Breakdown cover (car + bike)

[Hong Kong Phooey]

Yawn boring topic, I know.

Today I had the misfortune of the bike cutting out while filtering down the middle, just as the lights were turning green

Great

Paddled it to the side, checked cutout hadn't been knocked on and took it out of gear, whacked side stand down/up - thumbed starter and away she blows cap'n.

Presume I've got some cutout switch issues.

Had me thinking - I don't have any cover on the car or bike.
Does everyone use separate or combined cover, or a policy that covers the driver?

Any recommendations? Anywhere to avoid at all costs? Not looking at a Euro trip, just local / national.

[bugeye_bob]

AA Personal cover, thru someone like Quidco or Top cash back to get the best deal.

[ackack]

I use AA for both car and bike combined (basically I'm covered)
I have everything except hotel overnight stay included and I pay £99 intro rate which I haggle for the same every year.

[Az]

I'm with RAC, I've got personal cover or whatever it's called. Basically it covers me as a driver/rider or passenger of any vehicle. I've used it LOADS with no problems (I've actually used it twice this week). I think it's around £100 a year and they'll recover me, the vehicle and passengers anywhere in the UK.

[UnspeedySam]

Autoaid. £40 a year, covers me and the wife on all vehicles even if they're old rat bikes (if over 150cc).

Only catch is they send a local recovery company who you pay with your card and autoaid then refund you later. Not had to use it yet but 27cows recommended them years ago if I remember right.
____________________
Riding: BMW R1150RT `02 bought mildly crashed
Fixing: Also the BMW as I get less broken bits
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01, Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[arry]

Rac. Wouldn't trust AA again, made that mistake. learned that lesson.

[Rogerborg]

[winz]

Might be worth checking with your bank. I pay £10 a month for my ultimate reward card, get free breakdown cover, holiday/phone insurance etc. Not too bad really.

I haven't had to claim anything though.
____________________
Current Bikes: BMW K1200S
Previous: Honda CBR929RR, Honda CBR1100XX, Honda CB600F

[Tamsin]

Check that out, normally the ones with banks have recovery limited to 15 miles....

[Alex A]

I took a 5 star policy with Start Rescue UK earlier this year. I haven't needed it yet, but as far as I could tell it was by far the best deal, and customer reviews were on the whole very positive. Full European personal cover, car or bike, including recovery home. Home start cover. Recovery in case of an accident, vandalism or illness/injury. Basically, the works. The only potential limitation I could find was that they wouldn't pay for recovery from Europe if the costs were likely to exceed the value of the vehicle.

That policy cost ~£82, minus 15% cashback (still available). Equivalent policies with the AA / RAC / Green Flag were ~£200p/a, albeit with generous cashback offers. But even after cashback, they were all still substantially more expensive, and they generally didn't provide as much cover.

[Hong Kong Phooey]

Some good ideas here thanks, I've let the policy with Start Rescue lapse as I didn't have a bike at the time. Never used them, cover was cheap.

Autoaid just sounded like some crappy insurance until I'd read above experiences. Normally I carry a debit card, but I wondered what might happen the day you forgot it! Have read other good things said previously about them too.

[winz]

[arry]

[ms51ves3]

I'm on a family policy with GEM. For four of us to be covered in any vehicle we're in it's £180 (£45 each). But it's only £150 (£37.50 each) if you're a new customer.

If you've got other people in your house that need cover as well it'd be worth looking at that.

[Rogerborg]

[Polarbear]

AA personal cover for me and the missus. As said earlier, that's cover for any vehicle, driver or passenger.

When the wifes ER6 broke down in the lake district they recovered the bike on a bloody great car transporter
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

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[stonesie]

Another AA customer here, got the personal relay cover as one of the perks on my bank account with a few other bits and bobs.

The last time I used it I was lucky, the guy was just starting his shift 2 streets away so I was back on my way in no time.

[Hong Kong Phooey]

Autoaid got £42.35 of my money, I view this as double insurance - now that I've paid I'm guaranteed not to have to use it!

I hope they're as good as the positive reviews above or I'll be taking names

[Rogerborg]

Did I mention that they've just been bought out?

I'm sure I mentioned that.

Ah well, we're in it together.
____________________
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

[Hong Kong Phooey]

Saw that but thought I'd take a chance

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[DrDonnyBrago]

[-Matt-]

[sidewinder]