First time Insurance for 125cc

[NE150N80]

Hi All

 

Ahead of taking my CBT in a few weeks time, I just wanted to ask for opinions on insurance firms. I'll be looking at a policy which allows social and commuting use.

 

I'm going to gather a range of quotes, but it's also good to go via recommendations

 

Thanks!

[peatear]

BeMoto and Bikesure were good for me but so much can vary with insurance.
Best off getting your quotes and seeing what the results are.

Once you have online quotes,  come back with them and the comapanies giving them and people can

give more relative experience with specific insurers.
Then ring some of the better ones to see if they can beat others.

 

Chances are your cheapest will be MCE, but their excess is... EXCESSIVE (for me it was £4000, which was £1000 more than the bikes worth). And they're awful to make claims with (i've heard).

[dynax]

Bikesure has been the best for me and you also get a discount for forum  members

[NE150N80]

This alone is great feedback guys!

 

Peatear - I've heard the same about MCE so if I'm honest I'll be steering well clear of them.

 

Any other opinions would be very welcome, but I'll start to gather quotes, especially from Bikesure and BeMoto

 

Thanks 

[fullscreenaging]

Try a quote from Principal Insurance also.

I've use them in the past as some years they have been the cheapest. I never made a claim with them, so can't tell you how they deal with claims.

You can always look at reviews.

 

https://bike-quotes.principalinsurance.co.uk/

Edited April 1, 2021 by fullscreenaging

[JackieOWheels]

I used MCE for the my 125 and they were indeed the cheapest (only did TP only so no Excess), I also made a non-fault claim not long after I renewed my insurance with MCE and as others have said, MCE were useless, I more or less dealt with the claim with the other insurer to keep the claim moving along. Following year, I changed insurance when I changed to my current bike.

[daveinlim]

Ive used MCE for my 125.

They are by far the cheapest especially having a London postcode. 

 

However be warned. The excess is huge. I have my excess insured by a 3rd party. If I claim from MCE I pay the excess then claim it back from the 3rd party.

 

Also the MCE policies are terrible. Don't expect much pay out if you do crash, need medical attention or legal costs covered. 

 

Finally, their service is poor too. Personally I found even sales staff to be rude. 

 

Other policies are out there with far superior terms. I went with MCE as they were £600 cheaper than the next quote. 

 

Welcome to the forum. Best of luck with the CBT

[Gerontious]

Personally I view insurance as mainly a tax on vehicle.. or more particularly motorbike ownership. where the main incentive is to pay and never claim. in fact it can potentially be financially disastrous to make any kind of claim in your first year. They will absolutely screw you. Firstly you will only get a percentage of the vehicles value... even if its worth claiming. And then they will claw every penny back by massively increasing your premiums for years afterwards.

 

so, my tip is forget about everything and concentrate solely on cost. use the comparison sites and find the cheapest that includes what you want. Then phone them. bear in mind premiums are generated by a computer and will nearly always have discounts built in. They want your business and a person on the end of the phone will 9/10 reduce your premium if you press them for it. "beat this and I'll go with you" kind of attitude will nearly always work.

 

Pay as little as you can and then DO NOT CLAIM, unless you are talking about a total loss. and even then it might be worth thinking twice.

 

what is the point in claiming for £300 worth of damage if the cost for you to repair is £200.. answer - no point at all.

Damage will cost £1000 to repair... again there is little point in claiming if, for instance you have a £500 excess... because they will screw that extra £500 that they pay back from you, it might even be difficult to find any kind of insurance thats even remotely affordable afterwards.

 

You are much better, in my opinion saving on insurance and spending on upping your road skills. spend more on training. and try to avoid the need for making a claim at all costs.

 

Aside from accidental damage the next big worry is theft.. or attempted theft that involves damage.

 

One of the best ways to avoid theft is to keep the bike hidden. how can it be stolen if nobody knows its there? if you can, keep it off road and out of sight of passing traffic.. or people on foot. don't be tempted to 'show it off'. when you get home get it out of sight as quickly as you can. covered or whatever it takes. be aware of spotters.. always have an eye on your mirrors as you approach your home, if you suspect you are being followed, go 'round the block' to be sure. I have had this happen to me twice in the past couple of years. On one occasion I suddenly turned and the car following me braked hard and reversed  to turn into my road, I simply rode the bike round the block and waited and watched this same car pass me... eyes on me. and leave.  I left my road and turned in the opposite direction... and found a sudden need to go pop to a random shop. I didn't see that car again. you have to be so careful.

 

If you get an alarm.. then be sure YOU can hear it as everyone else is more likely to ignore it completely. aside from that I tend to think alarms are pointless. Ive not bothered.

 

just my 2p 20p. £2... or £1000s worth of tips. if others disagree then thats just peachy.

 

but certainly I think that talking about this company versus that company and another is largely pointless. they might have the best customer service on the planet but thats useless if you never claim. or the incentive is to never claim. or claiming will end up destroying any chance for years of insurance being even remotely affordable. worry more about insurance once you pass your test and up your game with a bike of higher value than a second hand 125cc. concentrate solely on getting that first years NCB under your belt.  Its worth having.. and building on. year two and premiums should start to plummet.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Gerontious