16yr old CBR400 - what level of insurance do I put on her????

marty_400 · 05-01-2008, 5:56 PM

Hiya All,

Sorry for the question, but its got me thinking! A 16 yr old bike - can't be worth much in the insurance companies view. a big crash, and they would simply put the bike down as a write off wouldn't they??

Seems silly to spend alot on Fully comp, if the payout would not cover a couple years of the premium paid!

How do they value a 16yr old bike?????

The amount you paid for her? yeah right! How much research do they go into, when working out the pay out, for a write off? (MAn, I'm being pessimistic here!

)

A statistically calculated value of depreciation isn't really the market value of a well kept 400 is it? 16yrs old or not!

Hope you can advise.

Cheers
Martin

LoopyLee · 05-01-2008, 7:33 PM

Hi again..

Mines insured fully comprehensive for several reasons..

She is my only transport and if I drop her and she cant be fixed I cant afford to buy another one.. and so would not be able to get to work etc..
It was less than £200 a year fully comp so it made sense..

She is insured for the amount I paid for her £1400..

The way I see if you cant afford to replace her out of your own pocket if she is severely damaged then insure fully comp...

Hope this helps...

BTW.. there are other people who use this forum, other than just me... they dont seem to be about at the moment though!!!!

Gothy · 05-03-2008, 5:59 AM

hiya,
I'm insured fully comp too on both bikes.
Mines £360 for both on 1 policy.
cb400sf & cbr900rr

Remember if you have an accident, you can argue the price with the company, just show them adverts in biketrader of the same bike, same age, same condition and they will pay you what its value is worth, sometimes you can buy the bike back off them for little (if you wanna fix it)

Surffrog · 05-05-2008, 2:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoopyLee

BTW.. there are other people who use this forum, other than just me... they dont seem to be about at the moment though!!!!

Sorry Loopy, I've been snowed under with work over the last week and had problems with my bike. More on that later!

Plus rainy season's started early this year

LoopyLee · 05-05-2008, 5:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surffrog

Sorry Loopy, I've been snowed under with work over the last week and had problems with my bike. More on that later!

Plus rainy season's started early this year

ooh... nasty!!!!!!!

Glad to see you back again though...

Gothy · 05-05-2008, 9:21 AM

unlucky, we've just got the sun.

Surffrog · 05-06-2008, 2:34 AM

I'll tell ya, once it starts it can just keep raining constantly for days!

LoopyLee · 05-06-2008, 1:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surffrog

had problems with my bike. More on that later!

Whats up with your baby then.....

marty_400 · 05-07-2008, 3:36 AM

Hiya All,

btw got the insurange sorted!

£309
Fully Comp
1996 CBR600 and 1992 CBR400rr

like for like
incl. ride to work
20k miles mileage

insane! its £1,500 cheaper to buy a cbr400 (incl. the insurance), and keep the old bike, rather than trade the cbr600 in for a 2001 cbr600fs.....

I'm not complaining!

rock on!

Surffrog · 05-07-2008, 7:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoopyLee

Whats up with your baby then.....

It's the reason I was talking to you about buying long screwdrivers. Mine's been causing problems since i got the carbs cleaned and balanced (and messed about with by a lunatic Thai mechanic)

. I had too much work on to do it myself at the time so I thought I'd save time

The little sod changed my main jets - they should all be 108s, I ended up with an 80, two 90s and a 100. He reset my throttle position switch (arbitrarily) and then had the balls to tell me the carbs were balanced but he would have to check my valve clearances. Thai speak for I want more money!

Since then I've changed the mains back to 108s, replaced the pilots (just in case), changed the floats, replaced the spark plugs, checked the vacuum rubbers and had them balanced properly (I don't have a vacuum gauge) but its still lumpy

Any ideas anyone?

Surffrog · 05-07-2008, 7:11 AM

Btw, I should add that by lumpy, I mean it feels like a slight miss when you first start up, which seems to go away once you're passed about three an half grand. Then, once she's warmed up a bit, it gets more pronounced. It still seems to go when you open her up when warm but it becomes more noticeable when you let of the throttle and at idle. It's beginning to drive me nuts as this has been going on since before bike week here in Phuket, which was mid-April

LoopyLee · 05-07-2008, 2:40 PM

Poor Akira....

You dont know what else they have 'fiddled' with when working on your baby..

The only thing we cant think of is for you to try and get a set of vacuum gauges and do the carbs yourself... that way you know they are done right...

(The OH wants to know why Akira.. are you a manga fan???)

