Board logo

Cat B Write Off's...
scootz - 28/6/12 at 06:15 PM

Saw this bike on eBay... it's been recorded as a Cat B loss and stripped of it's identity (meant to be for parts only).

Why Cat B though? That's normally reserved for flood-damage, or completely mangled machines.

The initial thought is RUN... QUICKLY, but there's a bargain track-toy to be had if it is indeed 'straight' and is just an over-zealous insurance classification! Does anyone know a bit about these things?

KTM RC8R RC8 R 2012 12 REG not DUCATI APRILIA MV AGUSTA HONDA | eBay

matt_gsxr - 28/6/12 at 06:25 PM

"
Frame looks straight as well there are no dents not even 1 small mark on it. It has not been checked though so cannot guarantee.
"

I think that is e-bay for saying "I wish it weren't bent"

Ninehigh - 28/6/12 at 06:30 PM

Why is it cat b if it got repaired? And how did it become cat b by falling over?

locoboy - 28/6/12 at 06:34 PM

We buy cat b's for a living

We have had cat b's that look like cat d's and vice versa, no real logic in it.

We feel that often what should in reality be a cat b is classified as a c or even a d as it opens up a much larger avenue of potential customers because to buy b's you need the relevant licenses and certificates. we pay a LOT of money every year to maintain out cat b license and it pees us off when these cars are classified as c or d and are on general sale to Joe public.

Our ex trackday subaru was a cat b that needed a wing and a headlight... doesn't make sense sometimes.

scootz - 28/6/12 at 06:39 PM

Thanks Loco... very interesting! I nearly bought an Aston that had been flood damaged and Cat B'd. Beautiful condition, but who knows how the electrics and other components were affected by the water. That didn't put me off... what did was that there was no 'workably legal' way to get it back on the road after sorting it out!

wylliezx9r - 28/6/12 at 06:44 PM

What I don't understand is why the numbers are removed. Does this include the engine numbers as well ?

scootz - 28/6/12 at 06:46 PM

quote:
Originally posted by wylliezx9r
What I don't understand is why the numbers are removed. Does this include the engine numbers as well ?


The chassis number is removed so that the car's identity is forever destroyed. I think the engine number stays on as it is allowed to be broken for parts.

MikeRJ - 28/6/12 at 06:51 PM

You can get an unregistered 2010 bike for about £800 more. It will be the plain RC8 rather than the R, but for something thats new, uncrashed and road legal I think it's a much better bargain.

In fact looking at the price of low mileage RC8's I am damn tempted to flog the RSV and my SV and get one.

Mark Allanson - 28/6/12 at 06:56 PM

Very often, if a bike is damaged to Cat C levels, but the rider died in the accident, it is allocated Cat B so the relatives will never see the bike back on the road, respect basically. i did several like this in my time as an assessor

scootz - 28/6/12 at 07:01 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
You can get an unregistered 2010 bike for about £800 more. It will be the plain RC8 rather than the R, but for something thats new, uncrashed and road legal I think it's a much better bargain.

In fact looking at the price of low mileage RC8's I am damn tempted to flog the RSV and my SV and get one.


But that 'R' is pretty damn trick Mike!!! Stunning looking machine!

I just had a chat with the seller (foreign, but couldn't place the accent) and he assures me he is a licensed breaker who bought the bike direct from the insurance company. Just a shame that they Cat B'd it...

Could you be cute and MSVA it (look for a Q Plate)?

scootz - 28/6/12 at 07:06 PM

He said he'd deal at £6.8k - about 30% less than the cheapest non-damaged 'R' (£10k and that's with 1500 miles).

I seem to have got the biking-bug back since my back improved! I'm a prime candidate to become a born-again biker calamity!

iank - 28/6/12 at 07:25 PM

quote:
Originally posted by scootz
Could you be cute and MSVA it (look for a Q Plate)?


Not sure, but I think you could in theory - IF the tester was happy that that was legal - I'd talk with VOSA before spending a penny on it.

coyoteboy - 28/6/12 at 07:38 PM

quote:

Very often, if a bike is damaged to Cat C levels, but the rider died in the accident, it is allocated Cat B so the relatives will never see the bike back on the road, respect basically. i did several like this in my time as an assessor


Sorry but that's just daft. Are we in a world of logic and sense or witchcraft and spirituality?

