The British Superbikes Championship have picked up a new title sponsor in the name of motorbike insurance company MCE Insurance, with the deal starting at Brands Hatch next week and running until the end of the 2012 BSB season. The deal is a great boost for the British Superbikes Championship, coming despite the current economic downturn.
MCE are steadily increasing their involvement in motorbike racing, with the MCN Fantasy Racing League already being sponsored by the insurance firm.
Motor Sport Vision Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer said “I’m delighted that MCE Insurance will be the title sponsor of the 2009-2012 British Superbike Championship.
“BSB provides the greatest promotional platform for any bike-related product in the UK already and MCE have confirmed this with their long-term commitment and determination to use it in their strategy to become the UK’s number one provider of bike insurance.”
The first BSB weekend under MCE colours will take place August 9th at Brands Hatch.
With the onset of the hot summer months, the major motorbike manufacturers are beginning to reveal their new models for the year. With so much competition now with top end sports bikes, there is little to separate the different makes and models other than cost and personal preference.
Regarding the costs, it’s not just the face value of the motorbike to take into consideration but also variables like fuel consumption and insurance cover. To help with this, online motorbike insurance comparison website Insurancewide has compiled a list of the most popular one litre sports bikes and how much insurance quotes have been relative to each other.
These figures not only show which bikes are normally cheaper to ensure, but also gives an insight into what it may be like to own and maintain one. European manufacturers are renowned for difficulty in finding spare parts and are a common target for thieves. Insurers are obviously expecting a higher number of claims from owners of these motorbikes and this is indicated by the figures below:
Bike Make and Model (% difference compared to the top ranked bike)
MV Augusta F4 1000 R
Suzuki GSXR 1000 K9 (+5%)
Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade (+10%)
Yamaha YZF-R1 (+10%)
Aprilia RSV R Mille (+10%)
Kawaksaki ZX10R (+20%)
Ducati 1098 (+100%)
Benelli Tornado TRE 1130 (+110%)
The month of June saw a doubling in bike accident claims on the same month last year, according to specialist insurance broker Footman James.
The reason for the huge surge in claims has been put down to the heatwave experienced across the UK last month. The hot weather led to ideal conditions for inexperienced weekend riders to rush onto the roads, and with the majority of motorists not used to a sudden increase in motorbikes, accidents were almost inevitable.
Motorbike insurance companies are urging motorcyclists to be extra careful when getting back on their motorbikes for the summer months. It’s important to remember the basics, such as being prepared for drivers not looking, and wearing bright protective clothing to make them as visible as possible. It would also not be a bad idea for inexperienced motorcyclists to look into taking advanced riding courses, ensuring as much knowledge being with the rider as possible.
Riders in the West Yorkshire area will be getting on their bikes this month to take part in an annual charity motorcycle challenge organised by local insurance company Bankstone.
In its third year of running, bikers will travel hundreds of miles on monkey bikes on a route through Yorkshire that passes a number of famous film locations, in order to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance service.
17 riders will visit locations such as Piece Hall in Halifax, the location of Brassed Off, the Cow and Calf Rocks at Ilkley (Calendar Girls), and Aysgarth Falls (Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves).
Monkey bikes – low powered motorbikes manufactured by Honda and made popular in the 1970s – have a seat height of about 24 inches, giving the rider a crouched appearance. It certainly won’t be comfortable ride for those taking part, but it is undoubtedly for a good cause.
Vehicle background check providers HPI are issuing a stark warning to motorcycle enthusiasts planning to buy a second hand motorbike this summer. Latest research from HPI suggests as many as 1 in 5 motorbikes currently on the road have a hidden history.
These are worrying figures for the motorbike industry, despite seemingly weathering the current economic downturn – the market has seen a reduction in sales of only 6% on the same time last year, compared to a 24% decline in the sale of cars. The figures suggest vehicle history for a motorbike is more likely to be bad news than that of a car, as criminals like to target high end and powerful motorbikes.
The research shows that outstanding finance is a growing problem within the motorcycle market, with 1 in 10 motorbike checked by HPI showing unpaid finance. This is obviously a major problem for motorbike buyers, as any vehicle with outstanding finance still belongs to the lender meaning the buyer could lose bothh the motorbike and the money they paid for it.
Another major problem that has been highlighted by HPI’s research is the increase in written-off motorbikes reappearing on the roads. The combination of high powered motorbikes and young inexperienced riders leads to a high proportion of accidents resulting in the bike being written off. While some of these write offs can be legitimately fixed by professionals, many return unroadworthy and can present a real danger to the rider and other road users.
This all goes to show that when buying a used motorbike, performing a full HPI check is most important, providing you with a thorough report telling you everything you need to make an informed decision on buying a motorbike.
