Cat N Bikes

spongefinger · Renault 5 Driver Joined: 18 Jul 2020 Karma :

I'm currently looking at bikes. Keep seeing bikes advertised at cat N but descriptions say only cat N because of things like
Damaged headlight, slight damage to farings of minor damage to engine casing. Would these things really cause a cat N rating or are sellers trying it on ? Also what if any effect would a bike being cat N have in insurance ?

Cheers.

arry · Super Spammer Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :

ThunderGuts · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Nov 2018 Karma :

I had a Cat N bike for a while. Clearly had a low speed drop; scuffed tank, exhaust and bent lever. Fixed up for peanuts and sailed through the MOT. Insurance never asked so that wasn't an issue.

Two things to be wary of;

1) Be sure it only has cosmetic damage. It might have been written off on face value, i.e. damaged body panels to put right in the correct colour will be expensive, so an insurer would write it off at 10 paces, but it's possible there may be structural damage that's less obvious. If you know what you're looking for you can do this yourself (and/or accept a level of risk - I did, I just checked everything was straight and true and was happy enough that married up with the observed damage) or alternatively take someone along who knows such things.

2) Selling will be more tricky if and when that happens; mine went to a dealer because I really couldn't be bothered with the hassle of a private sale, but they literally paid peanuts for it and many places weren't even interested at all because it was Cat N.

If you're getting the bike for keeps, it can be a way to get a bargain. Don't underestimate the cost of getting it cosmetically perfect though.
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Skudd · Super Spammer Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Karma :

My bike was a Cat N bike, BMW R1200 GS Adventure, Pure cosmetic stuff, beak had crack across it, front fairing bracket out by a degree, missing a cylinder head protector and cylinder head scraped. All fixable from ebay, but at BMW prices a write off. Nothing wrong with the mechanics or the ride, but I got a bike over £2k under the normal price. Yes it is a bit tatty in places, but if I was inclined it would cost only a few pounds to get most of it sorted.
I did ask loads of questions before I bought the bike, but I'm happy with it and it does what I wanted it for.
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