Couple of noob questions

[quattro]

Insurance:

When I buy a bike, if it's rego'd and WOF'd, can I just hop on, drive it home and drive about legally for a few days and just put Fully Comp on it later? Will my mate, who's putting me up in Auckland, be able to legally drive it too? He has a license, obviously. Who are the main companies I should try? Will there be tons of red tape?

WOF:
Who performs the WOF inspection? Is it a dedicated service or is it something a registered garage does for you? Let's say I have a month's WOF left and I'm trying to sell the bike, can I WOF it early to help the sale? Is it difficult to arrange bookings? Is there a lot of red tape? Do I need to bring some kind of document proving I'm the registered owner?

Rego:
If I buy a bike privately without Rego, as a new owner, will it be difficult to arrange from a red tape persepective? Will I need a WOF cert and proof of ownership etc? Do I get it online or in a Post Office or in a dedicated office? In other words, will it be difficult to re-rego a bike if I'm on the road?

I'll actually have an official address in Auckland as well as a Kiwibank account. I'll also have credit cards, obviously aswell as my passport and my international drivers permit which is recognised in NZ...

[pzkpfw]

One time, a guy at a roundabout didn't give way to me - I T-Boned him. (Both of us in cars).

He'd had his car 3 days; and was only in the area to drop off a mate, but hadn't got around to getting insurance.

For some reason he thought he and I should pay half each for the damage. My insurance company said "we'll see you in court"; I think his Dad ended up saying "here's my cheque book".

DO NOT GO ANYWHERE without getting insurance. You can do it by phone. It's easy. Just do it.

(However: Yes, it's legal in this country to not have insurance.)

[YellowDog]

Nope, insurance is not a legal requirement. Ride carefully though

Rego is available on-line: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/transact/

You need a valid WOF first though. You can get those anywhere.

VTNZ or AA are a good bet, they're everywhere. Just show up and it's done.

Good luck.

[Gremlin]

Insurance:

When I buy a bike, if it's rego'd and WOF'd, can I just hop on, drive it home and drive about legally for a few days and just put Fully Comp on it later? Will my mate, who's putting me up in Auckland, be able to legally drive it too? He has a license, obviously. Who are the main companies I should try? Will there be tons of red tape?

Insurance is not required in this country. Naturally, we highly recommend it, so you can be happy while 1 or 2 companies fight it out should anything happen. Uninsured, of course anyone can ride it. Once insured and depending on company you choose (plus policy), you may or may not have a solo rider clause. It's cheaper, but only you will be covered when riding it. I recommend Kiwibike to people, they are brokers choosing the best option for you from a selection of the best insurers.

WOF:
Who performs the WOF inspection? Is it a dedicated service or is it something a registered garage does for you? Let's say I have a month's WOF left and I'm trying to sell the bike, can I WOF it early to help the sale? Is it difficult to arrange bookings? Is there a lot of red tape? Do I need to bring some kind of document proving I'm the registered owner?

There are several licensed providers with chains, VTNZ, DriveSure I think (newish) and the AA from memory. Some bike shops are also qualified to do WOFs. You can have a new one done at any time. Bikes 6 years old or less, WOFs are valid for 12 months, after that they have to be done every 6 months (cost of WOF is same for either option). It can be done at any time, and can be done up to 14 days in advance of the due date with the expiry remaining the same. If it's done earlier, it will be valid for the 6 or 12 month period. I use VTNZ. I ring beforehand to make sure the motorcycle inspector is there (sometimes they are off at training), otherwise, no booking required. They look up the details, you fill in a standard form, and away you go. I've WOF'd bikes for my boss, so you don't have to be the registered owner either.

Rego:
If I buy a bike privately without Rego, as a new owner, will it be difficult to arrange from a red tape persepective? Will I need a WOF cert and proof of ownership etc? Do I get it online or in a Post Office or in a dedicated office? In other words, will it be difficult to re-rego a bike if I'm on the road?

I'm not to good on this one, but if the rego has expired I think you have to get it re-certified, which does require a lot of paperwork and checks. If it's on hold, then its much easier.

my international drivers permit which is recognised in NZ...

Bear in mind it's only valid for a limited time, then you have to get an NZ license. 12 months is the time I believe.

[quattro]

Trust me, I'll get insured up to the gills but for now, I'm just worried about maybe buying a bike out of office hours and being free to drive it home, legally.

What's the solo rider thing about? If I don't go for this option and I lend my bike to my mate (with a license), is he automatically insured to the same extent as I would be?

What's the charge for a WOF? I'm glad it's fairly easy to get sorted. I thought it would be the trickiest part, actually.

The rego situation is one I'll have to pay a little attention to then. If that CB1000 pans out, I know the seller said he'd put 3 months rego on it. I hope that that will make things easier because I should be fairly settled by the time three months passes.

I know the international license expires after 12 months but at this stage, I don't think that's an issue as my visa expires in a year too.


Thanks for that, guys. It's all starting to come together

[FJRider]

Trust me, I'll get insured up to the gills but for now, I'm just worried about maybe buying a bike out of office hours and being free to drive it home, legally.

