Insurance and Breakdown Cover for the Trip

From Honda Trail Bike Wiki

If you are Preparing for a big trip, you will need several types of insurance and cover.

• For yourself and your health:
  • EHIC (European Health Insurance Card);
  • travel insurance.
• For your bike on the road:
  • motor insurance;
  • possibly green card insurance.
• For your bike in the event of an emergency:
  • breakdown cover;
  • recovery after an accident.

The rest of page is work-in-progress. Dee Duble Yuh

[edit] For yourself and your health

[edit] EHIC

EHIC is the new European Health Insurance Card that superceded the E111 in 2006. The E111 is now obsolete; if you need medical help in Europe you must carry an EHIC or be prepared to pay some massive bills!

[edit] Travel Insurance

If you don't have travel insurance you could be liable for some huge bills, perhaps amounting to tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. In addition to medical costs (no NHS over there!) airline companies may refuse to allow you on-board without a qualified nurse, you may have to pay a fortune to repatriate your bike and so on. Travel insurance covers you for this and more.

Make sure you are covered for the countries you will visit. The good news is that "Europe only" cover often covers all Mediterranean countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.

Many travel insurance policies specifically exclude cover if you are riding a motorcycle over 50 cc or 125 cc. Finding insurance to cover you on a mid-sized or larger bike is the exception rather than the rule. The ones listed below should suit your needs.

Travel insurance normally covers air-ambulance evacuation, but this help will come with lots of conditions. If you are on a really long trip, MedjetAssist provides medical evacuation from anywhere in the world for a few hundred dollars a year. Faced with a dirty medical shack in the back-of-beyond, you might consider this a bargain!

However, there's no need to be "over-insured". Many insurance brokers will try to get you to upgrade from Bronze cover (£2,000,000 maximum) to Gold cover (£5,000,000 maximum). The higher premium may be a waste of money since £2,000,000 should be ample for most situations.

[edit] For your bike on the road

[edit] For your bike in the event of an emergency

[edit] Possible sources of insurance and breakdown cover

Horizons Unlimited has a brief directory of motorcycle insurers. Be careful to identify companies suitable for your nationality - e.g. UK not US.