Not Anumber - 28/6/12 at 07:54 PM

sounds reasonable though. Its not all pounds and pence.

coyoteboy - 28/6/12 at 07:57 PM

It makes no odds whatsoever to the relatives in reality, they're so unlikely to ever see it again it's a waste of a viable item, it's a pointless exercise and yet another reason insurance costs are high. Why would anyone care if the car someone died driving was sold on again? What if we apply it to houses? knock them down too if someone dies in them? farcical.

Not Anumber - 28/6/12 at 08:13 PM

each to their own.

Mark Allanson - 28/6/12 at 08:21 PM

It isn't spiritualism, it is insurance company public relations policy. Imagine what a Daily Mail reporter could do with a story like "Grieving mother sees ghost of dead son on death bike"

For the difference in salvage value on a Cat C -B, is isn't worth the risk - it all comes down to money in the end.

coyoteboy - 28/6/12 at 09:00 PM

quote:

It isn't spiritualism, it is insurance company public relations policy. Imagine what a Daily Mail reporter could do with a story like "Grieving mother sees ghost of dead son on death bike" For the difference in salvage value on a Cat C -B, is isn't worth the risk - it all comes down to money in the end.


Who the hell reads the daily fail anyway?

scootz - 28/6/12 at 09:07 PM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
Who the hell reads the daily fail anyway?


Too feckin many!

kevmcdo - 28/6/12 at 09:32 PM

Openly advising the price of a new or second hand frame suggesting possible ringing of the bike???
It's an only too easy and common occurrence with bikes that have been down the road that are of high value, if it has been written off and you don't know the history of the write off run away and fight the temptation as there are plenty of good straight bikes out there that will satisfy the biking bug!!!

Peteff - 28/6/12 at 10:30 PM

A bargain track toy is a CBR600, GSXR or older R1, that is a blatant attempt to get as much back as possible for a bike that has been written off. If it just fell over why did he try to claim on it ? Fully HPI clear apart from cat B is a load of bull, that's about as far from HPI clear as you can get.

ashg - 29/6/12 at 12:01 AM

scootz i dont know your biking history but having rode my mates rc8r i can safely say they are absolutely frigging mental. in fact so much so my mate sold it 2 months later as he was convinced that he was going to kill himself on it.

vanepico - 29/6/12 at 12:21 AM

How can the 'HPI be clear' if the chassis number doesn't exist anymore?

omega 24 v6 - 29/6/12 at 05:35 AM

I thought the official line was that the car/bike could be broken for parts BUT the shell/identity HAD to be crushed/removed.
No 1 Sons corsa was a cat b and it'd made a good project for repair. Both air bags were off but a front panel/bonnet was all the body damage. They wouldn't let us buy it back as it was a B.

Neville Jones - 29/6/12 at 10:23 AM

Put your own chassis plate on it, change the badges and some of the paint, and it's 'Amateur Built'.

Straight on the road via Motorcycle IVA and you're away!

Cheers,
Nev.

Litemoth - 29/6/12 at 12:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
It makes no odds whatsoever to the relatives in reality, they're so unlikely to ever see it again it's a waste of a viable item, it's a pointless exercise and yet another reason insurance costs are high. Why would anyone care if the car someone died driving was sold on again? What if we apply it to houses? knock them down too if someone dies in them? farcical.


We do sometimes knock houses down...

LINKY

[Edited on 29/6/12 by Litemoth]

hobbsy - 29/6/12 at 12:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson
It isn't spiritualism, it is insurance company public relations policy. Imagine what a Daily Mail reporter could do with a story like "Grieving mother sees ghost of dead son on death bike"

For the difference in salvage value on a Cat C -B, is isn't worth the risk - it all comes down to money in the end.


Surely you could get around this more cheaply by giving it a new numberplate (unless its a very rare bike)?

RIE - 29/6/12 at 12:28 PM

Some bikes get written off Cat B for the smallest of marks on the frame. Seller says there's no damage to the frame, but it's "at your risk." Something sounds dodgy in there to me, he's had forks and yokes checked out and they're fine, which suggests to me a front end impact. USD forks are often strong enough that they survive the impact and the headstock/frame takes the force. That might be enough for an assessor to write it off.

He seems to be suggesting that someone could buy it and use it as is, "rides straight," etc. etc. It's not even risk-free for trackdays, police have been known to check for stolen bikes at trackdays, so if it's missing a frame number it would probably be seized.