Damaged-repairable, Cat C or Cat D write-offs, projects...

Are they worth it?

To be honest, no. If it’s genuinely an ‘easy repair’, then why hasn’t the seller done it? Do you really want to spend a load of money on a bike only to have to spend time fixing it?

Getting insurance for anything that’s a write-off, even if it was just cosmetics, is a nightmare, as will selling it on be in the future. And a café racer project may ‘just need finishing’, but what about checking all the work already done? Do you have the tools and the space to work on a bike? You could get a bargain, but it’s more likely you’ll get a massive headache.

We recommend you give them all a wide birth, unless you’re actually looking for a project, or a valid excuse to live in your shed.