Motorbike insurance - when is the licence valid from?

[FraserG]

My bike insurance is up for renewal soon, and the renewal quote is being based on a 7 month old licence as that's when I upgraded my licence from a learner licence to a full bike licence. However, when I did my insurance last year (as a learner), they took the licence date as being from when I passed my car test (2009 - the time I became eligible to ride a bike on L-Plates).

So I was wondering what you lot do (assuming you've ever encountered the same situation) or what you would do? It seems from the argument I had last night on the phone is that my licence (and by association my 'riding experience') is limited to 7 months as that's the date on the licence despite the fact that I've been regularly riding for 2 years.

Anyone got any thoughts/comments to guide me pretty please?

[Kingy]

Despite having bike classification on my driving license from when I passed all those years ago (Not as many as JJ though - he's 52 you know ) I was only classed as having a 'motorcycle license' for insurance purposes when I passed my motorcycle test and insured a motorcycle.

It was treated as a seperate entity to the car license - So fresh start. Couldn't carry my full no claims over and my driving experience counted for nowt.

That determined which motorbike I bought. I wanted a Honda CBR600 but a years insurance was £2,600. I went for a Kawasaki ZZR600 with a Kwak deal to drop the insurance to £1,100 for a year as long as I used a specific lock etc. It took a few years to get bike insurance down to a respectable price despite all those years with a car licence which had bike classification.

[FraserG]

I can understand it being treated as separate to the car in some aspect as the two vehicle types are different, but I would have thought they'd take it from the CBT date (if you did a CBT) as the 'this is the point they started riding on two wheels' rather than 'who cares if they rode on l-plates for 5 years, they only passed 2 months ago so they only have 2 months riding exp.'

Those are crazy amounts of money for bike insurance, that Honda quote is more than I've ever paid for car insurance (even in my first year as a newly newly qualified driver!). I hope my NCBs will help bring it down when I finally get my hands on a bigger bike otherwise I might be saving up for the bike and the insurance eek

[Kingy]

They didn't for me. I did my CBT in September then passed my test in the December '97. Spent a few months looking at bikes and getting insurance quotes before ordering the Kwak ZZR600 which was delivered on 1st Aug 1998 (for the new reg back then). Did hire bikes in the meantime to get experience. The insurance company paid no attention to anything before 1/8/98.

The ££ amounts were ridiculous. Think it dropped to £980 the second year as I stayed with Kawasaki insurance (Chandler Direct) as no one else could touch them.

[FraserG]

Seem like an excuse to charge more for you being 'inexperienced' on the face of it. Those prices are even worse if they're for the 90's! I finally managed to bully mine down (or maybe they bullied me up I'm never quite sure) around £220 which was 100 cheaper than the original renewal quote but still on a December licence
Hopefully it'll all get cheaper next year after I've turned 25 for the car and the bike.

[jollyjoiner]

Well I passed my test that long ago I can't remember lol.
And it's 48 Kingy not 50 fecking 2 hahahaha.

I would have thought that they would only take it from when you had a full license no matter how long ago you'd done your CBT.

I think you just have to suck it up and pay up pal lol

[FraserG]

Money grabbing bar stewards that they are. Not as if they aren't rich enough

[Kingy]

(07-18-2016, 08:58 AM)FraserG Wrote: Money grabbing bar stewards that they are. Not as if they aren't rich enough

Absolutely.

Because my car has a 3.5 Litre V6 Engine my insurance company (Aviva) have a 'High Performance Loading' of £500.   There is no reason for this. I've got full protected no claims (never claimed) and the car is a Lexus not a fecking Ferrari. If it's still inplace come renewal in November then I'll be voting with my feet and taking our multi car policy elsewhere. 

Wouldn't mind but I had a right run around with them last renewal. I got quotes as a new customer to them online (just under £700 for two cars) then their renewal came through at £990! I got alternative quotes and told them bye. (I neglected to tell them that my alternative quotes were £800!). They phoned me on the 11th hour and said they couldn't replicate my quotes/prices on their system - so I read them out over the phone (I'd printed them off*). It took 40 mins to sort as I was repeatedly put on hold as yer man spoke to his manager  but they honoured my just under £700. What a load of bollocks for a returning customer who hasn't made a claim. It's a stupid policy to offfer best deals to new (unknown) customers whilst trying to fleece repeat business.  


*If you get an online quote print it off. Don't just save it online. Aviva allow you save quotes online, but if the prices go up - so does your saved quote! Seriously. Cheating bastids. I went to check my quotes when arguing with them and they had altered and gone up to just under £800 - despite originally being a hundred pounds less and allegedley held for 30 days. Had I not printed them off when I got them I would have had no quote breakdown to strong arm them into the cheaper price.

[FraserG]

That was similar to my situation with Hastings Direct for the bike. As a new customer, I could get insurance for the price I eventually got it but on the renewals system it was over £300. Same thing with the cars in April, we (Doris and I) have a multi-car with Admiral, but a new quote was over 150 cheaper than the renewal

Didn't know that about online quotes though - that's a very sneaky move! It's no wonder call centre staff have low job satisfaction when they have to deal with people that are effectively being ripped off by their businesses and the only way to get a proper price is to get seemingly annoyed at them.