Cat C/D - how badly do they affect value?

[BravoCharlie]

Good Evening all!

I hope we are well.

I hope the following isn't too silly a question, and that I've worded it properly, but I'm looking for some advice on buying/selling cat C bikes, and how much they would affect the value of a bike, if it had been restored?

So, if a bike was worth £2k, and there was another bike similar in good condition but written off as Cat-C/D previously, would there be much of a difference in price?

thanks,

Barry
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[Albigularis]

I'd expect a repaired C or D to be £1600-£1500 depending on extras and so on, if the same bike was £2000 and not a write off.

If you look through on eBay at bikes, you'll notice one or two sometimes that are really cheap. You think "Why hasn't this sold yet?", you check the photos, looks good, you check the description ready to make an offer... "Cat C". Damn.
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[Alex A]

60-70% of the like-for-like 'normal' price, because:

1) That's the most an insurance company would potentially pay out in the future for a bike that's already been written off.

2) Many buyers are risk averse re. the quality of the repair (if it's written off it means it wasn't repaired by the insurer), and the ease of re-sale in the future.

Having said that, the impact is more severe on newer / more expensive bikes. On something that's already well depreciated, you might get closer to the going rate.

[Rogerborg]

Is this really a question about what an insurer would offer you for it?

Maybe one for arry.
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[BravoCharlie]

Sorry, I thought i put at the bottom of my original thread.

It's come to my attention that my SV is a Cat C from 2013. I knew it'd been down the road, hints such as the headlights and the fact it used to be red kinda told me that!

I'm not planning on selling the bike right now, as I'm really enjoying the bike and it has been absolutely faultless, normally when i buy a bike I keep a few hundred quid in the bank to sort out any faults in the first month - this has presented no faults in the 2/3 months i've had it. But it's interesting to know how much it will affect me in future.

thanks chaps!
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Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

[N cee thirty]

depends what it is, some bikes that are very sort after, it doesn't seem to knock any value off, but it can be as much as 500 quid off on something like an sv
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[Ted]

The value of cat C & D vehicles is dropping even more than it was before. This is because a lot of insurance companies are now refusing to pay out if the vehicle is damaged in a new accident, on the basis that somebody has already been paid out the full value of the vehicle when it was written off. They obviously still have to cover damage to third parties. But you must inform them when taking out the policy if it has been previously written off, or your policy would be void.

This is the case with car insurance anyway, but I should think it applies to bike insurance too.

The wife is looking for a new car, from what I've seen on eBay, repaired and VIC checked write-offs sell for just over 50% of the price non-written-off cars sell for. Again, car based figures here...

[Rogerborg]

[Tritey]

The main problem with Cat C or D vehicles is the lack of ability to finance them. No finance company will offer finance on a 'Cat' car or bike. If it's a newer model a lot of the time it's impossible to PX at a garage as they can't offer finance on it.

Cat 'D' now does not show up on a log book, only cat 'C', not sure if that's always been the case but it is the case now.

HPI costs as little as £3 and DVLA do a free check to see if the car/bike needs a VIC check.

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-identity-check/overview
https://www.mycarcheck.com/

[Rogerborg]

Bikes don't need and never have needed a VIC check. It's being done away with for cars soon as well, because it's only caught a literal handful of ringers.

I do wonder why the DVLA colludes with the insurance cartel with regard to 'write offs', when they don't (for example) show stolen/recovered info to potential buyers.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Pol Anorl]

buy cat b's much profit on them.
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[Tritey]

[Ted]

[lilredmachine]

[Pete.]

I have also been told by an insurer that I may only get back salvage value. If it's a non-fault on your part then I think there's little risk, if it's your own insurer coughing up they might check into it a bit more.

Just to add that the reason I often buy Cat C bikes for work is because I'd have no intention of claiming if it's nicked.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Ted]

At the end of the day, it's down to the insurers discretion. At Pete says I suspect they wouldn't want to pay if the accident is your fault.

Regarding Cat B (and A), you can't put them back on the road, as the insurer would refuse to give you back the logbook, and the DVLA will not re-issue one.

If the accident is unregistered, as it often is in motor racing, then the owner would just rebuild with new parts and the old VIN number, once its been registered as a Cat A/B, there is no going back.

I'm a fan of Land Rovers, real ones and not the Chelsea Tractors, and for some reason insurers are putting more and more through as Cat B, even though all parts are available off the shelf. This is according to Land Rover forums anyway. Not sure of the reason, could be the insurers have big contracts with shipping 4x4s to undeveloped countries, or perhaps they have a deal with vehicle manufacturers to try and get old cars off the road... You never know.

[Ste]

[Rogerborg]

[instigator.]

I'm buying a K7 GSXR 750 for £3k since it's a Cat D. Personally, I think I got it a bit cheap, it should have fetched £3.3k on my book fairly easily. The older the bike and the smaller value it has, the less impact it has on it's sale value (naturally).

[STONEY!]

Cat B can go back on the road, I have done it 4 times now. You send v62 to dvla, they send the plod round, plod checks frame number and asks if you really want it back on the road you say yes, they write report, you get shiny new red v5c.

[Pol Anorl]

[Pol Anorl]

[Ted]

[Ted]

[BravoCharlie]

Thanks for all the info! Out of interest, when do bikes get put on a Q plate? I'd always been told cat C/D bikes are worth considering, but never touch a Q plate?
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Current: Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator
Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.