Don't Insurance Companies Want Bike Business Any More?

[yambabe]

My insurance is due for renewal at the end of this month and I'm losing the will to live.

My circumstances are, I thought, fairly straightforward. I need a multibike policy to cover 3 bikes, 1 of which is not a UK-standard model altho it is UK-spec and has only ever been UK-registered.

All 3 bikes have always been kept road-legal, ie MOT'd, taxed and insured, since I bought them (2 in 2007, 1 in 2009) so they should show up on all the standard databases.

I have NCD dating back to 2001, passed my A2 test July 2004 so came out of restriction July 2006. I'm old and female so a very low risk.

All 3 bikes now count as having been modified under the lists provided as they all have screens and crashbars fitted, the 2 cruisers have sissy bars and the zeph has a modified seat and lowered suspension. So although the mods are declareable there's nothing life-changing is there?

I need cover to ride other bikes, don't carry pillions and would like european cover if it's available.

Should be simples huh? Nope. In over 4 hours of trying both comparison sites and individual brokers or insurers I have so far managed to get just 1 quote and that's from Carole Nash who I am already with!

Most of the comparison sites don't to multi-bike quotes, quite a lot of the individual ones don't either. Several I have not been able to get past the NCD/time licence held discrepancy as they can't get their heads around bikers riding on l-plates or restricted licences apparently. I've emailed a couple of those but doubt it'll make a difference. Several will not quote because of the modifications. Several are unable to quote cos they can't find my non-UK-standard bike and don't seem to believe it exists.

I've been riding for over 10 years now and I don't ever remember getting insurance quotes being this difficult!

My usual renewal procedure is to get around a dozen online quotes, then ring the best ones and a couple of brokers who don't quote online, spreadsheet the results and then go with the one best suited to my needs (which isn't always the cheapest) so I'm hoping that a day on the phone in the next week or so will produce better results but I'm now thinking that to get a decent spread of quotes I'm probably going to have to take a couple of hours a day for the next few weeks to make phone calls.

I can't help wondering - is it me? Insurers just don't seem to want my business this year!
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[Ariel Badger]

Try https://www.footmanjames.co.uk/?gclid=CPbnyMSUt7ACFQwjfAodPC9Y9g
Not saying they are any good but I know people that use them. End of the day all insurance companies are c***s.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[DrDonnyBrago]

Try an insurance broker, i.e. a guy with a desk and a phone rather than a faceless internet entity that says "no".

[yambabe]

LOL according to the nice man from MCE who has just called me nobody does multi-bike quotes online any more because of "people putting incorrect details in and invalidating their policies so not getting their payouts!"

Say wut? First of all I am only after a quote, of course I will be confirming all details if I choose to actually buy a policy. Secondly I'm not a fucking moron!

Fine if they all want to quote for multibike by phone rather than online but in that case don't give me a "get quote" button on your website and let me enter all my personal info before telling me I can only enter details for one bike cos it makes me angry!

Was only looking for ballpark figures today before I start calling round properly, it's been a complete waste of time and effort tbh.
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[scorps]

Ive never had a problem with ebike for multicover policies, they have a specific page which covers most adaptions too. All done online and the amended certificate in the post a few days later.
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Do not presume that I am male.

[yambabe]

[stinkwheel]

It was cheaper for me to get two seperate policies last time. Both with the same company as it happens.

I used my NCB on the VFR and insured the enfield seperately without an NCB then bought AA relay cover and it still worked out cheaper in total than any of the multi-bike policies.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[G]

Also, doing it that way is useful because if you do have an accident you still have some no claims left.
Also, then you only need to find one policy that offers TPO on others bikes - so may also end up cheaper overall.

[scorps]

[G]

[gixerstu]

I just renewed with ebike
They were the only one's I could get a decent quote (online) for 4 bikes and 2 riders with 365 days european cover.
Some of the quotes I got for my fireblade were just stupid.

[Rogerborg]

For 3 bikes with mahoosive modifications (ZOMFG panniers) and some planned policy changes to make, eBike was my only realistic candidate - factoring in a £40 off voucher. Sucks about the no other-bikes cover though.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[scorps]

normally I would agree with you G but my daughter lived abroad and had a car in America for a while and she has spent the last part of a year driving on L plates with a licenced friend on their insurance but shes doing something called the test plus thing to try and get the insurance down a bit.
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Do not presume that I am male.

[Fifteen15]

[Rogerborg]

[yambabe]

Some of us were not able to do do DAS cos we couldn't find a 35kw training-school bike low enough for our short legs to reach the ground on....

The phone marathon will start shortly I think. Thing is, for the last few years being able to get online quotes had taken all the legwork out of the process and now it looks like that option has been taken away for no good reason that I can see.

I'm also of the opinion that I am far less likely to make data input errors online about my own details than their call-centre monkeys will over the phone!

Probly end up staying with Carole Nash after all this lol, their admin charges suck but at least you know where you are and what you're getting with them and they have been good for claims in the past.

Still narks me that every year I have to make it plain during the recorded conversation that the bike they read out to me as part of the schedule confirmation is NOT the make and model of my bike, it's just the nearest they can get on their database though!
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[Rogerborg]

[Walloper]

No time to read to the bottom.
I have two bike on two policies as the NCD can only be used on one machine at a time. Multi-bike would affect NCD for both policies if a claim is made.
Some companys will differ but better speaking than clicking.

Onlline application is streamlined for simple cases and more detailed policies will require more detailed underwriting.

There reserve the right to light firey hoops as it may be their money (our money) they lob out if there is a disaster.

They probably want to narrow there exposure so limit the range of policies.
There are those who 'claim' to tailor for all but you have to pay for this.

Buy a normal bike and steer clear of the exotica.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[yambabe]

[LordShaftesbu...]

Any joy so far? My insurance will need renewed soon and I need 2 bikes covered. Have you found anyone that's reasonable yet?

[yambabe]

Nope.

Still can't find anyone except Carole Nash who will quote me online for a multibike policy. Theirs was good though, via Aviva (can't get a direct quote off them, I've tried) £209 FC for a 2007 VS800, 2005 VS1400 and a 1995 ZR550.

Not started ringing in earnest yet though, that'll be next week's job!
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[LordShaftesbu...]

Hmm, what should I put here I wonder? I've held my "bike licence" ever since I got my provisional bike license in 2007. So does that make it 5 years? It's not like it's asking "How long ago have you held a full, non-A2 bike licence?"

[yambabe]

I go by the date on the back of my photocard - although I actually passed my test in 2004 I had to upgrade my photo last year so mine says 2006 in the "valid from" bit cos of my restriction. That's what I've been putting in this time round.

This has caused immense problems with online quotes, especially from the comparison websites, cos I have been riding since I did my first CBT in 2001 so I have over 10 years NCD. Many of their systems can't cope with me having 10+ years NCD but only held a full licence for 6.......... get to this point and "computer says no" and I can't go any further!
____________________
Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[mjn51]

I've just taken a multi bike policy with bennetts online,after getting the quote via meerkat, after enetering the usual data it then asks if you want to add another bike
simples.

[yambabe]