Insurance

[FuZzBoM]

Hi all, On Thursday i passed my bike test (yay me) I have a 03 plate FZS 600 sitting in the garage waiting for me to ride it.
The question is who would you guys recommend for insurance? I have done the usual internet comparison sites but read some bad reviews on the top 3 or 4 companies.
Tried Carole Nash but they wanted over £600...

Performance direct - £221.29
Grove and Dean - £249.29 (throw in legal and breakdown cover free)
Bikesure - £256.04
Hastings Bike team - £294.62
MCE - £294.80 (throw in legal and breakdown cover free)

I am Looking for a good company not just the cheapest deal.

Rough background i am a 32 year old male, homeowner and the bike is garaged over night. (sounds like a lonely hearts advert lol)

But any advice you can give this noob is very much appreciated.

thanks,

[bikerboys]

give these a go I am going to move over to these when my policy runs out  best deal I got full comp £310

H&R Insurance

Tel: 01224 848382

www.hrinsurance.co.uk

[locksmith]

I've heard of 4 of the 5 you list and I think they are all long standing companies?

They must all have thousands of satisfied customers or they wouldn't be in business. So I would ignore a few bad reviews.

I'd go for the one you feel comfortable with.

I think I was with Bikesure when I totalled my FZ1 and got paid out no with problems. I'm currently with Hastings.

[topgun44]

wow i only paid 60 pound  for the year and i got fazer 600 :lol

[ghostbiker]

used 3 of those companys MCE, bikesure and hastings direct

i didnt have a claim with them but other than that had no issues. Ebike imo is one to avoid as its a nightmare actualy talking to someone .

Think i might have gone MCE out of that list. but heard of all 5 and wouldnt be worried with anyof them.
as said it is very easy to find dirt on most big companys as its only bad stuff normaly that makes it to forums.
just look on this forum, most bike related posts are problems. how offten do pll post "went out today and the bike started and made the journey without an issue"

[Tmation]

Do the internet thing with moneysupermarket.com etc then try a local broker. Hopefully you never have to claim, but being able to go to an office a speak to someone is well worth a few extra quid.


Also make sure you are comparing apples with apples ie the cover and benefits are the same, as there can be big differences with excess etc.

[FuZzBoM]

Wow, went and took the dog for a long walk come back to all these replies. cheers guys.
Something i forgot to add is that my bike has an aftermarket exhaust. does anyone know if this is a problem for any of the listed insurance companies? I do not have the original so couldn't put it back on if i wanted to.
I have also just had a call from Carole Nash and they were honest and said they couldn't beat sub £300 so they wont waste my time.

[Skippernick]

I'm with DW laxtons.
They are a broker, but give very good deals.
i'm similer details and we're talking 250 fully comp.
nick

[dickturpin]

In my experience there's no problem with an aftermarket exhaust, only that they would only pay out based on standard exhaust valuation.

[ghostbiker]

most companys wont be bothered by an affter market exhaust. but do make sure you tell them.

[Grahamm]

I get my insurance via Bennetts who are brokers and what I've found is that many of the companies that quote actually get their cover from Equity Red Star and then bundle in breakdown cover, personal liability insurance etc.

Basically you pick and choose the bits you want, but do make sure you give them all the details just to be on the safe side.

[pilgrim]

By a bizarre coincidence........
My insurance is up on the 20th of this month, my cuurrent policy suppliers (Premium Choice with Equity Red Star) have sent me a new quote of £166.43 TPFT. which has gone up by about
50 quid :eek
Went on CompareTheRodentDotCom and Bennets came in with about 73 spondoolies for a year, same cover and benefits etc
Think I might be changing insurerers toot suite!
PS. Old fart of 47 years young Gen 1 Fazer Thou full licence since 1986 continuous riding and full no claims. Not that that matters.
When I were a lad way back in't mists 'o time (1985) on me CB 100 N it were 25 quid a year fer a rider policy wit  Norwich Onion buggers.
Them wer't days, a tell thee! And a could ride owt!

[Grahamm]

My insurance is up on the 20th of this month, my cuurrent policy suppliers (Premium Choice with Equity Red Star) have sent me a new quote of £166.43 TPFT. which has gone up by about 50 quid :eek

Never let your insurance renewal go through on the nod because they *will* try to jack up the premium in the hope that you won't check!

PS. Old fart of 47 years young Gen 1 Fazer Thou full licence since 1986 continuous riding and full no claims. Not that that matters.

You might try checking to see how much it is for fully comprehensive, because it may not be any more expensive and it could even be cheaper!

[pilgrim]

Was'nt going to let it go without checking for cheaper quotes, hence the Bennets quote. Premium Choice said the renewal quote was the best they could do. so they can bugger off
Insurance is quite high in Bolton because there are a lot of really bad drivers around here who tend to crash quite a lot accidentally on purpose if you get my drift ( One bloke from Bolton had 91 tail endings on the same roundabout, see what I mean?) Not saying anymore about that because too many people out there dont believe this shit really happens, but its almost a career for some. :eek
Got a fully comp quote at around £150, but when a bike gets past a certain age/value even a minor spill can lead to a write off because they price repairs on new parts, even if its possible to sort it with aftermarket/second hand parts for less than the price of your excess.
So sticking with TPFT for now. 8)

[Gingernutz]

I'm jealous of thos quotes - I remember my first quote in ireland was for a cg125 I was buying for £900 and the insurer wanted £1000.
20 years on and I just renewed mine now in the UK - Fzs600 fully comp including work use £82 and I used compare the meerkat so I get a toy. I used them for the cage and got £30 on ebay for sergi. Assuming I get £30 again that will be £1 a week for fully comp insurance. Can't see how they make any money on me at all. (without work use the quote was £65) - pilgrim get a quote or two before you pay that

[FuZzBoM]

The problem i am having is that for some reason adding the end can onto the policy really does bump the price up. when i amended the MCE quote for example it then jumped to £716... a few others Bikesure for example do not cover modifications at all.
Bennetts came back with £371 including the end can and the air filter i plan to put in shortly.
Looks to be my best choice at present.

[Tefer]

My insurance company just asked if the end can was cosmetic or performance enhancing, i said i have no idea it was on the bike when i bought it.


A new air filter e.g K&N will make it look like your trying to increase performance. 

[FuZzBoM]

Hi all, quick update MCE called me today while i was on my lunch. they offered fully comp cover including the end can and lots of other nice things like European cover, RAC breakdown, courtesy bike if mine were to be damaged and it was being fixed. ride any other bike 3rd party. legal cover and lastly up to £300 cover for my helmet and other kit. all for £339.. i doubt i will get a better deal than that.
I was going back to work so was unable to pay over the phone but i am amazed they could drop it by that much given the on-line quote was £716 lol

[locksmith]

Remember to factor in the different excess amounts between policies.

[Grahamm]

Insurance is quite high in Bolton because there are a lot of really bad drivers around here who tend to crash quite a lot accidentally on purpose if you get my drift ( One bloke from Bolton had 91 tail endings on the same roundabout, see what I mean?) Not saying anymore about that because too many people out there dont believe this shit really happens, but its almost a career for some. :eek

On the news today there was a guy from the Insurance Industry commenting that the number of accidents has gone down by 31%, but the number of claims for Personal Injury had gone up by 50%!!!

Got a fully comp quote at around £150, but when a bike gets past a certain age/value even a minor spill can lead to a write off because they price repairs on new parts, even if its possible to sort it with aftermarket/second hand parts for less than the price of your excess.

Sure, but if it's a Category C or D write-off, you can buy it back from the insurers and fix it yourself.