If you have a spill, but don't want to claim, (either break the bike for parts yourself or fix it at your own cost) when do you typically have to tell your insurer, and when don't you typically need to?
Assuming there is no one else involved and going to claim, I would just cancel the insurance, you don't have to tell them why, then dismantle to bike and flog the bits. Once done you can then register it with DVLA as scrapped I would assume. My take on it some one with actual legal information will hopefully be along to confirm / deny he above.
I hope you are OK?
depends when your insurance is up for renewal? usually you will get stung with cancellation fee, so may be better to just let it expire naturally
i dont think you need to tell them why you are cancelling.
I have scrapped a bike in past, and did make the mistake of cancelling, but they didn't care that i was scrapping... just that they milked me for the extra £25 or so