UK Insurance
 

I'm in the UK on an Ancestry Visa which gets me a residence permit for 5 years. I have imported my bike and had it approved to use in the UK. I've had a MOT test done and now want to get it registered.

My problem is I can't find anyone willing to ensure it including BikeSure, partly because of its value and the fact that it isn't garaged and partly I think because I am on an international license. Bennets seem to be prepared to insure it if it is registered but I can't register it until it is insured.

Anyone have any suggestions?

If you'd asked before I'd have said don't import your bike, buy one here. There's no shortage. The broker Adrian Flux are sometimes willing to cover "hard to insure" bikes, at a price. Another couple of brokers to try are Carole Nash and Bemoto. Consider "3rd party only" insurance, No cover for theft but may make it easier to get cover, and you should be able to extend it once the bike is registered.

Is there a one make club for your bike - if so see if they have a link up with an insurance company - that may open a door otherwise closed. If it is an older bike then Footman James do classic bike insurance (but are not cheap). As has been said, get 3rd party insurance to sort out the registration and then you can pick and choose your insurance company.

If need be you may have to take the UK test to get access to every insurance company - the reason they may be reluctant is simply because the UK test is reckoned to be one of the harder tests around the world, particularly for bikes, and they want to be sure you are “of a decent standard”.

You are, if I understand correctly, now a resident - this means that an IDP doesn't cover you. You must obtain a UK licence, either by exchanging your home licence, if this is permitted, or by taking the test.

Yes - you have to get a UK licence, that's what I had to do when I got residency in the UK. Got the bike MOT'd ok, but insurance was a hassle without a UK licence.

As I recall you have 6 months to trade in your former licence. This can be really annoying! When I took my car test many years ago, you had a choice of manual or automatic transmission licence - automatic licence holders weren't legal to drive manuals. Naturally I took the manual test and passed and my licence said so.

On arriving in the UK, they said "Oh, Canada doesn't differentiate now between manual and automatic - so if you just want to trade it in and not take the test, you can only have an automatic only licence in the UK!"
aaargh! Admittedly it's hard to find a manual transmission car in Canada now.

With all that, it was a major hassle to get any sort of insurance discount, as I "had no previous driving record." Going back to my previous insurer(s) in two countries, and getting nice no claims letters DID help.

Good luck!

Looks like I have it more or less sorted. I found a company willing to insure me through the UK BMW Riders Association forum (thanks Jay_Benson). I had to get a copy of my former Australian insurance policy showing I had 5 years no claim bonus. It's costing me 700 pounds a year, but I might be able to reduce it if I get tracking and tagging. Due to the value of the bike, it's not insured if its stolen less than 500 yards from where it is kept unless it's in a lock up garage.

As far as the license goes, I can use the international permit for 12 months before I have to get a UK driver's license.

The next step is to get it registered. I am waiting for a bank account to be set up which will give me the necessary proof of address and enable me to get money orders for the registration fee and tax. Apparently, it will take 6 weeks for the registration application to be processed before I can order the plates to be made.

Thanks for the updates!