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Motorcycle insurance 2025

boilerman said:
Slightly off topic, sorry, but an 85yr old friend of mine was refused insurance for his Kwaka 650, anyone else heard of this?
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Seems like an age thing….The insurance companies are protective of themselves. In the US 90% of rejections are approved after being resubmitted which is a load of xxxx! Off topic yes but an important one to many of us on here!
 
Eric Gibson said:
I've not been refused but I have a feeling the insurance companies try to price you out when you pass 70.
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I'm with Bennetts, so I rang them, they said if you're already a customer of theirs, they dont have an age limit. I asked him twice, he said " as long as you stay with us, even , at my age 73, we'll keep insuring you". Basically, its good for them, and a 73 yr old is hardly going to get his leg down. Also we wont do massive miles, well I dont anyway. Lets hope it stays that way, as I want to keep a bike, just for the day that I fancy it.

Sorry about the hijacking of the thread folks
 
yes a lot on the companies on gocom and other web search sites do they give no reasons just say they cant find a quote to suit you i had it this week.
 
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So, it turns out, that if you ride a vintage bike, your age may not be an issue, insurance wise. (just quoting a friend who has a Francis Barnett)

The worlds gone mad.:)
 
Insurance companies tend to consider older riders (typically over 75 or 80) as higher risk than younger riders, which can lead to higher premiums or even difficulty getting insurance. This is primarily due to statistical risk, where older riders are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents, potentially due to factors like slower reaction times or reduced physical capabilities. However, individual experience and carefulness can vary, and insurers may not always be able to differentiate between individual risk and statistical risk, leading to potentially unfair generalizations.



Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • Statistical Risk:
    Insurance companies rely on statistical data to assess risk. While older riders can be experienced and careful, statistics show they are more likely to be involved in accidents, especially in certain age groups, according to Go Compare.
  • Physical Capabilities:
    With age, physical capabilities like reaction time and agility can decline, which can be a factor in accident rates.

    Individual Variation:
    It's important to remember that individual riders can vary greatly in their experience, riding habits, and physical abilities. Some older riders
    may be exceptionally safe and experienced, while others may be more susceptible to accidents.






 
boilerman said:
Edit: Posts moved from another thread as this is a general discussion issue

Slightly off topic, sorry, but an 85yr old friend of mine was refused insurance for his Kwaka 650, anyone else heard of this?
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Hi boilerman , did they give your friend a reason for refusal, I would think that if no previous claims etc they would be glad to take his money. I’ve been riding since 1968 and full license since 1970 , never driven a car never made a claim and pay around £97 a year fully comp. Now aged 74 always shop around hopefully this will continue
 
Pete Elliott said:
Hi boilerman , did they give your friend a reason for refusal, I would think that if no previous claims etc they would be glad to take his money. I’ve been riding since 1968 and full license since 1970 , never driven a car never made a claim and pay around £97 a year fully comp. Now aged 74 always shop around hopefully this will continue
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Hi, Pete, hats off to you, you're a proper biker. He was told, that they just wouldnt insure him because he was too old. He, like you, road without a claim for just as many years. As I said in another post. I'm 73, Bennetts told me, if I stay with them, they will carry on insuring me, with no upper limit, but, wouldnt if I was a new customer.

I paid £93 last year, after a five year break, so I'd lost any NCB. I thought that was a decent price, oh, I cant carry a pillion as well.....no one would want to be my pillion:laughing:
 
mw0njm. said:
Insurance companies tend to consider older riders (typically over 75 or 80) as higher risk than younger riders, which can lead to higher premiums or even difficulty getting insurance. This is primarily due to statistical risk, where older riders are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents, potentially due to factors like slower reaction times or reduced physical capabilities. However, individual experience and carefulness can vary, and insurers may not always be able to differentiate between individual risk and statistical risk, leading to potentially unfair generalizations.



Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • Statistical Risk:
    Insurance companies rely on statistical data to assess risk. While older riders can be experienced and careful, statistics show they are more likely to be involved in accidents, especially in certain age groups, according to Go Compare.

