The cat is back

I had a go at starting it up, but no joy. The immobiliser light wasn't
flashing, which didn't bode well as I can't see what power to the
immobiliser has to do with the ignition wiring snippage.

It's in my garage now anyway, and I'm going to let the insurance company
deal with it, unless they try and skank me[1]. I pushed it as far as I
could then my uncle kindly towed me up the steep hill in his P-reg, grey
1.8 Mondeo GLX. Not a car I have ever seen the good side of before
tonight. Definitely a weird feeling, being towed by a cage.

I felt all warm and fuzzy wheeling it back into its rightful home.
Something about the criminal scum not entirely getting their way. I
know it's not regarded as the best bike in the world, but to me, it's
perfect. I'm not good enough to make use of the extra benefits of say
an R6, and I won't be until I start to do track days and learn how to
ride /properly/. And even then, from what I hear, it can more than hold
its own. Cheap to replace as well. Ashamedly, I had my eye on another
one as I'd already given up hope on mine being found.

[1] So, what's a fair price for repairs to damaged fairing, exhaust,
engine casing, bent indicator and brake lever, broken ignition switch
and hacked wiring, et al? I need to decide if I want to claim and be
shafted over the next few years, or pay for it myself and, er, shaft
myself now.

 

There's £500 worth there all day long. Replacement with new parts could
double that.

Or: fibreglass repair kit and touch-up paint, used exhaust off Ebay,
ignore the damaged casing, pattern brake lever and bodge the wiring.
Cost £150.

The ignition switch is likely to be the item where new replacement is
the only option, unless someone does patterns. Don't know if anyone
does.

 

>,
says...

http://www.busters-accessories.co.uk/products.asp?id=40&pg=5

About half way down the page

 

when my 7R was nicked and I recovered it from a ditch, I managed to
pick up an entire lock-set on eBay (ignition, tank, seat release and
all the connecting bits) for something like 20-25 quid.

 

.... and it now looks great.

 

I've seen worse. It really just needs a coat of Hammerite, or
something.

 

That's the way to do it, if you can. That pattern switch WC found is
good value, but it's nicer to have a one-key-fits-all bike.

 

<Revises target price for auction starting this evening>

 

up or down?

 

<checks spreadsheet>

Down, by a fiver, but my original estimate was a finger in the air guess
anyway, as there don't seem to have been any listed of late.

 

I'm a bit gobsmacked. They just called me and said that /from my
description/, it sounds like a write-off. WTF?

Ah. A look at http://www.gtsalvage.com/categories.html suggests that
mine might finish as a Category C, as TOG alluded to above. In
particular, "...the insurer is obliged to use new manufacturer-supplied
parts and high-cost labour."

They gave me the option of either having it sent to a salvage yard
straight away, then they let me know how much I get, or having an
engineer come and look at it here first, to advise on whether it is
definitely a write-off, and tell me about values etc.

WTF do I do? All I want at the end of the day is a Thundercat[1] in
decent condition, preferably mine, without getting financially shafted.
Maybe I should wait and see what the engineer says.

[1] Although is this the opportunity to look for a different machine?

 

You make them an offer for it as salvage, to be deducted from your
payout. Ask them for a quote, offer them a lower price and see what they
say, and remind them that your buying it off them will mean they don't
incur any transport costs.

Then you fix it up on the cheap, as outlined above, and pocket the
difference.

Or you spend a bit more time and trouble, and fix it using the best used
parts you can find, and then ride it and pocket the difference or sell
it and buy something better.

 

darsy says...

That's pretty much what I paid for bandit locks. I just had to buy a set
of XV535 ones to use on the SR250 (same locks but the ignition switch
base need modding slightly), they cost me £45.

--
Lozzo
Triumph Daytona 955i SE (Black with added black bits)
Suzuki GSX-R750L trackbike (Shite with added shite bits)
Yamaha SR250 Cheasy-Rider (undergoing a transformation)
I ride way too fast to worry about cholestorol.

 

If Thundercats are your thing there are some shiny unregistered ones
kicking around (although I believe they are US imports) for around
4.5K.

 

<TOG@toil>; <>; <>
wrote in message

You need one of those "One-key-fits-all-bikes-keys" like the scrotes have.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

First of all, the insurance co *will* only accept new parts, but as for them
only obliged to use high-cost labour, that's utter bollocks. Get the bike to
someone YOU want to carry out the repairs (and this could be you btw) and
get a quote. The insco can NOT make you go to "an approved insurance
repairer" although they always try to give that impression and I won't say
"kick-back/commission" is there reason. If they still write the bike off,
ask them how much they'll accept for you to buy it back, then buy it and get
it repaired using 2nd hand/after market parts and get the thing back on the
road with a few quid left in your pocket.

Granted its value will takea hit once it's been written off, but it's never
going to be worth a fortune anyway and you like the bike, so what do you
lose? **** all.


All I want at the end of the day is a Thundercat[1] in

See above.

Mayube you should get a quote off someone who can epiar it too. Insoc
engineers are usually on the side of the insco's and they fucking love
writing bikes off.

Depends if you want to or not. I'd fight if it was my Zed anyway.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

And you try and register them now they don't meet the new emissions
requirements.

 

On Sun, 6 May 2007 16:37:30 +0100,

Does this mean they would be unregisterable then?

 

Yes, I think so, unless there's something in the Single Vehicle
legislation that would work

Remember that a lot of bikes (like the old Fazer) were pre-reg to get
them through the deadline in June... 2005, was it?

 

The Older Gentleman () gurgled
happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Surely you'd just register it on an age-related plate as a <whatever year>
bike, rather than as a new 2007 07-plate?