Insuring a freak

[Sister Sledge]

Basically the above. It's a question I've always wondered - this place will know for sure..

Say my bike engine explodes. I decide to replace it with one from something completely different. I dunno - single cylinder 4 stroke blows up and I replace it with a GS550 4 cylinder engine. It just so happened that the replacement engine dropped straight in.
My question is: Could such a freak be insured? Also, where would you find special insurance like that?

That's not happened. It's simply something I don't know.

Cheers
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CCM 404 DS

[Teflon-Mike]

You are talking about creating a non-type approved, 'production' vehicle, making a 'custom'.

Try 100% biker, where the trikists and chopper builder's hang out, this is thier preffered perversion.

However, as a self-built vehicle, you probably run into the regulations surrounding SVA or single vehicle approval, demanding a sort of Super MOT and possibly re-registration as a new road-vehicle.

These regs for home-built vehicles are in a lot of ways a bit perverse, and for example, you can build a Series III land-rover entirely from 'new' spare parts. Some-one some years ago, actually did exactly that, and ran foul of the regs with it, because the factory 'standard' Land-Rover didn't actually meet C&U regs, let alone the oft tougher SVA regs... and there are similar issues with 'self registered' chinese imports, that are registered on a 'waver' that declares them the same design as something priviosely registered, when the actual bike, probably couldn't pass a regular MOT test the day it was registered, let alone a tougher SVA test....

However... that's the start point.... rules for specials under SVA I believe work on a poinmt system, and if you change steering, brakes suspension transmission or engine, then a tot-up applies and if you change enough bits SVA becomes mandatory, like changing a chassis of frame. I think that the points for an engine AND transmission, which are usually a single combined unit on most motorbikes , are enough to demand SVA under tot-up on their own, so it would probably have to be SVA'd.

It would also have to be insured at the time of registration, and there are a few insurers, I think Adrian Flux is the main one, that offer this, though they MAY ask for an approved letter of inspection from an Auto-Engineer, detailing all the standard and non standard bits as well as overall build standard to get an insurance cert.

So, lots of red tape hoops to jump through... but entirely possible, and folk building hard-tail choppers, and putting FJ1200 engines into old GS550 frames and the like, do it quite often....

So entirely possible to do it entirely legally....

Given the skinny little tyres and pretty pathetic brakes on a typical 125, often under some pressure from a 10 or 12bhp 125 engine capable of maybe propelling them yo around 60-70 mph.... chucking in a 50+ bhp engine, possibly badly, Is PROBABLY not a great idea to start with..........

Why not leave the 550 motor in the frame intended for it, and fix that up, if needed, and save so many beurocratic hurdles, skinned knuckles, freyed nerves and brown trousers?
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[ThatDippyTwat]

Short answer - Yes.

Realistic answer - Depends.
What's been done, who by, your age, area, points. There will be a far fewer choices, and they'll likely want to know exactly what has been done. Some of them may want an engineers report. They'll insure anything if it's built ok, but as to whether that's affordable - Your guess is as good as mine.

As for Tef -
100% Biker forums folded a couple of months back. The lightly used alternative is here.
https://100phoenix.co.uk/forum/index.php?sid=f332f349e93dbd5e69d687333dca3d2c
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[Sister Sledge]

Interesting replies - and I've finally been Teffed!

I've not done anything and will not be - it's just one of those questions that appears and needs answering - to make room for more random questions.
It's looking expensive and frustrating. Those chop dudes must be loaded!
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CCM 404 DS

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

Not quite the same thing but years ago I bought a grey import Yamaha XJR400 newly arrived from Japan which I had to register with the DVLA. That wasn't much of a problem, however the insurers didn't have the model on their books. I was able to tell them it was based upon a sleeved XJ600 engine and they agreed to insure the bike. So, not quite the hybridised bike in your example, in fact it was an unmolested production bike, but a kind of freak to the insurer; unrecognised yet easily insurable.

[stinkwheel]

I'm not sure an engine swap by itself would trigger an MSVA. Unless it was a bike modified before a certain date.

However, yes, specialist insurance. Not necessarily an absolute fortune either. I have a friend with a BMW motorbike with a VW 1.8l TDI engine in it and he built that because it was cheap (he already had the bike frame and got the engine for £80. The rest was time and ingenuity). I garauntee he will not have spent a lot on insurance.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Sister Sledge]

[M.C]

[stinkwheel]

[ThatDippyTwat]