Possibly a stupid question....................

[petalbriefs]

So this maybe a really stupid question but I have always been told, the only stupid question, is the one you dont ask!

So, when I insured my bike, they asked if I wanted pillion cover, to which I said no, as being on a CBT, I cant carry passengers anyway, but, if you did want to carry a pillion, is the insurance compulsory?

Or could you legally have a passenger without that insurance?

Thanks in advance

[Conzar]

What i can remember, you are fine to carry a passenger, in the event of a accident if pillion cover was not on the policy i don't think the pillion can claim.
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Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
11:05:35 Rob Fzs: i just wanna own an rd350 valve before they send us to war with durkadurkastan

[lihp]

[Conzar]

Very informative there Phil
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Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
11:05:35 Rob Fzs: i just wanna own an rd350 valve before they send us to war with durkadurkastan

[Rogerborg]

Yup. Insurers have to pay out to any 3rd party (anyone not the driver / rider) who suffers injury or loss. The sole exception is a passenger in a stolen vehicle who knows or should reasonably have suspected that it was stolen.

The background to this is potatoed pillions claiming against the rider, including one case of a wife (successfully) claiming against her husband.

We're essentially carrying around fleshy liabilities, and insurers don't like it. No, sir, they don't like it at all.

When they talk about "pillion cover", what they're really asking about is a risk factor. It's not really different to them asking about mileage or business use, they're just trying to figure out how likely we are to make a claim, and how big it's going to be.

Whether they can "void" cover if we do something that we didn't tell them about (carrying a pillion, using a vehicle for business purposes, exceeding an agreed mileage) and whether that leaves us uninsured for purposes of the RTA is a question for the courts. Dibble seems to think so. I disagree, but don't intend to be in a position to find out.

In theory, if you tell them that you're not going to carry a pillion and then do so anyway, spazz them up, and they successfully claim from your insurer, then your insurer could try and recover that payout from you. I say in theory because their legal costs are likely to exceed what they could recover from a typical person.

tl;dr version - dunno, ask arry.
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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

[Baffler186]

I assumed that if you stated on your insurance form that you don't want Pillion cover, it meant that you couldn't legally carry a Pillion (i.e. if you did, you were riding whilst uninsured and hence illegally).

Good to know I can carry the occasional person if need be, but may ask them to sign a waiver first!
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Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[Az]

I asked a similar question, the response I got from this thread was that if you had an accident and it was your fault, you could end up being liable for paying your pillions compensation if you don't have pillion cover. Just to clarify though, you can legally ride with a pillion even if you don't have pillion cover (once you have your license).

[Shreeve]

After doing some quotes on comparethemarket it made no difference to cost whether you stated Pillion cover or not.
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Current: Suzuki GSX650F (2010), Suzuki GSXR1000 K7, Suzuki GS250T (1980) currently restoring: Clicky.
Previous: Honda CBF 125 (2011), Suzuki GSXR750 K4

[Monkeypony]

Quite correct.

Your insurance company would have to pay out the third party claim.

Then they are free to chase you personally to get their money back.
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Current bike - 2018 H2-SX, 2004 SV1000s, 2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF, 2017 Sherco SERF 300, 2003 Suzuki DRZ400 (stolen - AY53 JUU)

[CBFcarl]

I could be wrong (it happens) but I thought that on a CBT only you cannot carry a pillion?

[Rogerborg]

Correct, but insurers aren't the sharpest sandwich at the picnic.

[map]

[Baffler186]

[map]

[talkToTheHat]

That's a really well written petition that I shall be signing right away.

Disobey a condition of your insurance and you are not insured. Commute with only SDP and you're shafted. Deliver pizza without Business Use and equally shafted. Same goes for carrying a pillion when you are not insured to.

Carry a pillion on L-plates and not only will you void your insurance, but you won't be licensed either. That will be a world of trouble.

Sold pillion insurance on a provisional licence? That's a mis-sold policy, complain to your insurer and the financial services ombudsman.

Whether there is a premium for pillion cover and how much one might save without it depends on both the rider and the bike, it might be no cost, it might not be available or prohibitively expensive.

[Rogerborg]

[petalbriefs]

[Nexus Icon]

Yes.
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[maph3rs]

I called to get Pillion added to my insurance yesterday. No cost to my insurance premium, however £35 admin fee

[Llama-Farmer]

I thought that whilst the pillion can claim as a 3rd party against you and insurance will pay out regardless, if you have declared to insurance that you won't carry a pillion then they could attempt to recover the costs from you in the courts.


I have so far found that pillion cover doesn't change the cost of my policy anyway, nor does commuting as my annual declared (and actual) mileage is so low.

So as long as there is no difference in cost, or the difference is relatively low, I'll add as many extras as possible, i.e. pillion cover, fire & theft over TPO, commuting, not declaring security features or garage
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[Teflon-Mike]

[talkToTheHat]

Various people I wish I didn't know who have landed themselves in court for doing things not on their vehicle insurance terms. Using own vehicle to deliver takeaway, using sdp + commuting insured vehicle to deliver trailer loads of scrap metal 'as a favour for a friend'. Unauthorised performance modifications. All of these have resulted in people I know getting bans for driving without insurance. I'm not going to name names.

It it my understanding that taking a pillion without insurance was covered as driving without insurance and attracted at least points and a fine. This was drummed into me during rider training between 2 and 3 years ago. I don't have case law to hand.

Maybe I have been too specific in how I worded what happpens (he says trying to avoid a specifications vs semantic side-debate)

[djrikki]

Very interesting, I played around that much with options on GoCompare I wasnt sure if Id eventually ticked pillion - so downloaded my docs and searched. Not a mention of pillion in the full thing - so it doesnt say I'm NOT covered.
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CBT: 01/11/13 - Theory : 01/05/14 - Mod 1 : 11/05/14 - Mod 2 : 14/05/14 - Yam Div F : 16/05/14 - Gixxer : 02/04/2015-15/07/2015 RIP - GixxerMk2 : 16/08/2015