Looking for an insurance company to insure experienced (40 plus years riding) rider and touring Honda 700cc bike.Anyone had any good/bad experiences with insurance companies for motorcycles. Thanks in advance for what I know will be good advice.
I'm also with the 'Züri' and some years ago drove into a stone wall in a snow storm. The car was a write off. The first vehicle on the scene was a Zurich agent who used his mobile to sort a tow truck and hire car. How do they do that??
I've done a search of the forum, but couldn't find anything, so...
I'm hoping to buy a motorbike soon, but want to work out all the costs first. Obviously insurance is going to be a big one, as it will be my first bike (I passed the test in the UK last year before moving over here).
Looking at Comparis.ch they have car insurance, but not motorbike insurance, so does anyone have any experience of Swiss insurers which specialise in motorbike insurance? Are there any comparison sites which compare motorbike insurance?
Finally (possibly being slightly optimistic here ), does anyone know if I can use a UK car no-claims discount when insuring a motorbike?!
I checked zurich, allianz24, and AXA-winterthur. Zurich and allianz24's rates and services were similar, but that included a ~250CHF "Saisonrabatt" from Zurich. So I went with allianz24 in case that rabatt ever disappears.
(Details: BMW R1150GS with full collision insurance)
My next door neighbour is an ALBA agent - zero hassle (so far) - no arguements, no complicatons (also so far). Only been vandalized once and a small crash. House and kids also thru these guys - so easy to get complete cover in my case.
Its interesting that here everything seems to be through the same big insurance companies. In the UK there seem to be a lot more specialist insurers, such as Bennetts who just do motorbike insurance.
The problem with insurers like Bennetts is that they can offer you cheaper than you paid at your last insurer. (In my case, Carol Nash) Then when you agree to take the insurance, right at the end of the deal (just before you pay) they then offer you all the extras which you thought were included. (Legal, hospital, accessories insurance etc) You end up paying more than they originally quoted and what you were paying at your last insurer. Don't you just love that?
Anyway, in CH I took insurance with Allianz as they seem to be about the same as Zurich only the guy who set it all up for me speaks good English and is easy to deal with. I also enjoy a discount because I use the same insurer for our apartment and car. (He's a member of EF so PM me if you want his details). In my case, he would not take into consideration any NCD earned in the UK but did account for 5 years with no accidents etc. Be warned, I found insurance in CH is more expensive than the UK....... (But I do think you get more and better cover)
If I can be any help, please PM me and I'll be happy to try and answer your questions or direct you to someone who does know.
(My details: 33 years old, Yamaha R1, Full cover including european breakdown - 1200CHF)
Hi, i think this may be a difficult one to answer, ill be moving to Switzerland and bringing my british registered motorbike with me. However i dont want to change the plates (UK) to Swiss ones on it for at least 6 months, but my UK insurer will not keep insuring the bike for this length of time. Does anyone know if its possible to insure the bike in Switzerland on UK plates ?
This has been dicussed a few times and people have had mixed experiences. I was unable to insure my bike with UK plates through my insurance company while others have been able to. I think Winterthur has been mentioned as being willing to do this.
Here are some figures that I found when asking around a month ago to insure a 2 year old Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS, as a learner rider aged 48yrs (yes with the male menopause). Cheapest was the Basler at CHF 475.80 including a 84.50 reduction on my car insurance as I am with them already. Then there was the TCS at 505.50, but I wasnt sure if I absolutely had to be a member (I'm not any more, and membership costs about CHF 60.00 year). Then Mobiliar at 557.79, Vaudoise at 612.30 (Stop and Go restricted use in winter), Axa-Winterthur at 774.30, Generali 986.80, Zurich Connect 1082.10 and lastly Allianz at 1227.20. Not surprisingly I went for Basler. Hope that helps someone.