A very helpful thread - thanks to all.

Having trawled the options i have basically come down to Navigator and/or Global Rescue.

Has anyone explored the differences in any detail?

From what i can see Navigator provide 'normal' travel insurance. They will pay repatriation expenses but i am not clear on how this works in practice if i am in a bad way in the middle of Africa. I have a Delorme Inreach so perhaps they can notify the insurer who takes it from there (or is it down to me to get sorted which i may not be in a position to do).

Global Rescue give me confidence they will come and get me and take me back to a UK hospital which is fine, but don't cover medical costs which could be an issue if i just need in country treatment. I also have concerns about the legal indemnity you give them when you sign up (appears you could end up paying their US legal fees - unlikely to be a good thing).

All insights greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Andy (Uk citizen, riding through Africa)

Hi,

As I just bought my insurance yesterday…..

Someone mentioned InsureAndGO. I have used them 2 years ago for our trip to Mongolia… HOWEVER, they cover bikes up to 125cc only. If you crash and get injured, riding a bigger bike, the insurance may say this invalidate the policy. You must be VERY careful regarding the wording and what is or not covered as permitted activities. I go with the principle that if the insurance can find a way of not covering you and fobbing you off, they will! So I read the little letters on contracts!

This time as we have two 250 enduro bikes, I bought a SILVER MOTORBIKE policy with Navigator, after a quick email exchange with Richard (for our 3 months trip round Russia and central Asia). The standard SILVER policy does cover only 15 days biking. Another policy (I forgot which one) covers only roads where a normal car can get through… the MOTORCYCLE dedicated one covers off-road as permitted activity, any CC etc… however, it is more pricey (475 pounds for the 2 of us for about 3 months!)…

I did not do too much research this time round, there may be other brokers offering coverage, as adventure motorcycling is becoming more popular…

Cheers,

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

I've gone with Navigator Standard policy. They cover all activities on any size bike, except off road and 4x4 tracks. So any road the locals use in their cars is OK. I didn't bother with the specific m/cycle policy because you pay an extra £400 to cover riding gear, panniers etc. I decided no to worry about that. £2 million of medical cover would be all you ever need, especially outside of the USA. So at £628 I was happy enough. I'm 64 and have a medical condition (asthma) which cost me another £10.
I'm happy now.

Geoff

I have just found P J Hayman Insurance in Hampshire
02392 419 070
They were fine about age, duration and even the motorcycling.
We have lots of trouble elsewhere (Nomads want younger people for instance) and so we are using PJ Hayman

Can others assist please

We will be 2 up travelling for 2 plus years (Australian) 51/45 starting in SA and trying to sort through all the insurance side of things. Am I correct in

Insurance for the bike itself - no one will cover or provide coverage on the bike for damage/ stolen etc while overseas and if they did the price would be ridiculous

Travel Insurance - Now I'm classing travel insurance as that insurance offered in case I miss a flight, or my luggage ends up in some strange land or my camera gets stolen

Medical Insurance - insurance that will cover my medical expenses while in another country where repatriation is not required, i.e. tooth filling etc

Rescue / Repatriation Insurance Typically where we've had an accident and need to be collected/ transported to a hospital and where if deemed necessary to then be flown back to your home country for medical treatment.
I think im correct in saying that this insurance almost always includes medical insurance as mentioned above. I know it also includes rescue if you've been abducted but my Risk Assessment of that occurring is low.

Local Insurances - these I understand to be totally separate and on a country by country basis. Still not 100% what each one will cover us for but I know we need to pay them

Primary things to be aware of in the policies That the use of a Motorbike is covered over (typically) 200cc.

That you are covered for the roads you are travelling on, again I get the impression that the majority of policies discussed are for On Road (that being one which a car travels on. Could be a pot holed dirt track but if a local drives along it then its On Road..... still need to confirm this though)

That my passenger is covered for all the same things I'll be covered for


Please can anyone let me know if my breakdown is correct. I think I get confused reading these posts, where people talking Travel Insurance mean Rescue etc etc. I understand different countries name things differently.

Now to work through all the different policies. For us one thing I did mention on another post was that we currently pay $2500 per year health insurance so when travelling this will cease, so we should complain to much with paying whats asked and coming back to Aust the health system is of good quality (in most cases) and free

I'll keep updating my post of my experiences with companies.

I can answer a couple of these for you.

Insurance for the bike itself -You are correct in thinking you cannot get world wide cover for your bike, it has to be bought country by country or in some cases a group of countries or entire continents such as a green card in Europe or a comessa in parts of Africa. These policies which are generally third party only are looked upon as keeping you legal and for avoiding problems with the police, their value as actual insurance is often questionable.

Travel Insurance -You might get a travel insurance policy for the things you list but the cost for the length of your trip might be more than any loss incured, most people don't have it.

Medical Insurance -Rescue / Repatriation Insurance The most important of all and for Brits is usually combined, other nationalities this might be different. As you seem to be aware make sure it covers you for motorcycling and with a capacity limit which covers your for the bike you are on. The other things to ask are do they require you to have a fixed return date and return ticket and can it be renewed on the road, these last two can reduce your options even further and are a pain in the ass, your passenger will require their own policy probably from the same company, I have not heard of this type of policy that covers couples.

Local Insurances - Not quite sure what you are refering to here but you might be confusing with the first question local vehicle insurance, apart from that I know of no other local insurance.

Something to bear in mind is that in some countries such as India there are excellent medical and dental services availalble for less than the excess on your own policy, if the treatment you need is not for something major it can be easier and cheaper just to pay for it out of your pocket.

Mark, thanks for the reply and you are correct, when I was talking about insurance for the bike I was talking about coverage for damage to the bike or if it was written off, which Ive gathered is not practical..... as opposed to Bike Insurance, which I was calling local insurances (Third Party etc ) and as you mention I gather in allot of cases the cover is questionable and more likely simply a contribution to their xmas fund.

Having to work all weekend but being with no one around my floor is covered in PDS documents and I have a little spread sheet going. Couple of points Ive learned that are relevant to us

Most Policies need a return date and wont let you renew while out of Aust

Most of the policies Ive reviewed so far (National Bank, WN, QBET, Fast Cover, Aust Post, DU Insure, Go Insurance (underwritten mainly by Lloyds, Allianz and QBE)) dont have restrictions on motorcycle use as long as i'm licensed in my country of residence

For us, we dont need all the extras, i.e. mugging, loss of passport, disruption to travel plans, car hire, flight cancelations, loss of luggage etc and will take these as they come. We are mainly after, Overseas Medical expenses including repat etc which in most cases even for Basic cover is Unlimited. One exception is WN where if we choose their Standard policy (the one without all the extras mentioned above) they only offer 10,000,000 (still allot though).

A point to note is that in the majority of PDS's Pre Exisiting medical can be anything you have been treated for from 60 to 90 days prior to leaving .... so stay healthy for a couple of months before and you wont get caught out

Best Ive come across so far for us out of Aust is Go Insurance (underwritten by Lloyds) their Go Basic for 365 days 2 people Sth America is $777 Aust (15.01.2017) .... just need to confirm renewing.

Anyway i will bore you all some more as I continue to read and review.... and always read the PDS for yourself