Image by victor9098 via Flickr

Searching or renewing motorcycle insurance anywhere can be something of an art, while here in Ireland it has always been difficult due to the limited choices available to us. For a long time only one company was willing to insure new riders while the other two could wait rubbing their hands for when you wanted to upgrade to larger capacity machines.

So with it being renewal time for me I did the usual of setting aside an afternoon to start making phone calls, waiting for call-backs and the usual silliness that goes with all this. Having to read out your details letter by letter to people over the phone is never fun, doing that time and time again just leaves me annoyed. So for quick summary this is who I called and what for.

Basically I am trying to get fully comprehensive insurance for my Buell Ulysses XB12XT, 4 years no claims, full licence (unrestricted) and then all the unique questions each company likes to surprise you with. They all offered legal and breakdown cover, so this is what I ended up with;

Carole Nash – Web: Click Here, Phone: 1800 818 751
Offered me €1,170 with a €650 excess

Aon – Web: Click Here, Phone: 1890 777 555
Offered me €900 but did not ask about excess

Quinn Direct – Web: Click Here, Phone: 1890 891 890
Offered me €889 with €650 excess

Arachas – Web: Click Here, Phone: 01 213 5000
Offered me €729 with €250 excess

Adelaide – Web: Click Here, Phone: 048 9033 0151
Offered me €635 with €250 excess

So, if you have not guessed I went with Adelaide insurance in the end, a saving of almost 50% when compared to Carole Nash’s offer. The deal they offered ticked all the boxes and they offer the exact same cover as all the others. Of course the only real test of an insurer comes when you find yourself needing their services. That is why I could not renew with Quinn this year since they left me out in the cold when I needed them earlier this year. Well, I told them as much and they had every opportunity to put things right so now I will speak with my wallet and go to another insurer. I take some comfort in knowing that Adelaide was voted the UK’s favourite motorcycle broker in the 2008 Rider Power survey.

With that all finally sorted I will be able to keep the rubber side down without worrying that my insurer will do everything they can to slither out of supporting a customer.

As always, keep the rubber side down.