The definitive motorcycle insurance thread

**p.dath** · 7th May 2013, 12:55

Originally Posted by milktown

hello all! after living in the states for 20 years im back to my homeland! i recently had my bikes insured with AA but after being knocked off by a cager in december im STILL waiting to get my bike back from the shop! i have had it!

i need a new better company to throw my money at. HELP PLEASE!!

It sounds like the problem is with the repairer, not the insurer. It is common to wait up to 1 to 3 months to get genuine replacement parts, which is what they'll be told to do ("restore the bike to the condition it was in prior to the accident"). However you have already been waiting longer than that.

Why don't you contact the repair agent, and ask them what the hold up is? If they are waiting on part "X" and you say you're prepared to have third party components then perhaps you can speed it along.

Failing that, you could contact the insurer and say that you have been waiting an unreasonable period of time for the repair and you want the bike written off so you can go and buy another.

**milktown** · 7th May 2013, 13:02

it was the cb750. i actually think the repair shop is lying to me and i brought up this concern with AA as well. the shop told my they were waiting on parts, that took two months, then waiting on paint. then they gave it back to me for a week to make sure it rides ok(and so i could ride it up to battle of the streets). gave it back to them to finish up the work and still dont have it back. i have harassed them so much they stopped responding to my emails. so i tried getting the insurance company involved but they said(not surprisingly) that it is out of their hands on how long it takes to get done. apperently the shop they gave it to doesn't do any actually work on the bike other than re-assembly after they have outsourced everything else. i find it strange they made me take the bike there considering it is a specialist BMW car panel beater..

**oneofsix** · 7th May 2013, 13:02

I think part of the problem is that bikes are seen as optional whereas the car is seen as required family or business transport. For those of us the rely on the bike this just sucks.

**DMNTD:Me** · 7th May 2013, 13:07

Originally Posted by milktown

it was the cb750. i actually think the repair shop is lying to me and i brought up this concern with AA as well. the shop told my they were waiting on parts, that took two months, then waiting on paint. then they gave it back to me for a week to make sure it rides ok(and so i could ride it up to battle of the streets). gave it back to them to finish up the work and still dont have it back. i have harassed them so much they stopped responding to my emails. so i tried getting the insurance company involved but they said(not surprisingly) that it is out of their hands on how long it takes to get done. apperently the shop they gave it to doesn't do any actually work on the bike other than re-assembly after they have outsourced everything else. i find it strange they made me take the bike there considering it is a specialist BMW car panel beater..

Sounds to me that it is time you start getting some genuine information of your rights.
You wouldn't expect a panel beater to be able to repair a damaged motorcycle properly

**Maha** · 7th May 2013, 13:27

Originally Posted by DMNTD

ask for Dave, he rides a Diavel these days so obviously he is a superb being

I heard he was Modest beyond all reasonable doubt

**DMNTD:Me** · 7th May 2013, 13:32

Originally Posted by Maha

I heard he was Modest beyond all reasonable doubt

That he is, mister...I'm not

**oneofsix** · 7th May 2013, 13:36

Originally Posted by milktown

it was the cb750. i actually think the repair shop is lying to me and i brought up this concern with AA as well. the shop told my they were waiting on parts, that took two months, then waiting on paint. then they gave it back to me for a week to make sure it rides ok(and so i could ride it up to battle of the streets). gave it back to them to finish up the work and still dont have it back. i have harassed them so much they stopped responding to my emails. so i tried getting the insurance company involved but they said(not surprisingly) that it is out of their hands on how long it takes to get done. apperently the shop they gave it to doesn't do any actually work on the bike other than re-assembly after they have outsourced everything else. i find it strange they made me take the bike there considering it is a specialist BMW car panel beater..

Having to take it to a BMW panelbeater is a bit surprising. I have AA car insurance and whilst they do have their preferred companies you can chose. The only trouble I did have was a helpdesk wally that couldn't find their list of preferred panel beaters in my area. In the end, after visiting the AA shop/office and talking to their local insurance rep there, we had the choice of a couple within 3ks of home.

**neels** · 7th May 2013, 13:54

Workmate had a similar problem (not with AA insurance).

Took a bike in to have it assessed and after about a month called the insurance company to see what the holdup was, they hadn't heard from the repairer so were doing nothing. After a few phone calls and no progress visited the repairer in person, the bike was sitting in the corner untouched, the reason given was that they had been a bit busy and hadn't got around to it yet but should get to looking at it in the next couple of weeks. He was somewhat displeased.

**Xsannz** · 7th May 2013, 13:55

+w for kiwibike...

But. They are brokers

-1 if they offer you swan insurance as they are cunts and cbf explaining but more than 4 people I know have had issues with them.

However kiwibike do star insurance and I can't say enough nice things about star insurance.

2 weeks from accident to new bike...

And before that 1 month from crash damage to full repair.

And before that 1 week from Stolen to replacement.

**Swoop** · 7th May 2013, 15:18

Kiwibike.

Don't fuck about with the rest and certainly NOT AA or AMI.

**G4L4XY** · 7th May 2013, 16:55

Well I'm with Kiwibike now but before that I was with Protecta when I had my accident. Shop had it for about a month, process wasn't terribly difficult, companies are a bit useless with letting you know whats happening

**HenryDorsetCase** · 7th May 2013, 17:10

Originally Posted by milktown

it was the cb750. i actually think the repair shop is lying to me and i brought up this concern with AA as well. the shop told my they were waiting on parts, that took two months, then waiting on paint. then they gave it back to me for a week to make sure it rides ok(and so i could ride it up to battle of the streets). gave it back to them to finish up the work and still dont have it back. i have harassed them so much they stopped responding to my emails. so i tried getting the insurance company involved but they said(not surprisingly) that it is out of their hands on how long it takes to get done. apperently the shop they gave it to doesn't do any actually work on the bike other than re-assembly after they have outsourced everything else. i find it strange they made me take the bike there considering it is a specialist BMW car panel beater..

kickbacks. the whole industry is corrupt as fuck.

You are gonna have to put some effort in. Find out the name of the owner of the business. Phone them and get an appointment. If they wont give you one, take a day off work and rock in and ask to see him/her. And wait, cluttering up the waiting room. All day if you have to. Eventually you will be helped. Conspicuously ring TVnz and ask for Gordon Harcourt at Fair Go while you are there, whit like that. Be polite, friendly and persistent and do not take no for an answer.

**jellywrestler** · 7th May 2013, 17:31

Originally Posted by milktown

knocked off by a cager

what's a cager?

**jellywrestler** · 7th May 2013, 17:33

Originally Posted by ac3_snow

A friend of mine had an accident in his car recently, insured with AA. Got told to take his car to the AA yard, they even offered to pay for his taxi back home. They arranged all the details of the repair and called him a few days later when it was all ready to be picked up.

This shop had his bike for a Month or more and basically it took them a pretty long time to get it fixed and back to him, wasn't stupid amounts of damage either.

there are a lot more cars of similar models on the road in our country than bikes. Have you thought of the possibility that they may have had to wait for the correct parts coming from overseas for a bike whereas the cars parts were in stock in NZ??