If the bike is legal ... you (if you have the appropiate licence for it's capacity) are legally allowed to ride it ...

What's the solo rider thing about? If I don't go for this option and I lend my bike to my mate (with a license), is he automatically insured to the same extent as I would be?

NO ... !!!

What's the charge for a WOF? I'm glad it's fairly easy to get sorted. I thought it would be the trickiest part, actually.

It may vary ... around $45 NZ ...

The rego situation is one I'll have to pay a little attention to then. If that CB1000 pans out, I know the seller said he'd put 3 months rego on it. I hope that that will make things easier because I should be fairly settled by the time three months passes.

Just do Change of ownership first ... an ACTUAL address is required for this. NOT a post office box number ...

I know the international license expires after 12 months but at this stage, I don't think that's an issue as my visa expires in a year too.

Just check licence classes on your licence is appropiate for the bike you get ... and timing of it's expiry date ...

[ynot slow]

Re solo option,I am with Swann Insurance,my policy states I am sole rider of bike,so whilst on the phone to them I asled "What happens if I feel sick and can't ride my bike,but get a friend with full license to ride my bike home,is he covered?"and was told in that case yes,but I would also check it by phone beforehand and give them my mates name,license etc just to be safe.Bear in mind this would be a one time case,and heading home pretty much the direct route.

The main difference in my policy of sole rider verses any is the excess to pay,and slight premium cost.

[newhere]

One time, a guy at a roundabout didn't give way to me - I T-Boned him. (Both of us in cars).

He'd had his car 3 days; and was only in the area to drop off a mate, but hadn't got around to getting insurance.

For some reason he thought he and I should pay half each for the damage. My insurance company said "we'll see you in court"; I think his Dad ended up saying "here's my cheque book".

DO NOT GO ANYWHERE without getting insurance. You can do it by phone. It's easy. Just do it.

(However: Yes, it's legal in this country to not have insurance.)

Hear, hear.....that above, is great advice!

[newhere]

Re solo option,I am with Swann Insurance,my policy states I am sole rider of bike,so whilst on the phone to them I asled "What happens if I feel sick and can't ride my bike,but get a friend with full license to ride my bike home,is he covered?"and was told in that case yes,but I would also check it by phone beforehand and give them my mates name,license etc just to be safe.Bear in mind this would be a one time case,and heading home pretty much the direct route.

The main difference in my policy of sole rider verses any is the excess to pay,and slight premium cost.

Im with protecta insurance and when i queried this similar concern I was told that so long as no one else rode my bike more than 9% of the time it is ok for me to have a sole rider policy...don't know if that is helpful...

[tigertim20]

Insurance:

When I buy a bike, if it's rego'd and WOF'd, can I just hop on, drive it home and drive about legally for a few days and just put Fully Comp on it later? Will my mate, who's putting me up in Auckland, be able to legally drive it too? He has a license, obviously. Who are the main companies I should try? Will there be tons of red tape?

Insurance is not required in this country. Naturally, we highly recommend it, so you can be happy while 1 or 2 companies fight it out should anything happen. Uninsured, of course anyone can ride it. Once insured and depending on company you choose (plus policy), you may or may not have a solo rider clause. It's cheaper, but only you will be covered when riding it. I recommend Kiwibike to people, they are brokers choosing the best option for you from a selection of the best insurers.

WOF:
Who performs the WOF inspection? Is it a dedicated service or is it something a registered garage does for you? Let's say I have a month's WOF left and I'm trying to sell the bike, can I WOF it early to help the sale? Is it difficult to arrange bookings? Is there a lot of red tape? Do I need to bring some kind of document proving I'm the registered owner?

There are several licensed providers with chains, VTNZ, DriveSure I think (newish) and the AA from memory. Some bike shops are also qualified to do WOFs. You can have a new one done at any time. Bikes 6 years old or less, WOFs are valid for 12 months, after that they have to be done every 6 months (cost of WOF is same for either option). It can be done at any time, and can be done up to 14 days in advance of the due date with the expiry remaining the same. If it's done earlier, it will be valid for the 6 or 12 month period. I use VTNZ. I ring beforehand to make sure the motorcycle inspector is there (sometimes they are off at training), otherwise, no booking required. They look up the details, you fill in a standard form, and away you go. I've WOF'd bikes for my boss, so you don't have to be the registered owner either.

Rego:
If I buy a bike privately without Rego, as a new owner, will it be difficult to arrange from a red tape persepective? Will I need a WOF cert and proof of ownership etc? Do I get it online or in a Post Office or in a dedicated office? In other words, will it be difficult to re-rego a bike if I'm on the road?

I'm not to good on this one, but if the rego has expired I think you have to get it re-certified, which does require a lot of paperwork and checks. If it's on hold, then its much easier.

my international drivers permit which is recognised in NZ...

Bear in mind it's only valid for a limited time, then you have to get an NZ license. 12 months is the time I believe.

what he said. good response. im to lazy to type that much.