is obviously very important when you take out your bike insurance. In some cases this may affect your premium or in exceptional cases mean insurers are unable to provide a quote. However in many cases it will not have any impact (but insurers still need to know), for example the following common modifications/accessories do not affect your premium or our ability to quote:

Lights / Indicators
Sissy Bars (Long Back Rest)
Crash Bars
Radiator Bars
Tank Pads
Heated Grips
Scott Oilers
Seat Cowl
Crash Bobbins/Protectors
Change of Screen
Huggers

If you have a Bennetts policy and have not disclosed any of the above modifications to us already you do not need to call in now, just make sure you let us know when you are renewing your policy. 

Why do Bennetts need to know about my modifications or accessories?

Some will affect the handling, performance or value of your bike.  You must tell us about these so that if your bike is stolen or damaged, your valuable modifications will be repaired/replaced (other than when a modification is subject to an exclusion or endorsement) and more importantly if you are involved in an accident in which a modification was deemed to be a contributing factor you can still be confident you are completely covered.

Is this a way to avoid or reduce paying bikers' claims?

Absolutely not.  Firstly Bennetts is a broker, which means we search our panel of leading insurers to find the best deal for you based on your specific bike and personal details.  It is not in our interests for our customers’ claims to not be paid out. By doing everything we can to ensure your personal details and those of your bike(s) are as accurate as possible means insurers are far more likely to pay out, not less, in the event of a claim. 

It is important for the insurers to know as much detail about you and your bike(s) as possible so the right decision can be taken on whether to insure a particular risk.  It is our responsibility to emphasise the thoroughness of the details required to ensure you are correctly covered. 

Is this just a way to push up prices?

Definitely not.  Some modifications can affect the performance, handling and value of a bike all of which could increase the risk to insurers and therefore, to your premium. 

EXAMPLES

Appearance of your bike including stickers

If you have made your bike look like a race replica by the use of decals/stickers or paintwork then you must make us aware, other than that you do not need to tell us.

I’ve fitted an Akrapovic exhaust system, should I disclose this?

Yes, this could be considered a performance enhancing feature and should be disclosed. 

I’m considering investing in a Smartwater or Datatag system, is this considered as a modification?

No, these examples would be categorised as security features and not classed as a modification.  However, we still need you to disclose such devices as they can reduce your premium. 

How about panniers, surely they’re not classed as performance enhancing?!

Panniers (or luggage) do affect the performance of a bike, or to be more accurate, its stability plus its size.  To reiterate, it’s important to state as much detail about your bike and its modifications and accessories as possible.  They may not affect the price of your policy. 

I have changed my screen and put on crash bars – does this mean you won’t insure me? 

Both of these changes are common and will not affect your ability to obtain a quote from the panel of Bennetts insurers or increase your premium. However, our insurers still want to know about them. For other examples of common modifications and accessories which do not affect premium refer to the previous FAQ “Will my modifications/accessories affect my premium?” 

We are committed to ensuring you are fully covered and make the most of your biking lifestyle. 

It is impossible for us to fit in every example in this list, therefore, if you have any other questions about our modifications policy, please email us at helpme@bennetts.co.uk or call us on 0800 056 3843.

SteveR3 wrote:We're overdue a true Biker friendly insurance, dare I say it, non-profit making cooperative.

I'll continue to dream of all that money I could have saved over the decades if I could have signed up to such a policy

No one will ever get rich from writing motorbike insurance.

Motor insurance in general makes quite a loss; insurers can only run this business by investing premiums elsewhere whilst they have them - with the current investment market, income from that side has also reduced.

I've always wondered what they did with all the money, after all it can't be that every policy holder is making a claim so I tended to put these companies in the same pidgeon-hole as the filthy rich Bankers.

I'm now thinking about my pension pot that's being murdered by the so-called city investors etc - but that's not for this thread

To be fair that letter reads better than the way it was presented in MCN, according to them if you had 3 or more mods then you would automaticaly be refused insurance.

But TBH I stopped using bennetts several years ago, they became very expensive for very little cover compared to what else was available and they were fairly harsh on what they considered performance enhancements even then.

As always it pays to shop around, check policies and ask plenty of questions before agreeing to anything.

Oh and take everything MCN says with a pinch of salt ;)

motor insurance is a minefield, remember the guy that went to sleep in his landrover and crashed down a bank?
that claim was in the millions,

Bennetts have not had any money from me in a long time, worst year I've had insurance wise, first they send me the cover letter with the wrong numberplate for my CBR250, then I buy the GSXR 750 after selling the CBR to a friend, as he couldn't give me all the money straight away and I was picking up the bike the saturday morning I made a friday night call to change my insurance to the GSXR, first I said as I had no money in the bank and couldn't get it in there till morning I couldn't add a payment but as they had £300 quid of a policy that they were to refund they said this wouldn't be a problem as they could take it on the next monthly payment. I went through the usual stuff and after increasing my excess from £250 to £800 to save £40 overall on a bike I was paying £750 for my insurance was then £900 for TPFT on a £750 bike, then they wanted a payment so had to ring somebody else to pay them the small fee that they said 20 minutes earlier they wouldn't charge I got the cover for the following day. Get a cover note for the next year quote, tell them to run and jump of a cliff as I won't renew and then find two weeks later that £45 quid has gone missing from my bank to pay Bennetts for my new insurance I didn't ask for, even though I had gone back to Carole Nash and had cover, I ring them and they tell me I need to pay a £30 fee to cancel my policy, I tell them to give me back my money they took from me as I didn't want the policy in the first place!
I was in the motorcycle trade and told every customer who was buying a bike or looking for insurance to avoid them, and if they did buy from them we were always waiting 4 days longer for their paperwork to come through. Never touched them since and nothing would make me go back, swear at the advert on the bike racing on eurosport everytime I see it too.
THE ONLY thing Bennetts has ever done worthwhile is Grid girls, that's it, bloody useless!
As for listing mods, well my GSXR now has a standard frame, wheels and bodywork, I've changed everything else, they wouldn't like me even if I rang them

Stikley, am interested what you think of Carole Nash. Have you had to put any claims in and how they responded.

I've been recommended Carole Nash for the bike I'll buy over there as international licenced rider. Another Aus. friend doing the same, is using a different company.

Can't fault them, always end up going back there, not done many claims, think they did one for me and did that quickly. I have their kit insurance too as spend a bit of money on it these days. Only thing that lets down Carole Nash is the AA breakdown, but that's AA's fault so being 2 hours late when I ring them at 18:15 to get recovered for when I finish work at 01:00. I always recommend ringing around for a quote and if somebody beats it I ring them back and see what they can do. I would recommend them to anyone

Always declared my modifications that way there is no come back in the event of an accident.