Motorcycle insurance: Down to one insurer?

J-blk

Hope this is the right forum, if not, mods please move it....

Ok, after living in Ireland for 5 years and being bikeless, carless, etc, I've decided to take the plunge and get myself a bike again (I really, really don't want a car)....

So, off to the bank for a loan and I was planning on getting a Suzuki DL 650 2005 model... Now, I hold a full A licence from an EU member state but can't transfer no claims bonuses.... I'm 27 and checked out online quotations with Hibernian. It would cost me around 1700 for TPO for the first year at least but I decided to take the plunge....

Now, I was going to be shopping for the bike this week (the loan came through) so I thought I'd check the insurance as well while I'm at it, only to find this on their site:

"Please Note: We regret that as Hibernian General Insurance Ltd is withdrawing from the motorcycle insurance market, we will not be in a position to offer cover to new customers after 30 June 2005 and quotations are valid only up to close of business on that date. Any policies taken out before 30 June 2005 will not be offered renewal the following year. Thank you for your enquiry. If you would like more information please click here".

It's at:

http://services.hibernian.ie/direct/HibernianDirectWeb/mcycle_assum.jsp

WTF?

So, it's not bad enough that motorcycle riders get screwed as it is (I used to ride a Kawasaki KLE 500 5 years ago with an annual insurance of around 300 Euro), there is now only ONE insurer in Ireland for bike insurance?

What happens then if Carole Nash decides to go the same way? You CAN'T insure a bike in Ireland? What happens to everyone who has a bike, bike dealers in general, etc?

Since Carole Nash will be a true monopoly then, what stops them making up any kind of crazy pricing scheme they wish to have?

I'm just worried that if I do go ahead and buy a new bike now, in a year's time I won't be able to get it insured and have it sit idle...

Anyone know more on the insurance company developments?

Chalk

axa do bike insurance now
aon have changed so they can insure you without going through a dealer - axa brokers tho
and cn still offer insurance as you mentioned.

theres a big thread about it a few pages back

J-blk

Thanks Chalk - that's encouraging to hear. Any chance you can link to the thread in question?

Chalk

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=260108&highlight=hibernian

not as big as i thought :rolleyes:
but some info there anyway

J-blk

Thanks again - I'll have a read through it .

gooliver

Does anybody know who does motorcycle courier insurance? Thanks

saobh_ie

Nobody?

I heard Hib were the only ones doing commerical bike insurance but I assume one of the others will, or will be forced to, take up the slack.

Failing that all of the bike couriers out there are going to have to start doing couriering as a hobby. =]