Insurance on borrowed bikes.

[Major_Grooves]

I always turn down offers of "shots" on people's bikes because I don't want to ride uninsured. I'm thinking of getting third party all bikes so I can have a few gos next time I meet up with people.

I'm just wondering how many people have third party insurance on all bikes, or do you just ride without insurance?

I'm the sort of person that worries too much it would be my luck to get pulled and given a producer.

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About me|@Major_Grooves|My company|Digg|Flickr

[Dusty]

I now have third party on all bikes, but to be honest I have ridden quite a lot of other people's bikes in the past without being covered. But as it's normally on a trading estate or similar, I tend not to worry too much.
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[Major_Grooves]

[Ste]

Don't have TPO cover on bikes that aren't mine due to age and lack of NCB, but when I am able to I will do as it means being able to use others bikes without worry.

[Sadie]

Unlike Ste, I'm old and have lots of NCB, so I have three bikes of my own insured and TPO on other bikes for (wait for it ) £152.50 a year.


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With experience comes age.

[Ste]

I knew there was an advantage to being old.

[Sadie]

Absolutely!

I wouldn't go back to being 18 for all the tea in china! I like how I look at 38, my income at 38, my insurance at 38 and the fact that my daughter is all grown up and not dependant on me any more.


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With experience comes age.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Got fully comp on the Bandit with cover to ride bikes I do not own (and getting that cover is why I would not renew with Bennetts).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Sparks!]

Some how Danny managed to obtain TPO on other bikes for me. Being 19 with 1 years no claims, and still dependant on a 33bhp restriction until December, then this doesn't seem to be a bad deal We've checked and double checked and it's 100% correct, somehow I am insured TPO but I'm not going to risk riding other bikes until my restriction is over as I'm sure in the event of a claim they'd most indefinitely use that against me!

So TPO is easily valid for a 33bhp licence holder but is it really worth risking?

The reason I still opted for the policy with TPO is because my restriction is up in December which would make it 100% legal for me to ride any other bike on TPO insurance!

Thanks again to Danny, the company that quoted that by the way, are Insure MCE - www.insuremce.co.uk. They seem a good, honest and helpful company (for an insurance company anyway ) the only gripe I had with them was the 30 minutes it took for me to be patched through to a human!
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[Bendy]

[True Blue]

I have TPO on other bikes but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet.
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Past >>>> Honda NSR 125 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K1 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K4 >>>>Kawasaki Z1000 DAF >>>>Suzuki RMZ 250 >>>> Current >>>> KTM Superduke R 1290 >>>>

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

I do with no years ncb, on my first bike, 19. Havent plucked up enough courage to have a go on someone elses bike, although i really could...

[robbiehall]

This may be of interest to people wishing to ride other peoples bikes: (from yamaha-rd.com/forum)

Looking at my current insurance policy today (due for renewal) I noticed for the first time that the clause which always used to read something along the lines of '...the insured is also covered to ride any motorcycle not owned or leased under a higher purchase agreement...' has now changed into a quite different clause which says that: "We will also provide the cover shown above (if this is specified in your certificate of motor insurance and your vehicle has an engine size of 351cc's or more) for you to drive any vehicle that you do not own and yiou have not hired under a hire purchase agreement, as long as you have the owners permission to ride it."
I phoned my insurers (Bennets/ Equity Red Star) and they claimed that all insurers are moving/have moved over to this wording (and many apparently are phasing even this out). If this is the case then this has particular implications for us all on here in that we probably have absolutely no cover to ride mate's or partner's bikes if our own policy is on a 350 or less CC bike. Er, that'll be most of us then...

My own policy is a multi-bike policy (for my bikes) but I have in the last year ridden my partners NSR150 on a number of occasions assuming that my own policy gave me at least third party legal cover. It would seem I was wrong, and therefore very lucky that I didn't hit anyone Now, I realise I should have checked the small print of my policy but I suppose you get complacent when the wording always seems to be the same.

The questions are:

Am I just stupid for not checking it out more closely? (this question is rhetorical - I already know the answer )

Has anyone else fallen foul of this change?

Is this really an across the board change? (Check your policies please Ladies and Gentlemen)

Where does this leave you when selling a bike? I've always allowed test rides (holding the money) in the assumption that the potential buyer's policy gave them minimum legal cover if they had a spill - I make it clear that I will be keeping the money.

