The Bikeshite Thread

[DodgeRover]

Bike insurance is one of the few problems I have in life. Although old, living in a nice rural area, some of the quotes I get at renewal time are so wildly different I can spend hours shopping around.

 

Can't find a company that will insure more than 4 bikes on one policy, so I have to have seperate policies to keep them on the road (a 4 bike policy with Carol Nash, a 2 bike policy with Bennetts, 2 single bike policies with Bennetts and a single bike policy with MCE), as this is the cheapest way to do it. I recently sold my twenty year old CBR600, so took that off my Carole Nash policy, and replaced it with my Aprilia RS 250 (worth over 6 times as much as the CBR) so can accept the £51 hike in cover costs. But not the £40 administration fee!

 

Been riding and driving (and insured) for the last 44 years, and never had to make a claim on my own car policy, but had to make two claims on the other parties insurance after being knocked off my bike twice (once in 1986, second time in 2003). Don't drink or smoke now - bikes are my only addiction and expense.

How old is the majority of your fleet? Footman James were happy to have many many bikes on my VMCC policy, will include a couple of moderns if the majority are old.

[Guest Hooli]

is it open again. last time I went past it was shut up.

 

Pub is still dead it seems, I was referring to the road.

[Jerzy Woking]

How old is the majority of your fleet? Footman James were happy to have many many bikes on my VMCC policy, will include a couple of moderns if the majority are old.

 

 

I was really surprised that FJ were so expensive when I asked for a quote in March,  and it is far cheaper to insure my bikes on four seperate policies than on one FJ policy. Maybe it is simply a case of them not wanting my business.

 

The crazy world of motor insurance.

[Guest Hooli]

Depends how mixed your fleet is too, similar bikes get cheaper on multibike but it can be hard for them to find a company that wants to cover different styles of bike all together.

[Jerzy Woking]

Depends how mixed your fleet is too, similar bikes get cheaper on multibike but it can be hard for them to find a company that wants to cover different styles of bike all together.

 

 

Good point - my fleet runs from some twist 'n go scooters (ranging from 110 cc to 400 cc), sports bikes from 125 cc through to 1190 cc, a 1200 cc naked tourer and a 67 year old "classic".

 

I am not one to be pigeon holed.

[Amishtat]

I'll be the first to admit I know fuck all about bikes, but I know what I like when I see it. Just nipped to the Coop and this was outside

[srad34]

The Guzzi's do attract a strange bunch thats for certain   

[hairnet]

dugga dugga pasta pasta

[brandersnatch]

 

I had one of those. In fact I had two. And a T3 and a G5

 

 

One’s too many, ten’s not enough!

[John F]

I had a V50 Monza a long while ago. The electrics melted, surprisingly...

[red5]

Ah, it's been MagetiMarellied™

 

'Magneti Marelli - preventing Internal combustion since 1919'

[Guest Hooli]

Ahh the well known competitor to Lucas & Boyer Breakdown

[brandersnatch]

Mine were all late enough to have Bosch electrics so they were always * reliable.

 

 

One’s too many, ten’s not enough!

[Jerzy Woking]

My Guzzi V1200 Sport has been very reliable, and the only electric woe in the 6 years I have had it was when the starter motor solenoid* wouldn't engage the starter thanks to a ball of dried grease inside which stopped it from working.

 

 

*Of German manafacture no less

[5speedracer]

2000 zzr600 or 2000 Thundercat?

 

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk

[Guest Hooli]

I went to the local TOMCC annual concourse last nght, some very nice bikes there. Also a bloody horrid reliant trike that makes Bub's look well engineered! Also clocked up another pretty number on the way home.

 

[Faker]

2000 zzr600 or 2000 Thundercat?

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Both good bikes and very affordable at present. ZZR is a distance bike. Not earth shattering performance but comfy, and a tad dated now. Thundercat uses slightly more modern technology, and was the forerunner to the R6. YZF thundercat is quite a capable machine, and definitely more chuckable than the zed. I'd have the cat

[John F]

"Thundercat"?

 

Where do they get these names?

 

Most cats I've ever met fuck off under the bed whenever it thunders.

[Guest Hooli]

Always makes me think of this

 

[Eddie Honda]

"Thundercat"?

http://autoshite.com/topic/13782-the-bikeshite-thread/?p=1525292

[John F]

Haha!

[Guest Hooli]

I agree avoid the rush hour if you can. It's no fun at all even when you're not on a strange bike.

[Jazoli]

Stick to the A roads and have some fun, just watch out for speed cameras on a new bike as you might be going faster than you realise!

 

And don't worry you'll be absolutely fine after the first 10 minutes, just remember to keep your elbows bent and your arms loose, don't ride around with straight arms

[Eddie Honda]

largely because I don't fancy hitting the M25 in Friday rush hour.

 

Thoughts?

May I remind you you'll be on a motorcycle FFS.

[Dave_Q]

I would take the A roads too, in fact when i collected my VFR after passing my test i rode it back from Wolverhampton to Huddersfield over the peaks to avoid the motorway.

 

Just make an evening of it, ride for an hour or so and stop for some scran halfway, its near enough the longest day so you will still be back in the light even if you're out till 10.

 

Also, pics pls.

[Guest Hooli]

May I remind you you'll be on a motorcycle FFS.

 

Newish rider, new bike to him = rush hour with the twats on the M25 would be no fun.

 

Besides A roads are more fun to ride anyway.

[John F]

IMO motorways are safer than A roads.

 

A mate of mine that lost his left leg above the knee riding home on an A road after collecting his first big bike would agree with me. He braked coming into a long sweeping corner, due to his inexperience he wasn't expecting the bike to sit up & try to go straight on. He hit a car at a closing speed of approx. 130 mph (i.e. about 65 mph each).

[Eddie Honda]

Newish rider, new bike to him = rush hour with the twats on the M25 would be no fun.

When I was a newish rider, I used to take my L-plates off and go on the M8 Erskine to Edinburgh (and deal with fannies on that, plus it was hard work overtaking lorries). Never got caught.

 

It wasn't fun though, but then it beat having to go through Bathgate...

[UltraWomble]

 it was hard work overtaking lorries

Bit of a giggle on a 125 isnt it - generally OK till you hit thw downdraft off the cab, then its like hitting a brick wall

[Guest Hooli]

I went from the M23 to A12 on the M25 a week after my test, it wasn't fun.