Euro breakdown cover

[Freddyfruitba...]

I'm just shopping around looking for a standard UK breakdown policy at the moment. However, I'm planning on taking the bike to mainland Europe within the next 12 months and will certainly want to have cover for that, which I know will be a separate purchase.

Question - is it worth me looking at any specific breakdown companies now with this trip in mind; as in, can I save any cost on my EU cover by picking the right company for UK cover now? Do any of them just extend your existing cover temporarily for a nominal sum? Or is it (as I suspect) simply a case of shopping for a completely different policy when I do go overseas?
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KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[Oldie]

If you're only planning on a single trip abroad then a separate policy should cost you around £25, depending on the number of days away. This compares with, roughly speaking, an extra £50 loading from someone like Carole Nash for cover during the year and will give you several trips.

With any policy, carefully check what's covered. Most policies will include roadside assistance or recovery to the nearest garage but also look for repatriation conditions - eg many policies won't get your bike home if the value of the bike is less than the transportation costs. Of course, not all conditions are clearly displayed on web pages and you'll have to read through the t&c's first to see exactly what level of cover you are buying.

[Matt B]

It's often cheaper to get single trip cover from somewhere like Eurobreakdown rather than AA or RAC, even if you have an existing UK cover. As long as your bike is under 15 years old it's easy and cheap enough to do.
Other and better options are out there if you travel regularly or use an older bike. Cover through your bank, bundled with a current account for example, which is the way a lot of us have now gone.
The more complicated option is using the German equivalent of the AA which is ADAC. About 60ish Euros a year for Euro cover in/on any vehicle, any age. It's comparatively hard work to join and leave though due to German idiosyncrasies.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[Copycat73]

I upgraded mine through the AA .. the German adac cover is very difficult to obtain .. i gave up ..
AA single trip cover will only cover a single breakdown and there are different zones within europe .. they will ask where you are goin .. the policy is actually with another provider .. within the AA.. they put you through when you ask..
If you are goin a number of times a 12month policy was about double the price ...
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Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[Matt B]

[Copycat73]

[ocatoro]

ADAC all the way. covered in uk* and all over mainland europe for any vehicle of any age (including towing trailers and caravans) for 80 euro.

includes repatriation, hotels if they decide someone local can fix it, and a courtesy car for onward travel if they send your vehicle home.


*they subcontract to AA in the UK. so if you have particular issue with AA, like lots do, then might not be for you.
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CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[ocatoro]

[Copycat73]

[waffles]

Definitely check the smallprint, I got stung like this.

Bike broke down in France, I was recovered back to a hotel for the night and the bike went elsewhere. I was told that I would be picked up the following morning at 9am to take me and the bike to a dealer for repairs. The helpful receptionist called the recovery guy at 10 who said that he hadn’t been paid and my breakdown company didn’t give him the go-ahead to take the bike elsewhere. I eventually (after multiple calls) got moving at 3pm by which point it was too late to get parts ordered.

Long story short I organised transport of my bike home myself by courier company (£600) as all my recovery company would do was pay for me to fly back out to collect the bike myself. It was a two day ride from the other side of France and I don’t get that much time away from work. They said that repatriation could only occur if the bike was worth enough and the guy I spoke to implied that it wasn’t.

Pay peanuts and all that
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[ocatoro]

[Freddyfruitba...]

Thanks for the advice. I'll only be doing one Euro-trip next year, or at the very most, with a following wind, a second short one, so looks like buying a bespoke overseas policy at the time is the way forward for me. Have gone with Autoaid now for my UK policy
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KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS

[waffles]