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Europe Topics specific to Western and Eastern Europe, from UK to the Russian border, and south-east to Turkey.
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  #1  
Old 11 Oct 2011
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European and U.K. Insurance

Hi Guys, I am planning to take my V Strom to the U.K.and Europe for the northern summer in 2012. I am at a loss to find a Company to sell me Third Party and Comprehensive Insurance for my bike. Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Regards and Thanks, Mike.
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  #2  
Old 11 Oct 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vstrom10 View Post
Hi Guys, I am planning to take my V Strom to the U.K.and Europe for the northern summer in 2012. I am at a loss to find a Company to sell me Third Party and Comprehensive Insurance for my bike. Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Regards and Thanks, Mike.

Hi Mike,

It might help if you said where you were from, what companies you had turned up in your searches and why they had not been able to help you :-)

You could try

Bike Insurance Quotes | Carole Nash

or

eBike Insurance - Welcome to eBike Insurance

or

Flexirider, The UK’s First Temporary Motorbike Insurance Provider

or maybe even

Paperwork | Horizons Unlimited



I am sure someone will be along with some more info/experience.
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  #3  
Old 11 Oct 2011
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Green card

I've been trying to find cheap insurance as well. The best I came up with is this Italian company at about 50 USD a month --

Ufficio Centrale Italiano/Polizze temporanee di frontiera


Mototouring sells the same insurance as above , plus fee, but in English

How does the European Green Card Insurance work?


I think that maybe asking help from Turkish motorcycle club, green card
insurance in Turkey is really inexpensive and covers all EU.

Carole Nash and all them will want 150 dollars a month.

Bulgaria is also really cheap to buy it in, but you have to be in the country to get it. RTWDoug may have an idea, or his squeeze Poly, about getting it there - I had the idea that maybe someone in Bulgaria might like to set up an online insurance plan for all of us..and take a fee...but it's so inexpensive in Bulgaria it would be well worth it.

Let me know what you find out


Zig
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  #4  
Old 11 Oct 2011
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Thanks Guys,

I am from Australia (NSW) and my bike is registered in NSW and I have a NSW license, and no address in the UK or Europe. My australian insurance does not cover me outside of Australia. Your replies will give me something to do over the next few days. Any suggestions will be gratefully received. Insurance seems to be the only hitch in my plans, so far.

Thanks,
Mike.
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  #5  
Old 12 Oct 2011
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for green card you don't need EU addy

You should be able to sort that online...just is getting expensive now.


Zig
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  #6  
Old 12 Oct 2011
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Originally Posted by vstrom10 View Post
Thanks Guys,

I am from Australia (NSW) and my bike is registered in NSW and I have a NSW license, and no address in the UK or Europe. My australian insurance does not cover me outside of Australia. Your replies will give me something to do over the next few days. Any suggestions will be gratefully received. Insurance seems to be the only hitch in my plans, so far.

Thanks,
Mike.
Looking at the prices quoted on How does the European Green Card Insurance work? , I'd say it was reasonable. At least reasonable compared to the USA :-).

The main thing about insurance price is the risk of large claims, Europe is getting worse and claims are getting higher. This is reflected in the premium required.

Insurance is a bit like petrol, it costs what it costs. When you factor in the cost of getting you and your bike over here, and then look at the insurance cost as a fraction of that, it all comes into perspective.
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  #7  
Old 12 Oct 2011
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and don't forget

w/o insurance - you can't unload/claim/customs your bike from air or ship

Zig
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  #8  
Old 24 Oct 2011
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US citizen Buying a bike in UK insuring it for Europe for 30days?

Hey everyone, me and 3 of my buddies are returning to the United States from deployment in February, and we have planned out a trip throughout Europe. to get it going as fast and cheap as possible we are looking at buying bikes when we land in Dublin not looking to spend more than 3k euro on the bikes, so clearly old/used something that will make the 4k miles. The problem i need help with is How if we just buy bikes when we get there do we get insurance? any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

our trip is as follows
Dublin>Belfast>Giants Causeway>Glasgow>Edinburgh>Leeds>Manchester>liverp ool>Cardiff>Bristol
>Stonehenge>London>Omaha Beach Normandy> Paris> Geneva>Zurich> Vaduz> Milan>Venice>Trieste> Slovenia>Vienna>Prague>Munich>Frankfurt> Luxembourg> Brussels> Amsterdam> London to sell the bikes and fly back stateside.
Total time 25-30 days
Cost in USD($): Bike 4000, one way plane tix 500 (due to chance of extending) food/drinks 650-750, Hostels/housing: 1000, Fuel 550-600, trying to get military space A flight back from RAF Mendenhall

total about 7k can spend more if needed, but really prefer not to!

