Insurance companies (RANT)

So it's renewal time. Cheapest quote was £1,100 (a stupid price, but it was £1,500 last year so at least it's going down...).

Bike is stored in a locked rear private garden, under a cover with a xena disk lock alarm (stupidly loud!). I also park my car parked between the two houses so if you want the bike, you've got the move the car, break through the gate and carry the bike with the alarm going off through a gate barely wide enough.

But they can't put that on my insurance quote, and it's not technically a driveway, so they tell me I have to put it as "on the road". So according to insurance companies, it's cheaper for me to leave the bike at the front of my house next to the road, than in a secure rear garden. WTF!!!

Oh and I finally got a quote for £1,200 which I went ahead with. But the guy was convinced I had an immobiliser saying all bikes from a certain year had the K.I.S.S system manufacturer fitted. I have no flashing red light, and no red key when I bought it from the dealer brand new. So i'm pretty sure i'm going to have to call them back and cancel that policy, as I can't seem to find any proof that I have an immobiliser fitted!

Why is it so difficult

Bike is stored in a locked rear private garden,

Some insurers will class this as a "locked compound" they will ask you a few odd questions like:

is the garden fully fenced. how high are the fences. is there a second route of access that is not locked.. etc.

A locked compound is almost as good as a garage. because what they are concerned about is risk. The bike is secured. out of sight. behind a locked gate. etc.

A Honda dealership will be able to confirm if the bike has HISS. the giveaway is normally a chipped key fob. so.. you can only turn on the engine with this and an ordinary key.. cut at any locksmith will not work. the red warning may have been disabled.. as I can do on my bike.

You do not get a red key anymore.

Does the key look like this? (mine which is chipped)

I don't have a driveway, just a footpath that goes to a secure rear garden, no issues with Bikesure, give them a try nothing to lose

I don't have a driveway, just a footpath that goes to a secure rear garden, no issues with Bikesure, give them a try nothing to lose

I tried Bikesure, they are the ones that have said I have an immobiliser and i'm not sure if I do, I may have to call and cancel the policy before it starts. Emailed the dealer just to check. Bikesure luckily have given a discount for stored on private property. Although the guy on the phone was trying to convince me to store the bike in the house or buy myself a shed to lower it further. If I do have an immobiliser, then I just need to buy myself a "sold secure gold"/ thatham lock (don't think the xena is certified) as he added that as a condition to my policy to lower it down.

If you're convinced bit won't get nicked from your secure garden, some people just tell them it's in a garage to bring the premium down.

You do not get a red key anymore.

Does the key look like this? (mine which is chipped)

P1010066.JPG

Sorry, it's KISS (Kawasaki) not HISS (Honda). Wasn't aware they didn't give red keys anymore so maybe I do have one after all!

Here's my key... If you happen to know anything about kwaks...

I suppose that the bike would make a difference, but mine is only secured with 2 chains and an alarmed disc lock, trouble with insurance is there are so many variables that affect the prices, and they change monthly and are subject to statistics during the month, have a phone around and see if you can get some better deals, also worth playing them off against each other, well such and such offered me this or well so and so only want x amount for similar cover, best of luck

I saw K.I.S.S and thought it was a typo.

This is why its a good idea to put your bike on your profile.

It looks like it might be chipped. Best to see a Kwak dealer. what does your owners manual say?

It looks like it might be chipped. Best to see a Kwak dealer. what does your owners manual say?

No mention of an immobiliser or KISS at all. I've emailed my local dealer and the main customer support for kwak. So i'll see if they can shed any light on the matter.

If you're convinced bit won't get nicked from your secure garden, some people just tell them it's in a garage to bring the premium down.

DO NOT DO THIS might as well.tell them its locked in a police station on 24 armed guard

As if it gets nicked they will want to know where it was nicked from and if it's not where your telling them is was then they wont pay out . All it takes is one person to say no the bike was parked there all the time never in the garage

If you're convinced bit won't get nicked from your secure garden, some people just tell them it's in a garage to bring the premium down.

DO NOT DO THIS might as well.tell them its locked in a police station on 24 armed guard

As if it gets nicked they will want to know where it was nicked from and if it's not where your telling them is was then they wont pay out . All it takes is one person to say no the bike was parked there all the time never in the garage

Yeah i'm a pretty "by the book" person so I wouldn't anyway. That's why i'm going through all this hassle to try and confirm KISS and double check my alarm is "sold secure gold", I guess anyone else would just save themselves the headache and assume the insurance company is correct.

Pretty much run out of all my google power now. So it looks like i'll just wait until my dealership emails me back. Spent all day dealing with insurance so i'm really hoping it does have one, just so I don't have to call anyone up again. I need a beer now

Just renewed my insurance as I have just moved and had similar experience with the location description of where the bike is “regularly kept”. I live in a block of flats with remote controlled electric gates & CCTV, to the “luxury development” and the bike is kept in the additionally gated underground garage below the flats - also accessed by remote control fob different to the main gates.

When checked the insurance companies definition of garage it is described as “a brick or concrete structure solely accessible to the policy holder”. I rang the company and said that where it was stored now was in my opinion more secure than the 25 year old garage in a row with an up and over door where the bike has been kept for the last year.

Oh no sorry but as it’s a communal garage we will have to class it as “on road”. What about “driveway” as it’s an allocated parking space just for my use ? Again no doesn’t fit. Ok have it your way, what’s the implications/ cost difference then - we will put your excess up from £350 to £575, but the premium is the same

Guess i'm back on the phone in the morning to cancel that policy. At least now I know for sure in the future I suppose!

Insurance is a lottery for sure. My CBR costs me 230 quid to insure fully comp with one years NCB and I only passed my test last month. That's kept in a garage with an Oxford HD Chain.

Sure they just make prices up.

Dave

Had a little more luck today. Called up Bikesure, removed KISS from my security and no increase in premium (because why would removing an anti-theft device make a difference to the price...). The lock I already have I managed to confirm as "sold secure gold" which was another prerequisite for the policy.

Premium stayed at £1,300 for the year but whatever. I sort of knew what I was getting myself into pricewise last year when I bought a brand spanking new bike on my brand spanking new cat A license. I was hoping for a slightly more significant drop but then I still pay £700 on a car with 9 years NCB, so I shouldn't have been too optimistic.

Good for another year Just need to get out on the bike this weekend to remind myself it's all worth it

Insurance is a lottery for sure. My CBR costs me 230 quid to insure fully comp with one years NCB and I only passed my test last month. That's kept in a garage with an Oxford HD Chain.

Sure they just make prices up.

Dave

Insurance costs does hugely depend on the area you live in, if the area you live in has more accidents then the premiums would reflect that, even with you being the safest rider in the UK, it's the idiots around you that is driving the costs up.

Still sounds a lot of money. Did you insure for limited mileage to bring it down further?

Still sounds a lot of money. Did you insure for limited mileage to bring it down further?

Yep. 3000 mile max. No pillions. Datatag. Approved security device. Not my first rodeo with insurance, tried all the tricks like playing with job titles ect. Tried all the comparison sites (although I'm sure they all used pretty much the same system) and a bunch of brokers directly.

Stick it in a garage would half it. Third party only would quarter it. Supposedly the first 3 years are the most expensive for brand new bikes so maybe in a coupe years it will drop significantly, who knows