Would you buy a Category "N" Write-off ?

[BBROWN1664]

I wouldn't like to buy a bike if its been in a crash I don't think anybody would but if it was cheap enough and you got the knowledge and experience to put things right again I don't see anything wrong in buying a Cat N for an everyday commute.

The issue here is really finding out what caused the cat N in the first place.

If you have a pristine FZS600 worth (for example) £1200-1500 and it got dropped by you as you were wheeling it out of the garage (or some muppet knocks it off the stand in the company car park) and decide to claim, the cost of the new petrol tank and new fairing and a new mirror would write it off in the eyes of the insurance company. Most of us would replace the mirror and keep riding it but it is recorded as a Cat N now and when you go to sell it, you have to declare it. That's not a problem. The insurance company have paid out the full value to you so anything you sell it for is a bonus. Some of us would want to buy the bike cheaper as it is a Cat N but realistically, it only has (or had  if you did repair it all) minor cosmetic damage.
At the other end of the scale, you lend your bike to a mate who wraps it round the back of a parked car and bends the forks/breaks the mudguard. The insurance company again declare it a Cat N as the headstock may be damaged and decide its easier to pay you out then check it properly. Now as a buyer I wouldn't know if the bike was one of these semi-major damage jobs or a pure cosmetic job like the first example



To get the Cat-N back on the road, I believe it needs MOT done. For a Cat-S I believe it needs a Vosa check. Cat-A and Cat-B cannot go back on the road.