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[RGlideKid]

Hi all,
Many of you know by now I totaled my '07 Electra Glide hitting a deer right at 5 years ago.  I was fully covered by Progressive Insurance thru USAA, and they treated me VERY well.
Here's how I helped myself.
That bike had well over $8,000 in accessories on it.  I had added so much to it that I'd forgotten a lot of it.  That will happen to you as well.
I took pictures (good ones with good focus and plenty of light) of every aspect of the bike.  I probably took 18-20 photos.  Then using a cheap photo editor like Paint in windows, I drew circles around every added on piece.  Then I copied all those doctored photos into a Word document (but any document will do).  You could even print out the pictures and add notes to it, I suppose.  Then with one photo per page, I annotated every single added in that particular photo with description, the manufacturer of the part, the part number, and the retail price of the item.
My Progressive agent was flabbergasted when I emailed him the Word document.  He said this was going to be a breeze, and that if every owner would take the time to do it like that, there'd be no disputing and the check would be cut pronto.
In the end, the check was cut pronto.  I paid around $24k for the bike and had another $8k in stuff added to it.  The bike was a total loss, even though many of the individual parts were more than salvageable.  The bike was 4 years old and had 40,000 miles on it at the time of the accident.  Progressive wrote me a check for over $24k as I recall, and then I sold the bike (what was left of it) to my wrench for around $3500.
I'll stick with Progressive because of that, even though my rates are high again since I'm a single bike owner once more. 
And I'll document every single thing I change or add to that bike, but I'm hoping and praying that the Lord won't allow me to go thru another loss like I did 5 years ago.
Hope this helps you guys and gals out there.  Document!!!

[smkymtnboy]

that's good info. document , document, and document!!

[CVOThunder]

Thank you, good stuff.

[skratch]

i don't remember who it was, or if it was even this forum, but someone had given me a copy of an excel spreadsheet that they had created where they list everything they bought, part number, value etc. and put it into this form.  there is also a tab to paste pics in.  i'll admit, i haven't gotten around to filling it out yet with my info, but, i will pay it forward and make it available for anyone else who wants it.

[RGlideKid]

i don't remember who it was, or if it was even this forum, but someone had given me a copy of an excel spreadsheet that they had created where they list everything they bought, part number, value etc. and put it into this form.  there is also a tab to paste pics in.  i'll admit, i haven't gotten around to filling it out yet with my info, but, i will pay it forward and make it available for anyone else who wants it.

Another good idea!  Thanks, Skratch! 
If you're handy out there with spreadsheets (I used to to them every day), this type of system would work well!  Any type of file that accepts photos is a smart way to go.  That way you just email the file to the insurance company and save yourself a lot of time and hassle.  If I remember correctly, I had to break my massive Word document up into 2 separate files, as when you start adding pics, the file size can get big in a hurry.

[kiro]

I was fully covered by Progressive Insurance thru USAA, and they treated me VERY well

I document pretty much everything - camera gear, astronomy equipment, motorcycles, etc., both by spreadsheet expenditure/dates and high resolution photography. There is a downside to this however - when you get around to going back and reviewing totals it can be disconcerting...  I have Progressive Insurance as well on my CVO. Did you have to purchase a rider to cover the added/upgraded parts to ascertain everything is covered? This must have triggered a premium up-charge I would think. Guess I need to check into this.

[RGlideKid]

I document pretty much everything - camera gear, astronomy equipment, motorcycles, etc., both by spreadsheet expenditure/dates and high resolution photography. There is a downside to this however - when you get around to going back and reviewing totals it can be disconcerting...  I have Progressive Insurance as well on my CVO. Did you have to purchase a rider to cover the added/upgraded parts to ascertain everything is covered? This must have triggered a premium up-charge I would think. Guess I need to check into this.

Kiro,
Yes I did have a rider, and that's a good point I neglected to mention in my initial post.  Thanks for bringing that up, Kiro. I think the rider was for at least for $6k or so, as I recall.  I wasn't pulling the Bushtec at the time of the accident, so that's why I still have it.  I want to say the Bushtec was the initial reason for the rider maybe???  My Progressive coerage now is for replacement cost, don't think I had it back then (maybe they didn't offer it or it was too pricey?), although I can't remember why now.
Moral of the story is, if you have enough accessories, talk to your agent about a rider and if it makes sense for you.

Kiro, I also am a photographer (although only an avid barely-professional! )  and have separate insurance on all my gear as well, with full documentation on bodies and lenses and accessories.  BTW, I've seen your work and it's very good!   

[kiro]

Moral of the story is, if you have enough accessories, talk to your agent about a rider and if it makes sense for you.

I disdain paying more for insurance but this thread really sparked recognition that I need to investigate this. I have a lot of capital tied up in my scoot besides the stock purchase price. Thanks for the heads up & the photography comments...

[skratch]

progressive includes up to $3000 coverage for accessories/gear with your policy.  the good part of that is with the cvo, a lot of the 'goodies' are stock with the bike, so they don't cut into that.  to up the coverage, it isn't really that expensive either.

as far as the 'new vehicle replacement' goes, that is only offered for the first couple of years of a vehicles life.  after it is a couple years old, they drop that and go to acv (actual cash value).

[CVODON]

As a past employee of USAA (retired), I promise one reason you had such a pleasant experience was when the Progressive guy opened the file he saw the "written by USAA" he took, or should have, a completely different attitude toward settlement. USAA really takes care of the members. Glad you had a good experience. Have a bad experience with USAA ever be sure and tell a manager, they do not want Anyone unhappy that is insured with them even if they write your coverage thru a separate carrier.

[RGlideKid]

As a past employee of USAA (retired), I promise one reason you had such a pleasant experience was when the Progressive guy opened the file he saw the "written by USAA" he took, or should have, a completely different attitude toward settlement. USAA really takes care of the members. Glad you had a good experience. Have a bad experience with USAA ever be sure and tell a manager, they do not want Anyone unhappy that is insured with them even if they write your coverage thru a separate carrier.

That is very good to know, Don!  I've been with USAA for 34 years now, and never had a bad experience.   

[Lucky Doug]

I went with Progressive because my agent said they were the only ones to go with (not the only one available). I think $550 a year is high for full coverage on an $8k bike but it is what it is.

I did email my agent about the add ons and her reply was that everything was covered just keep my receipts. I think I will back that up with pics too after reading this thread.

[MadCVORG]

RGK,
  Great info on taking photos......I keep Excel spreadsheets on all my vehicles, so I know over time what has been done, and when. Never thought to photo individual add-ons, but will do so. I also have USAA, but regardless of which company used, it helps to have detailed info.  Thanks!

[Streetglide1]

Good post, a lot of good insurance companies will take the extra step with your accessories, documentation is the key for lots of expensive toys and personal belongings. I do the same thing with my custom rifles and pistols.   

[RGlideKid]

Good post, a lot of good insurance companies will take the extra step with your accessories, documentation is the key for lots of expensive toys and personal belongings. I do the same thing with my custom rifles and pistols.

Me too!