  • Physical Capabilities:
    With age, physical capabilities like reaction time and agility can decline, which can be a factor in accident rates.

    Individual Variation:
    It's important to remember that individual riders can vary greatly in their experience, riding habits, and physical abilities. Some older riders
    may be exceptionally safe and experienced, while others may be more susceptible to accidents.





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No question, older riders like me have slower reactions.......till I get on my bike:), but more seriously, being a biking type, I've always ridden defensively, even more so now, after 50 odd years, its whats kept me alive.
 
boilerman said:
Hi, Pete, hats off to you, you're a proper biker. He was told, that they just wouldnt insure him because he was too old. He, like you, road without a claim for just as many years. As I said in another post. I'm 73, Bennetts told me, if I stay with them, they will carry on insuring me, with no upper limit, but, wouldnt if I was a new customer.

I paid £93 last year, after a five year break, so I'd lost any NCB. I thought that was a decent price, oh, I cant carry a pillion as well.....no one would want to be my pillion:laughing:
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Hi boilerman, if the only reason given to your friend was that he is “ too old” then they are playing the Ageisum card , and in the same context as “ I won’t employ you because you are too old,and not because you can’t do the work”. I would definitely be tearing them a new one and have them stand up in court to explain it
 
Pete Elliott said:
Hi boilerman, if the only reason given to your friend was that he is “ too old” then they are playing the Ageisum card , and in the same context as “ I won’t employ you because you are too old,and not because you can’t do the work”. I would definitely be tearing them a new one and have them stand up in court to explain it
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The problem Pete is that you can tear them a new one but you won’t win! Insurance companies and their actuaries (who they pay a lot of money) always win the day! There is no loyalty with insurance companies regardless, we are with one company for over 40 years and at one point had three houses and four cars (don’t ask) during that time we have had three reasonable claims, the answer is always NO then you start to push back!
 
Pete Elliott said:
Hi boilerman, if the only reason given to your friend was that he is “ too old” then they are playing the Ageisum card , and in the same context as “ I won’t employ you because you are too old,and not because you can’t do the work”. I would definitely be tearing them a new one and have them stand up in court to explain it
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To be honest Pete, its knocked the stuffing out of him, and at his age, he can do without the agrro. The poor bloke had the bike given to him, and thought he could get back out there again, in the last throws of his life.(We all need to keep going). Its a cruel world
 
boilerman said:
To be honest Pete, its knocked the stuffing out of him, and at his age, he can do without the agrro. The poor bloke had the bike given to him, and thought he could get back out there again, in the last throws of his life.(We all need to keep going). Its a cruel world
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It’s probably a forgone conclusion that I wouldn’t win with the various funny handshakes and backhanders, and I wouldn’t take out the policy with them anyway as they would undoubtedly refuse any claim on some trumped reason. It would just be nice to get some bike mags there to do a write up so that any prospective customers could make an informed choice on future expenditures. On a brighter theme maybe if your friend enquired with other companies he might just get a result, fingers crossed and good luck
 
Pete Elliott said:
It’s probably a forgone conclusion that I wouldn’t win with the various funny handshakes and backhanders, and I wouldn’t take out the policy with them anyway as they would undoubtedly refuse any claim on some trumped reason. It would just be nice to get some bike mags there to do a write up so that any prospective customers could make an informed choice on future expenditures. On a brighter theme maybe if your friend enquired with other companies he might just get a result, fingers crossed and good luck
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Thanks for the thoughts Pete, but after the third rejection, he'd had enough. He's now looking at a motorbike style electric bike as a substitute. People dont understand the pull of a motorised two wheeled bike. I hope when If I get to 85, I'll be able to think, never mind getting on a bike:innocent:
 
boilerman said:
Thanks for the thoughts Pete, but after the third rejection, he'd had enough. He's now looking at a motorbike style electric bike as a substitute. People dont understand the pull of a motorised two wheeled bike. I hope when If I get to 85, I'll be able to think, never mind getting on a bike:innocent:
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Amen to that , we’ve all got that to look forward to, please give your friend my best regards
 
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