Warning of motorcycle insurance creeping clauses

This is a warning to all motorcycle riders to check their insurance terms carefully.

I have been riding and insuring motorcycles for some 35 years now and have always been able to declare the bike as garaged. In the beginning this meant a simple decrease in premium, they trusted you to be sensible and put it in the garage most of the time.

A few years ago a clause was introduced that this declaration meant that the bike MUST be IN the garage between the hours of 10pm to 6am if at the premises or it was not insured.

Last year the clause changed to increase the excess if the bike was stolen or damaged within 500m of the premises at any time.

This year the bike is NOT covered AT ALL if it is not in the LOCKED garage and within 500m of the premises at any time.

This means if you UNLOCK your garage door for any reason and your bike is stolen you are not insured. If you leave your bike out to dry after washing it and your bike is stolen you are not insured.

If you leave you bike outside after getting home and go into the house to open the garage to put it in and your bike is stolen you are not insured.

There is no way round this clause so keep an eye open for anyone watching when you come home and don’t leave your bike out of the unlocked garage for any reason.

You can’t even not declare that the bike is kept in a garage because if you declare it as being kept on the drive and keep it in a garage you have made a false declaration and therefore your whole insurance is invalid!

I don’t know what the stats are for bikes being stolen outside home garages but suppose this is just another way of insurance companies making sure they don’t have to pay out…..

 

 

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