The trials and tribulations for motorcyclists of a certain age

I have been a keen motorcyclist since I was old enough to gain a licence, with a lifetime working in insurance. Having now entered that time of life when obtaining insurance can become more difficult, I shall share with you the variables that you need to know to ensure you can continue enjoying motorcycle riding.

Let us assume you have a classic insurance policy, but no other. You decide to buy a replacement motorcycle and it is a classic, too. Then your insurer will simply transfer the cover across to the new one. Perhaps it is an additional bike, so you will insure both on the same policy. If it is a modern bike you have acquired, then you can ask the insurer whether they would be willing to add it to your classic insurance. Some companies will, some will not. So what do you do? You ask the SAME insurer to grant you a modern bike policy. They should do so. After all, you are – and have been – their client for a while, they know you and your record, so it is unlikely that they will refuse.

Now, let us for a moment assume you are 80 or older. You still have your classic bike and have continued the insurance despite it not being used. After all, classic insurance is the cheapest form of cover available, your bike could be stolen, or be in a fire – or have that roll of roofing felt fall on to it from the shelf above!

So you ask the insurer to replace your classic with the modern bike. Subject to the fact that insurers do not necessarily cover all makes and models (so check before buying the bike), they should agree to doing the switch, but it may be to a ‘modern bike’ policy. So, while your classic has never attained a No Claims Bonus, it is likely that an introductory bonus reflecting your good record will be applied in such circumstances.

Consider now the situation where you are 80 or older, with no present bike insurance as you sold your bike or refused to pay the premium – or maybe wish to have a final ‘fling’ before it is angel’s wings that will make you fly! You definitely have a problem. Insurers have different age ranges when it comes to insuring cars – and/or motorcycles. However, Lynbrook (which advertises in this publication) will offer insurance to new clients under the age of 80 where their record is good and the motorcycle is kept in a locked building when at home.

If there is a moral to all of this it is – and it applies to cars as well as motorcycles – once you are getting close to 80, make sure you have insurance in place and do not stop it. I know that Lynbrook has a policy of never refusing cover to an existing client, no matter what their age is. I believe this is the normal practice in the marketplace, or used to be. Of course, you need to be with a company that does not go out of business either, so beware of the ‘cheapies’. Lynbrook has traded for 50 years within the same family ownership.

For clarity I should add that I am the director of Lynbrook Insurance Services Ltd which specialises in the insurance of modern and classic motorcycles, sidecar combinations, and modern and classic motorcars. They do NOT transact any other form of insurance. On a personal basis, when our office was further away than currently (around eight miles) I commuted every day on a 1961 BSA Bantam. I still use classic bikes and also have a modern BMW but ride less frequently. Martin Pagett, ACII, CertPFS, FinstSMM, Lynbrook Insurance Services Ltd