Insurance News

No matter where you live there is always that one man or woman revving their motorbike on a weekend evening that leaves you wishing that they would fall off it or at least go somewhere else to make such a noise but there always seem to be more crawling out of the cracks on summer evenings. This is especially true of those evenings with beautiful sunsets, warm temperatures and plenty of people with their windows open! Of course, you may have a completely different perspective of this if you have a motorbike but then you are entitled to if you have motorbike insurance that is valid. It is a sad fact that many of those on the road on summer evenings do not.

Speaking of which, motorbike insurance policies do not just apply to those bikes out on the road that are considered to be motorbikes. It also applies to mopeds, dirt bikes and any other form of bike that happens to be on the road at any given time. If you are in charge of a vehicle on the road and it is not insured then you are breaking the law. You absolutely have to have full insurance in place if you do not want your bike confiscated should the police stop you, which is exactly what they are doing in several areas, so reports suggest. Many youths are taking to careering up and down country roads without cover. If that applies to you or anyone you know then it is time to start getting getting quotes!

Anyway, after that little diversion, it is worthy of note that riding a motorbike on a summer evening is absolutely fantastic, especially if you have an open road in front of you but you should also consider the hazards that come with it. Although there will not be any ice and is unlikely to be any real surface water, there will be a low sun at some point and that can seriously jeopardise your ability to see any obstacles in your way. As an experienced biker, I am sure that you are aware of this potential problem in advance but some get a little complacent from time to time so a quick reminder of the issue is never a bad thing.

Whatever you ride and wherever you go on your summer jaunts, stay safe and enjoy every moment of the open road!

It is a well known fact that motorbikes come off worse in a crash than cars do, or more importantly bikers come off far worse than drivers do. As a result, if you are aware of the statistics, you probably take car of your motorbike and play it safe on the roads to safeguard your life as well as your motorbike insurance. However, there are too many that do not do so. They love speed, take unnecessary chances and fail to think of others on the road. Insurers recognise that there is an imbalance, as do safety teams. As such, you are likely to find that motorbike insurance companies and community health and safety teams are providing safety campaigns in your area in the coming months.

For example, a motorbike safety campaign in Bedfordshire has recently been started. It initially put up signs along dangerous areas of road to let bikers know exactly when they were hitting the most problematic stretches. This was designed to warn them to be careful and has actually worked to reduce the number of accidents on the roads there. There have also been campaigns that have got famous bikers involved to warn others on the road of the dangers that motorbikes present. Several have actually provided advice along the lines of sticking to speed limits and obeying the rules of the road to the letter.

Of course, all of the above motorbike insurance safety campaigns are all well and good but you have to actually play your part too if you are to keep your premiums low and maintain your safety on the road. You should keep an eye on your speed at all times. You should never see your speed as a way to get ahead as overtaking is problematic. You should never take risks and chances when out on the road. All three of these points may sound a little patronising but they are all completely true… and also all points that may bikers ignore.

Motorbike insurance is one of those things that you absolutely need to be on the road but you also need your life and taking unnecessary risks could see you lose the latter. In truth, we should not need these safety campaigns to know how to ride on the open road but often they serve as a reminder that complacency is never a good thing. Enjoy the road, but respect it as well.

Motorbike insurance providers are often accused of charging premiums that are too high for bikers all over the UK today, especially given how much premiums have gone up in recent months. However, they have gone up no more than insurance for all other categories of vehicles if you take a look at the stats and, in many cases, the high premiums may be the faults of the motorbike owners. This may be a little controversial but it is true.

Take, for example, cheap car insurance. We all know that it is necessary to make sure that a car is secure overnight in a garage or at least off the road. We all know that it is necessary to have security measures installed wherever possible. We all know that it is necessary to make sure that it is in full running condition so as to prevent accidents. However, a survey a couple of months ago found that bikers were not taking the same precautions. Just changing the way you are with your bike can therefore generate cheaper motorbike insurance.

