Sometimes you just can't helpbut want to stick that little bit extra on your bike.  It may be that you simply want to change yourbike's appearance, or it may be that you just want to boost the performance ofyour machine but don't want to be drained of your every last penny by yourinsurance company for doing it.  Whetherit's that end can you've wanted to buy, or those shock absorbers you want toadd, or that paint job you wanted to get done, whatever takes your fancy.  So you make that call to your ever-trustyinsurance company and they do nothing but pipe up with their cries of ?that?llincrease your premium by ?stupid amount? ? Exactly what you didn't want to hearafter you'd already fitted it all!

That's why we have beeninvestigating the best ways to modify your bike without it ramping up the costof your . 

Express Insurance havecompiled a list of modifications you can make to your bike without having theworry of them sending your insurance bill through the roof.

The aptly entitled ?Top ofthe Mods? is a top 12 list of those modifications you can make that won't havea disastrous affect on your bike insurance. So where do we start?

1 ? End Can /After MarketExhausts

If your end can or aftermarket exhaust is road legal you shouldn't have too much to worry about when itcomes to ramping up your insurance costs. Although for something like a Dynojet Stage 1 you can expect to seemaybe a 10-15% charge on to your policy.

2 ? Paint Job

If you fancy a change ofappearance, perhaps you'd like to turn your bike from your standard to arace-replica.  One way is to do it is toget your paint job done.  Maybe your bikeneeds a re-spray, but you opt for the non-standard.  Again, this shouldn't cause your insurance tohit the roof.

3 ? Power Commander / DynojetKit

A tidy bit of kit used tosmooth out fuelling providing you with a nice little piece of fine tuning foryour machine.  Although this may besubject to an extra charge (approx. 15%) onto your policy it's not necessarilyas much as you'd think.

4 ? Braided Brake Hoses

Replacement brake hoses thatimprove your braking efficiency no-end. Ideal for when that idiot driver pulls out in front of you and you needto slam on the brakes.  It shows theinsurers that you're going that extra mile to ensure safety on the road.

5 ? Crash Bungs

Quite a handy mod to have asit probably means your claim would be significantly reduced in the event of anaccident.  Sticking these little rubberbungs on your bike would show insurers that you're quite sensible really, andis why it shouldn't whack a load on your policy. Safety first!

6 ? Shock Absorbers

These do exactly what it sayson the tin, giving you that little extra on your suspension.  Absorbing shocks and reducing wear and tear,elongating the life of your bike and raising your profile with insurers further.  Thus this mod won't have a disastrous affecton your premium. 

7 ? Hugger

This rear wheel mudguardprotects the shock absorber and is designed to extend the life of your shocks.  A handy modification to have, if you get theshocks done it only makes sense to protect them, especially if it isn't goingto break the bank.

8 ? Air filter

Whether it's a replacement orupgrade, getting a new air filter for your bike won't have the insurancecompanies prying your wallet open for more dosh.

  9 ? Steering Damper

This helps improve thestability of your bike at high speeds. However, the common belief is that if you're travelling at speed youheighten the likelihood of an accident. This mod counteracts this trail ofthought in that it essentially promotes safety at speed and thus notches up afew brownie points with the insurers.

10 ? Belly Pan

This simple plastic coverprotects the engine and helps to prevent any corrosion to it.  Obviously the insurers shouldn't punish youfor looking after your bike and in this instance they won't!

11 ? Double Bubble Screen

With the additional bubble inthe screen the air is pushed upwards over the bike and reduces the amount ofturbulence you'd experience with your standard screen.  Voila! An even safer bike than before as it steadies the ride of your machine ?that's what the insurers like to hear!

12 ? Scottoiler

A scottoiler helps preventany wear and tear you'd expect to experience on your chain.  Again, this is a great sign of you lookingafter your pride and joy to ensure nothing goes unexpectedly wrong and ifanything, reduce the chance of anything unfortunate happening.

So there you have it, the?Top of the Mods? ? our guide to the insurance-friendly modifications and theyaren't all just your typical, ?if you make your bike look pretty we won?tcharge you TOO much?, because there are a lot of performance enhancingmodifications you can do that won't break the bank too.  Let's face it; you don't want to hand overthe entire contents of your bank account to your insurance companyunnecessarily! 

Remember if you have moddedyour bike, you don't need to run and hide from your insurance company -especially if the mods you are making, or have made, create an overall saferride and looked-after motorcycle.  Bydeclaring the modifications you have made you're not only ensuring that you arecovered in the event of a claim you could raise your profile with your insurersand actually save a few quid in the process ? getting the deal possible in the future. Even if you're thinking about making any modifications, it's always tobest to find out how much it will affect your insurance BEFORE making them.

The Expert's View

Mark Copper, Head of Bikes atExpress Insurance, was on hand to provide his expert view on our top 12.  ?We deal with mods on a daily basis and workvery closely with a wide range of insurers, utilising the rates andrelationships we have with them.  We areable to deal with all of the mods on this list without you having to pay overthe odds.  This applies to anycombination of the above mods (with the exception of the power commander/Dynojet).  So if you want to stick on some shocks,hugger, air filter, and a double bubble you won't see any increase in premium. 

I've got an Akrapovic endcan, double bubble, and a power commander/Dynojet on my ZX12 and I was onlycharged a 10% load for the Dynojet. Without the Dynojet my premium wouldn't have changed at all!

As long as you aren't goingover the top on your mods, you shouldn't see a severe increase or in a lot ofcases any increase in your premium at all.?