INSURANCE?!?!??! help!
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  #9  
Old 24 Oct 2011
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Originally Posted by Seversky View Post
Hey everyone, me and 3 of my buddies are returning to the United States from deployment in February, and we have planned out a trip throughout Europe. to get it going as fast and cheap as possible we are looking at buying bikes when we land in Dublin not looking to spend more than 3k euro on the bikes, so clearly old/used something that will make the 4k miles. The problem i need help with is How if we just buy bikes when we get there do we get insurance? any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

our trip is as follows
Dublin>Belfast>Giants Causeway>Glasgow>Edinburgh>Leeds>Manchester>liverp ool>Cardiff>Bristol
>Stonehenge>London>Omaha Beach Normandy> Paris> Geneva>Zurich> Vaduz> Milan>Venice>Trieste> Slovenia>Vienna>Prague>Munich>Frankfurt> Luxembourg> Brussels> Amsterdam> London to sell the bikes and fly back stateside.
Total time 25-30 days
Cost in USD($): Bike 4000, one way plane tix 500 (due to chance of extending) food/drinks 650-750, Hostels/housing: 1000, Fuel 550-600, trying to get military space A flight back from RAF Mendenhall

total about 7k can spend more if needed, but really prefer not to!

INSURANCE?!?!??! help!
Insurance wise, try a few companies in advance now. Get some online quotes. Try Carole Nash

And ( I really don't believe I am doing this after so recent posts in the Bar.... but) try their FB account Insidebikes | Facebook.

If you arrange the bike purchase before arrival, you should be able to arrange the insurance as well.

If you are buying from a dealer, then they should help you with insurance before you arrive.

Paper work will be the main issue, but in the UK once on the database that is usually good enough. CN will email a PDF of the certificate to you.

I think your fuel allowance is a bit low. Depends on what bike you are buying but don't expect more than 45mpg (IMP gallons) and currently we pay between 1.30GBP and 1.45GBP per litre.

When you get near Liverpool, give me a shout. Will be happy to meet up and show you around. There are some good bars to be found.
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  #10  
Old 26 Oct 2011
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hi vstrom10.i shipped my bike from fremantle to the uk earlier this year for a 3 month trip through europe.i bought my greencard insurance through mototouring.no idea who would give comprehensive insurance for your bike though
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  #11  
Old 27 Oct 2011
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how much do i need insurance?

so how badly do i need insurance if i am going to just ride the bike for a month through europe then sell it afterwards? i mean if i dump the bike im just going to say oh well, pick it up and keep riding, or try to find something else to ride. so how often will we get stopped/ do we need it at border crossings?
as always any advice would be appreciated!
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  #12  
Old 27 Oct 2011
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Insurance is not just for you! Its for the other people, their vehicle, their property, if you injure them.
Penalties vary from country to country, but the phrase "locking up & throwing away the key" comes to mind.
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  #13  
Old 28 Oct 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Seversky View Post
so how badly do i need insurance if i am going to just ride the bike for a month through europe then sell it afterwards? i mean if i dump the bike im just going to say oh well, pick it up and keep riding, or try to find something else to ride. so how often will we get stopped/ do we need it at border crossings?
as always any advice would be appreciated!
Ask yourself how pissed off you would be if an uninsured driver/rider crashed into you.

In Europe (the EU bit) you will not see any border crossing, apart from entering the UK. But it is *very* likely that you will be stopped by the police and asked for it at any time. And they get upset when people don't have it.
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  #14  
Old 28 Oct 2011
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Originally Posted by BruceP View Post
Ask yourself how pissed off you would be if an uninsured driver/rider crashed into you.

In Europe (the EU bit) you will not see any border crossing, apart from entering the UK. But it is *very* likely that you will be stopped by the police and asked for it at any time. And they get upset when people don't have it.
I agree that having insurance is a good thing, but I would disagree with your point about being stopped by the police. I had insurance when I drove a Land Cruiser on Australian plates from Italy to the UK and around the UK a bit but I was never once stopped. I didn't even have to show any documents other than my passport when I entered the UK which surprised me.
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Old 28 Oct 2011
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Originally Posted by misterpaul View Post
I agree that having insurance is a good thing, but I would disagree with your point about being stopped by the police. I had insurance when I drove a Land Cruiser on Australian plates from Italy to the UK and around the UK a bit but I was never once stopped. I didn't even have to show any documents other than my passport when I entered the UK which surprised me.
You don't have to be stopped these days..

There are cameras that read your plates automatically and a cop car can run your registration just by sitting behind you in traffic que.

Have insurance in Europe.. It's a world of pain if you get caught without it. You can't fake/bribe your way out of anything in Western Europe.
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