Are you a huge bike fan? If you are then you probably have at least one or two bikes tucked away in the garage at the moment. You may even be working on one of them, adding bits here and there to improve it or even fix it if it didn’t work when you bought it. However, something you might not realise is the fact that this could put your motorbike insurance policy in jeopardy.

If you have insured the bike that you are customising then you may need to have a word with your insurer when you are done. If not then you will need to tell them that you have modified it prior to accepting a quote. Customisation can put your premiums up because it can make it more likely that you will have an accident if the balance of the bike is thrown off. It is the same principle with modified cars. Checking takes a few minutes but is far better than finding out that you are not isured after an accident.

Well, motorbike fans, that time of year is here again. The last few days have seen the first frosts of winter and weather warnings about theicy and rather treacherous state of the roads. I also witnessed my neighbour from over the road hit a patch of ice and skid on Sunday morning. Normally I would have offered to help him but as he’d been revving it on his drive for a solid 90 minutes from 8am onwards I just laughed. Sorry – had to get that off mychest! Inconsiderate so and so.

There is a serious point to be made about motorbike insurance on icy roads though. If you have third party insurance then you are not covered if there is damage to your bike through adverse weather conditions. Motorbike insurance companies may also contest a claim on the basis that you were being careless or reckless. As such, you should be careful at all times and check your coverage just in case.

Motorbike insurance is following the same pattern as car insurance at the moment – heading up and up and up. Whether you have a motorbike as your main vehicle or as a hobby in addition to your main vehicle, you may have found out to your cost that your premiums will go up over the next year. Whether you feel that you can still afford the car insurance quotes that you have been given or not, there are measures you can take to reduce the cost of riding a motorbike.

One of the main things you can do to reduce motorbike insurance costs is to change the motorbike you ride. Some models are particularly expensive and you can check which ones they are by looking at insurance groups. From there, you can choose a motorbike that is cheaper to insure. Of course, comparing car insurance quotes is also an excellent way to reduce your premiums and you can do so right here at Powerseeker.

Motorbike insurance rules have become a little bit blurred in recent years, largely thanks to the fact that nobody seems to talk about them. We all know the rules about driving a car with a provisional license and indeed the restrictions as to who is allowed to supervise but do you know the rules of the road regarding motorbikes and mopeds?

In fact, you are only able to use a moped on the road if you have a provisional license only if it meets certain criteria. For example, the moped must have an engine of no more than 50cc. It must be rode at a speed of no more than 50kh/h (or 31mph) and you must have completed a basic training course (compulsory basic training  or CBT) by an approved training body (ATB) and achieved the resultant DL 196 certificate. You will also need appropriate motorbike insurance. Failing to take note of any of these points would invaliate so check out the requirements sooner rather than later.

If you are planning on learning how to ride a motorbike or have already started to without yet passing your test then you should make sure that you have appropriate motorbike insurance behind you because the police in certain areas are now starting ttake a tougher stance on bike riders. A survey revealed that learners either do not have appropriate insurance or fail to get any motorbike insurance at all. This is of course illegal and is costing the insurance providers millions every year. It also means that people are on the road that should not necessarily be there.

Check out whether or not you have an appropriate level of insurance as a learner. If you do not have inurance then you already know it and should look into getting a good policy sooner rather than later. If you do not do so then you face points on your license and a fine.

Motorbike insurance is much like car insurance in that it comes in many different shapes and sizes. There is comprehensive insurance, third party, various add ons and all manner of extras in there. Of course, this all depends on the different insurers that you choose to look at because different insurers will have different features. However, if you want to ride your bike anywhere but the road you may not be insured under any of the motorbike insurance options you look at.

Off road scrambling is a rush and many bikers love to do it every now and again but only select policies actually cover off road activities because it is much more dangerous and the likelihood is that the bike will get a little damaged, or even totalled if you hit a particularly rough patch of the road. Make sure that your cover is comprehensive and covers wherever you choose to take your bike before you ride it.