Buying first bike- when do you buy insurance?

[SDFarsight]

I'll be buying my first bike within a couple of months, perhaps as close as 2 weeks away and I wonder; when do you buy the insurance and tax for it? I mean do you put a deposit down on the bike, buy the insurance and then come back a week later to ride off with the bike or do you buy the insurance beforehand and just hope that the 2nd hand bike isn't covered in rust when you visit the dealer/seller?

Thanks for any advice.

SD

[bamt]

You'd normally buy/start the insurance on the day you pick the bike up.

I'd get insurance quotes online (as you need to know roughly what your bike is going to cost anyway - you don't want to buy something you can't afford to insure), then once the deal is done buy the insurance. That may be that you hand over cash to a private seller then go online from your smartphone and pay for your saved quote, or that you pay a deposit to the dealer/seller then go home and sort it and come back later.

Note that buying from a dealer it's usual to not get the bike the same day you see it - they may need to get it through an MOT or do any remedial work you've negotiated into the price, so you get a few days grace to sort your insurance. The insurance people will be happy to start it on any reasonably close future date/time you specify.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

As Bamt said, get the quotes sorted first, then buy the insurance when you pick the bike up - either with a smart phone or a normal one, talking to a human*. Don't forget to pay for your tax at the same time.






* I use the term "human" loosely, since it's insurance monkeys we're talking about.
____________________
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Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Oldie]

Go and see the bike, agree a deal then start getting your online insurance quotes. There will be a section where it says "bike not owned yet" and also sections for any modifications (which you should ask the dealer to confirm to you). When you go to collect and pay for the bike, the dealer will insist on seeing a cover note so build in an hour or so to get that emailed to you once you select which insurance quote you are going to accept.

[SDFarsight]

[M.C]