And, most importantly, does anyone know a company that still offers a Rider Policy like the old Norwich Union jobbie, which simply insures the rider rather than the specific bike? I hate the idea of being unable to ride another bike when necessary/desirable without having to take out an additional seperate policy .
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... you might need this ...... PS Footman James write their OWN policies and are underwritten by AXA - ( not for long though .... AXA are coming out of the commercial - read home / car / bike) markets

What this means in legal / insurance terms ( being slightly in the job, like 15 years worth ........ ) is :

1) as long as yer own cover is for a bike 351cc or above, (not many of us then ) we`ll cover you to ride someone elses bike (as long as they know ) but it`ll be Road Traffics Act only ... ( 3rd party cover .- like running someone over or smacking their car... but NOT theft ) So if you ride / cover - say an RD350 LC , and have, say, an SP1 as a second bike to take advantage of classic insurance over modern bike cover .....
(ooo! just like ME then ......) - you will be rated on the LC ... NOT the SP1 - and WONT get cover on a mates bike ...... so smash it and yer mate will be looking for yers with a baseball bat !!!

2) And ......if yer bike is a 349 / 350 you ARE NOT covered to ride yer mates bike even if you are FULLY COMP - you are NOT covered for THIRD PARTY only .... ie - you smack someone else / kill someone !!! As above really .......

And WB .... would you be liking me to be looking into this (in my role as a poorly paid Independant Financial Advisor ) to see if its across the board, or ( as I think / suspect ) merely to get rid of 50 cc / 125 cc / 250 cc and up to 349 cc scooter / bike riders off of their books ......
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... what I`m saying is that when you did yer initial quote, the policy would be on the first bike they accepted - any additional bikes are merely added to that policy - hence numerous certificates - Unless you are a trader (and therfore have a traders policy ) you should get a certificate for each bike.
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if its any consolation i cant get cover anymore to ride as a freelance journo under any terms what so ever
its not a money problem its a no one does it now problem!!!

the company i was with last year have now ceased trade cover
despite me having a clean license and never having had an accident i now find myself potentially without cover.

it is sorted now but not withouit seriously limiting the work i can do!!

gone are the days of rider cover etc and i cant operate under a trade policy because that is building specific ie shop premises etc

i advise everone to carefully read their policies as the way i see it no one is covered riding a bike that isnt theirs and insured by them
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Well get this one ..

My footman james BIKE insurance doesn't allow me to ride any other bikes apart from my own ..


HOWEVER..

My CAR Insurance has a clause in it that says I can drive anyone elses car OR MOTORCYCLE ( Third Party cover only ) as long as I have their permission !!!!

I asked the girl if it was true cos I only have TPFT on my car ins ..

She tells me it is a very common clause in car insurance and its mainly for 'emergencies' etc when you have to help people out ..
Dam handy though eh
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The clause is a common insertion in most car AND bike policies..... BUT it is `road traffic act` only ..... third party cover.

Footman James `write their own policies` (see below) and specifically exclude this clause - when I asked them about a `temporary additional vehicle` the girlie on the phone said that `no-one does that - its not legal` ....... her case being that `you are insuring something that you don`t own` (its called `insurable interest` I told her.....and once you are trusted with the vehicle, this `insurable interest` exists.) "You don`t know what you are on about" .... says she .... No ? well, I have only been in the job for 14 years I replied, maybe I need more background knowledge....

"OH !! ...... er, well,.... " came the answer... I`ll put you through to someone who can help you .... she put me through to one of the companies directors - who gave me the real reason they don`t do it ..... "theres no money in it for us...."

Ahhhhaa !! ..... The truth will out !

So then I spoke to their underwriters - AXA - who said that THEY do a bike policy which does have temp vehicles and drivers if you need to add them...... and which is effectively the same plan as Footman James `write` but without the extras, but because Footman James do a lot of businesswith them, they get a reduced rate from AXA.
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Cheers
Rob
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The older I get, the faster I was.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Reading that it sounds like the new wording actually gives you a higher level of cover (as long as your bike is over 351cc).

Generally any policy in the past has only given you TPO cover to ride bikes you did not own.

By the way, I used to be with Bennetts and they would not cover me to ride bikes I did not own, and claimed that non of their policies had this cover. This resulted in me going elsewhere for insurance.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[robbiehall]

I think you still only get the minimum cover on someone elses bike.

Rob
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The older I get, the faster I was.

[Kickstart]

Hi

The quote mentioned:-

"We will also provide the cover shown above (if this is specified in your certificate of motor insurance and your vehicle has an engine size of 351cc's or more) for you to drive any vehicle that you do not own and yiou have not hired under a hire purchase agreement, as long as you have the owners permission to ride it."

Which suggests if you are fully comp then the same cover is extended to other vehicles that you do not own.

Prior to this I have never seen anything suggesting you would have more than TPO riding a vehicle you do not own on a normal policy (unless you are specifically insured on it).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing