An interesting case turned up last year where an owner of a classic motorcycle unfortunately died, leaving his motorbike to his wife who didn’t have a bike licence. Not wanting to sell the motorbike immediately, she attempted to get the bike insured from fire and theft but found it impossible to get a motorbike insurance company to offer the cover, many of them citing her lack of a motorbike licence.
The motorbike in question was a Harley Davidson, valued at £7,000, was regularly used by husband and wife (as pillion) to tour the UK and Europe, meaning the bike had obvious sentimental value and getting rid of it immediately was not really an option.
A laid-up motorbike insurance policy, where a bike can be insured for little money as long as it is stored in a safe and secure place and is not ridden, would be ideal in this situation. However, most insurance companies were unable to provide this level of cover due to underwriters requiring the policy holder to have a full motorbike licence.
Fortunately a bike insurance company was eventually found that would provide the required laid-up policy.
The bank holiday Monday just gone on the 25th May saw one of the highest levels of motorbike insurance claims of the year with a much higher than average number of motorbike accidents.
Traditionally a problem day of the year for insurers, the Spring bank holiday sees a record number of bikers take to the road, often for the first time of the year. This rustiness can cause a large number of bikers to make errors they wouldn’t usually make, and be involved in accidents which would be otherwise avoidable.
The sunny weather we had over the bank holiday weekend was another significant contributing factor in the increased number of incidents, as this enticed even more motorbike enthusiasts onto the roads.
With petrol prices on the rise once again and the recession hitting commuters deeper in the pocket, more motorists are turning to two wheels as a cheaper option for the daily slog to work. The majority of the advantages of switching to a motorbike revolve around the lower costs – one of which is the considerably cheaper motorbike insurance.
Other advantages of riding a motorbike include cheaper road tax and better fuel economy but it’s the cheaper insurance that is of interest here. Post Office motorbike insurance quotes a significant increase in insurance quotes with approximately 13% of UK drivers saying they are prepared to move to a motorbike.
Bike insurance quotes end up cheaper due to the relatively lower risk in an insurance company having to pay out for expensive claims. In the case of a theft the motorbike is relatively cheaper than a car, and in accidents a motorbike is unlikely to cause expensive damage.
Last month saw record levels of interest in motorbike safety organisation TyreSafe’s Bike Tyre Safety Month, a campaign to increase awareness of the importance in checking your motorbike tyres. The organisation’s website saw a record 26,700 visits in April, a 185% increase on the same month last year.
Aimed at new and experienced riders alike, the campaign offered free tyre checks at hundreds of garages and tyre retail outlets across the country, plus various top tyre safety tips and advice through a dedicated section of the TyreSafe website.
The importance of tyre safety should of course always be high on a motorbike rider’s safety priorities, as unchecked tyres can lead to bigger problems such as impaired handling and reduced fuel efficiency.
With the UK’s economy struggling the way it is at the moment, more and more car drivers are saying that they would switch to a motorbike for their daily commute. Up to 4.8 million UK drivers would be willing to make the switch in order to save on transport costs, a study by Post Office Insurance concluded.
The majority quoted the cost benefits as the reason for a potential switch, and figures really don’t lie. Fuel consumption on a moped or lightweight motorcycle is half that of most cars, road tax starts at just £15, parking is free in most places in the UK and motorbike insurance premiums are usually lower too.
A shift to two wheels is already being seen on the roads, with moped sales increasing while the majority of the motor industry continues to slide.
To meet this increased demand, UK bike insurance companies such as Post Office motorbike insurance are offering increasingly better deals for moped and 125cc bike insurance.
