Personal travel insurance to cover motorbikes over 125cc
Replies: 18 - Last Post: Feb 15, 2012 5:12 PM Last Post By: bluesdude777
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Personal travel insurance to cover motorbikes over 125cc
Hi, I'm setting off for a year or so's travel before long and wondering where I can get my personal travel insurance, ie. good medical cover, that will cover me to ride motorbikes over 125cc?I'm a very experienced full british motorbike license holder and will want to hire trail bikes upward of 250cc to get off the beaten tourist tracks. I'm thinking of renting from a place and doing a looped circuit of a few days at a time, before returning the bike and moving by bus/train/plane to next destination and then renting again. I won't be doing this constantly, but from time to time throughout the travels.
All the policies I've looked at from worldnomad amongst many others will only insure up to 125cc and does not include touring. I don't know if what I describe above would come under the term touring or not.
Can anyone offer any advice. I'd want to be covered well for medical assistance in case I busted myself up on an island somewhere and need flying back to Bangkok etc. As I said, I'm an experienced rider (over 25yrs riding throughout Europe) and class myself as a good motorcyclist, but I'd want to be well covered for the risks that are involved.
I find it strange that all the policies I looked at only cover up to 125cc, but gives no stipulation as to whether you have any experience etc., and that some of the other things that are covered seem equal if not higher risk factor than getting about on motorised two wheels.
Thanks, Martin
Edited by: bluesdude777
Edited by: bluesdude777
Edited by: bluesdude777
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The only one I know for motorbikes over 250cc is True Traveller Insurance who sell online. They did some insurance last year for my brother who rented a Harley and rode all round Australia.4
I find it strange that all the policies I looked at only cover up to 125ccGiven the people that rent big bikes in Thailand, the injury/ death rate is probably too high to make it worth while covering them.
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There's also www.bikerstravelinsurance.co.uk who do long stay stuff I think for bikers.... may just be Europe though....8
http://www.direct-travel.co.uk/travel-insuranceThese cover you on any size motorcycle as long as you hold the full licence to drive one in the UK.
I am currently using a different insurance company but its the same thing with them too, I will look to see who they are when I go back to my room and let you know.
As I spend 5 months riding motorcycles non stop in Asia every year I only use companies that offer me the full proper cover
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Hey guys, I think I've found the cheapest cover that includes motorbikes of any cc, license held of course. Their cover is really good and is underwritten by Lloyds.I'm 50 and 12months is costing around £340, my partner is 35 and is costing just £205. Many policies offer the same cover but costs more for just one person than it does for the above prices added together. The savings will pay for one of our plane tickets!
The company is "Navigator travel insurance", I think its really worth checking out if you want motorbike cover or not.
Thanks for all the tips etc.
Edited by: bluesdude777
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I don't understand that, I thought I'd need personal accident cover to get the medical, but I'll ring before I buy though to check.Maybe personal accident means motorbike insurance, which I'd take out from the bike rental places. Its the medical cover in the case of an accident that I want cover for, so it all looks good to me.
Plane tickets bought today, we now have a date to work to. . . yeay!
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Yeah, I've been in touch with the Navigator travel insurance, it is just what I was expecting, coverage for medical expenses in the event of an accident, and yes its an amazing price, the amount we save on 2 policies will more than cover one of our airfares. The cover does cover motorbike gear such as helmets and clothing, but of course not the bike itself. It seems a bit to good to be true, but I've checked all the details and its all good. I've found one or two reviews from customers that seem to back this up well, and their website seems very open and clear about what is and isn't covered. Many other sites you have to wade through loads of small print jargon that is difficult to understand. I'm sold and will be buying this insurance in the next couple of days.I understand that I need to buy insurance for the motorbike at the point of rental as is available from reputable rental firms. I've seen all the advice on not renting from the beach boyz, not buying fuel from the roadside vendors, only from reputable petrol stations (though how realistic this will be when in rural areas, I don't know?), and as mentioned above, never hand over a passport when renting a motorbike, which opens you up for blackmail scams for claimed damage to the bike.
Thanks for your comments Chris, and others on this thread. Hopefully this thread will point a few people with similar interests to some good cheap insurance, which almost seems like a contradiction in terms!
Cheers, Martin
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it says that to hand your passport over to the rental shop is standard practice even amongst reputable rental companies as the motorbikes are not insuredYes, pretty standard practice ever since the first mug did so. There has been heaps of posts about this, but as soon as you leave your passport you are open to the ol' motorbike scam- feel lucky?
Ever heard of hire companies in Europe/ USA etc requiring a passport as security??? Why would they need more than a copy of your PP if it was only as a record of your identity? Even in Thailand it is possible to alert the border officials if someone has absconded with property.
Be advised that if you travel in Thailand without your passport you will not be able to get ( decent ) accomodation, and if you have a problem involving the police you are in the doodoo, as it is a REQUIREMENT to have you passport with you when travelling.
motorbikes are not insured
Which is why the scam is so lucrative. In Thailand, a scratch is worth thousands!
go directly to the tourist police.
Good one bluesdude, had a big laugh at that one. The Tourist Police are just as likely to be in collusion with the scammers as the regular plod.
