I'm having dificulty with Carole Nash

[Mouse]

Several of the older posts suggest there has been success with insuring with Carole Nash who I am currently insured with but when I rung them they refused blankly as the replacement engine was not a 'like for like' as it came from a generator not a motorcycle. The quotes bloke had heard of diesel conversions but their 'specials and customs' bloke said no. I did ask if they had called the underwriters on this and it would appear that they are going on the word of their specialist.

So who are you insured with and how did you phrase your conversion to them??

[Dan J]

Hi Mouse,

I too tried Carole Nash on recommendation when I first needed (diesel) bike insurance. I don't know if it's an issue with who you end up talking to but I simply gave up in the end. The closest I got was them wanting detailed technical drawings of the engine. They couldn't even tell me why they wanted them and not a spec sheet. Then they wanted an engineers report and even though the bike has been re-registered, examined and MOT'd it didn't matter. No end of persuasion that I'd actually gone DOWN in horsepower made any difference. They couldn't equate "modified" with anything other than an increase in speed/output etc.

So... I called Footman James who were more than helpful. My bike was insured (through Equity Red Star I think) within 10 minutes and for a very good price. I recall they even chucked in business use for free as well "in case I ever wanted to use the bike at work".

Good luck with Carole Nash...

[Mouse]

Called the underwriters who confirmed that the policy only covered standard bikes . They couldn't deal with me directly but the bloke was chatty and willing to discuss my bike conversion and insuring it especially as CN appear to be their main broker. He was also very surprised, almost shocked, that CN were unhelpful and didn't offer me a solution especially considering all the other specials they cover, and he was also the broker adviser.

Yea, Just called Footman James who quoted me within 15 mins for a multi bike policy inc. business use. They needed no extra paperwork other then my word on the engine change they weren't even worried I'd increased the cc. They weren't also worried about cosmetic changes on the other bikes, Sidecar, seat, mudguards, panniers, tank, headlamps looking old etc... (My other bikes are ratbikes)

I'll try Carole Nash again but next time I'll ring for a new modified bike quote before changing the policy over FJ in an attempt to try and save the loss of cancelling the existing policy.

[mark_in_manchester]

That's wierd. I rang CN to tell them my bike (on a 'classic' policy) had been modified - new engine cc, new fuel type. They were interested in WHEN the engine had been made (apparently they class the date of the vehicle as that of the newest bit for 'classic' policies) but not much in what it actually was. So having guessed at 1983 - the first year my engine was made - they said OK, with no additional premium. It got wierder when the paperwork turned up with the bike listed as 'unmodified'. I rang back to remind them that the engine details (incl fuel type, cc) had changed, and were listed as changed on the schedule, and they said that engine changes don't count as a 'modification'. At this point I gave up protesting and consider myself legal, but who knows if they'd ever pay out...

M.

[Mouse]

You probably didn't tell them it was an engine from a cement mixer. I think the crunch came for me with the not 'like for like' engine type.
I also think that classics have different ruling when it comes to modifications, but usually I'm wrong with hunches.