Gothy · 05-07-2008, 6:20 PM

omg digital vaccum gauges are awesome!
I've used a set today, wow its really interesting how it works.

Oh by the way, i fixed that 636, It was the fuel pump you were right loopylee!
even though i checked it

Surffrog · 05-08-2008, 1:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoopyLee

Poor Akira....

You dont know what else they have 'fiddled' with when working on your baby..

The only thing we cant think of is for you to try and get a set of vacuum gauges and do the carbs yourself... that way you know they are done right...

(The OH wants to know why Akira.. are you a manga fan???)

Re the vacuum gauges, I have since found a mechanic with a set and he knew how to use them. So they should be sucking the same amount now. At least that's what the gauges are saying and I was watching over him when he did them.

I'm now beginning to suspect electrical, although god knows where. I'm going to do a systematic check of the wiring connectors around that area, maybe something's come loose.

Message to OH: Yes, well spotted. I most certainly am a manga fan

LoopyLee · 05-08-2008, 6:02 AM

Quote:

I'm now beginning to suspect electrical, although god knows where. I'm going to do a systematic check of the wiring connectors around that area, maybe something's come loose.

I blinkin HATE electrical problems!!!!!! Good luck with it!!!!! I will be thinking of you..

Quote:

Message to OH: Yes, well spotted. I most certainly am a manga fan

We have the movie Akira sat on the DVD shelf upstairs

Thats how I remembered her name so easily

Surffrog · 05-08-2008, 7:37 AM

It's a bit odd really. Akira's a guys name but I call my bike that and still refer to "her" as her. Maybe that's why she's complaining now!

LoopyLee · 05-08-2008, 10:49 AM

I reckon she is suffering from gender confusion..

maybe you should buy her the meat and 2 veg to keep in the fridge for her so she is sure of herself...

Surffrog · 05-09-2008, 3:14 AM

The strangest thing happened while riding her yesterday.

Start up - usual affair. A little rough for a minute or so until she could idle by herself. Miss noticeable but mild.

Temperature up - miss more noticeable even at higher revs.

In traffic temperature up more - miss quite strong plus same as above.

Throttle up to clear traffic - miss almost completely disappears for about 10 minutes. Once temperature approached normal running conditions miss came back, just not so strong.

I'm really confused now

But am leaning toward a dodgy coil and/or HT lead.

LoopyLee · 05-10-2008, 2:29 AM

Hey Surffrog..
Was thinkin about Akira and her problems last night in bed (strange woman that I am!!) and was wondering if you had looked at the regulator/rectifier.. maybe Akira's electrical power is being messed with.. I remember reading the original honda ones used to give up eventually and acted weird especially when they got hot.. They reckon the after market ones, with cooling fins, were much better as and when the unit needed replacing..
Another possibility is the ICU..
Long shot but worth a look..

Surffrog · 05-12-2008, 3:08 AM

That's a good point and I have to admit I would ordinarily be looking at the reg/rect as a issue. Unfortunately, I've already gone over to an aftermarket unit a couple of months ago when my original one went bye bye in a big way leaving me stranded.

The ICU is the original unit, so that's a possibility, but it will be cheaper to check the connections/coils first. I haven't had an opportunity to do that yet. We've just had a week of almost solid, blanket rain, so even though Akira's under cover, the rain's so strong that whatever I'm working on (and me) is going to get drenched. I'll wait until we get a break in the weather and start then.

Bloody rain

P.S Thanks for thinking about Akira, Loopy. I know she'll appreciate it

LoopyLee · 05-13-2008, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surffrog

Bloody rain

P.S Thanks for thinking about Akira, Loopy. I know she'll appreciate it

I hope the weather picks up for you soon... How long does the rainy season last over there..

How typical is this.. here its lovely and warm and sunny... and I've been moved to a shop about a 5 minute walk from home!!!! there is absolutely no point riding there as my bike wouldn't even be warmed up properly by the time I got there!!!!!! so I am walking to work!!!!

Mind you... its my day off tomorrow

and guess what I'm gonna be doing??

RIDING MY BABY

Surffrog · 05-13-2008, 11:48 PM

The rain situ is quite typical (this is a sub-tropical climate, after all). Sometimes it clears up for a couple days to a week and then it comes back, hard.

However, the climate's been changing over the years (I started coming to Thailand for holiday ten years ago, well before choosing to live here). The last two christmas periods have had very heavy rain. The silly thing is, after a long period (say a couple of months through the hot season), you actually start hoping for rain.