When you purchase a new bike, you’ll be feeling chuffed to bits that you managed to afford your dream wheels with the help of a little motorcycle finance. But, if you want to sell your beloved bike before you have finished making all of the repayments on it, your mood may change when you discover […]
How To Sell A Motorbike With Outstanding Finance Read More »
Looking For An Alternative Way To Sell Your Motorbike? Try these… If you are looking to sell your bike, you are probably just thinking of slinging an advert in BikeTrader and waiting for the phone to ring. But there are other, sometimes cheaper, ways to reach out to potential buyers in your area. With online
Has Your Bike Been Pinched? Our Guide To What to do if you have your motorbike stolen With motorbike thefts up as much as 44% since 2014, it remains a sad fact that if not properly secured or alarmed, they are far are easier to steal than cars or vans. The recovery rate for motorbikes
UK Motorcycle Insurance Companies We’ll get straight the point with this one. If you are looking for motorbike insurance, you can ask your car or home insurance provider if they can help, or cut out the middleman and go straight to a company that specialises in motorcycle insurance. Most of the insurance comparison websites will
Unfortunately it’s not always possible to park your motorcycle in a secure garage or underground car park. If you’re not lucky enough to have a garage, then you’ll have to leave your motorcycle outside – but this doesn’t mean it has to be at risk. Although it is statistically more likely to be stolen if
If you have been unfortunate enough to have had your bike pinched, your worries may not be over if and when the police locate it. Whilst the chances of getting your bike back in one piece following a theft are slim, it does happen. If the police contact you to tell you that they have
How To Avoid Police Charges When Recovering Your Stolen Motorbike Read More »
Don’t Pay Through The Nose, Simply Pay As You Go! Why Short-Term Motorbike Insurance Could Work For You. Because insurance premiums are high and road tax is always on the rise, the time is just right for you to consider pay as go motorbike insurance. Why pay more for your motorbike when you don’t really
When you purchase a new motorbike, it will usually come with a warranty of some sort. If you buy from new, you will not only be the proud owner of some shiny new wheels, you will also be protected by the manufacturer’s warranty for a period of anywhere from 2 to 3 years. However, if
Different types of tyres are suited to different bikes, different terrains and different weather conditions. But one thing they all have in common is the owner’s obligation to keep the tread depth on the tyre within the legal limits. Failure to do so will result in an instant MOT fail, but more worryingly will make
Motorcycle tyre tread depth – what you need to know Read More »
What To Do If Your Motorbike Breaks Down, Home Or Away If you are unlucky enough to break down whilst out in the boonies, or even just around town, you need to know what to do to get you and your bike to safety. By making sure that your bike is well maintained and serviced
Table of Contents Help! How Do I Get My Bike Back After It Has Been Repossessed? If you have decided to purchase your new wheels using a hire purchase or lease agreement, failure to keep up with the payments could lead to your bike being repossessed. Although a finance agreement may offer what seems like
Table of Contents My Motorbike Has Been Recalled – What Should I Do? Nobody likes receiving a letter from a dealership telling you that your bike is being recalled. At best it is an inconvenience, but at worst it could relate to a dangerous fault on your motorbike, potentially rendering it unrideable. What Is A
NCD stands for No Claims Discount and it’s earned for every year you are insured without having an accident or making a claim on your insurance policy. The NCD is sometimes referred to as an NCB (No Claims Bonus) and is a percentage discount applied by an insurer to your quote. Table of Contents NCD
All motorbikes have service intervals to keep them running and as reliable as the day they rolled off the showroom floor. If you stick to your service intervals, your motorbike will be good for an easy 50,000 miles and we’ve even seen a few with 100,000 miles on the clock. However us bikers are funny
What’s the difference between a minor and a major motorcycle service? Read More »
The sun is out and you can’t wait to get outside and gleam up your mean machine. But should you be thinking of jet-washing your bike, or will it cause more damage than good? Bikes get dirty, fact! We ride them hard and they look good for it. But nothing instils a sense of pride
Your bike is a solid piece of machinery that is not super easy to steal if you use a couple of basic levels of security. Should the worst happen, you can rest assured that your insurance company will make good your loss. Your equipment, however, is highly portable and although it may be precious to
Are your helmet and leathers covered by your motorcycle insurance? Read More »
Annual breakdown cover or Single Trip? Our guide helps you choose. There is a motorcycle utopia out there, where the roads are well surfaced, free from traffic and the locals really do like motorbikes. That utopia is a 30-minute Channel Tunnel ride away and it’s called… France! However, no matter how great Europe is for
Sometimes we just can’t resist. A little tweak here and there can make our bikes look better than ever before. If you are in the market for adding extra whistles and bells to your motorbike, you may need make your insurance company aware of certain types of modifications to prevent your insurance from becoming invalidated.
Do I need to declare motorcycle modifications to my insurer? Read More »
Had a prang? Did someone help themselves to your beloved bike? Whatever your reason for needing to make a claim on your insurance, it’s not something that we have to do very often – well, hopefully not anyway. More often than not, we go about our daily lives as safe and sensible road users, with
Don’t get stung by high motorcycle insurance premiums, shop around for the best deals and use your circumstances to your advantage When it comes to insuring your bike, you want the maximum amount of cover for the most reasonable cost. Insurance cover is not just a legal requirement, it is also your first port of
Our guide tells you everything you need to know about your motorcycle and its numberplate. From changing it to a private registration to changing the size or font of the plate itself. Table of Contents How Do I Change My Motorcycle Number Plate? If you have purchased a private number plate for your motorcycle, there
Motorbike Number Plates – Everything You Need To Know Read More »
How To Avoid The Demon Depreciation From the moment you drive your shiny new motorbike away from the forecourt, it is starting its descent into the downward spiral of depreciation. Regardless of the how new your bike may feel to you in the forthcoming months or even years, it is technically a “used” vehicle from
Track Day Insurance Providers Track days are fast, furious and a whole lot of fun. But, like all the good things in life, they can have potential downsides that as a rider, you should try to insure against. The high speed, adrenaline-fuelled action on the track can put you and your bike at risk should
Your Guide To Every Type Of Motorcycle Insurance Cover, Ever! For every bike, there is the perfect rider, and for every rider there is the perfect insurance policy to suit. From fully comprehensive to short term one-day cover, there will be an insurer to cover your every need. If you are not exactly sure of
Motorcycle Insurance Cover – Every type explained Read More »
You have no doubt heard the expression “that bike’s a bit torquey” during your years as a motorcycle enthusiast, but have you ever wondered just what it means? To clear this up, let us explain just exactly what the word “Torque” means and why it is important when it comes to riding and owning a
Horsepower, often referred to as BHP (brake horse power) is a term commonly used when it comes to describing the peak power of a car or motorbike. Is it really to do with horses though? Where did the term come from, and what does it actually mean in terms of the speed and overall power
In the car world, run-flat tyres have been the mainstay for over a decade. Can you believe that the first ‘run flat tyre’ was introduced by Michelin in 1934? It was designed for military use and also for armoured bank vehicles to lower their risk of being successfully hijacked. Table of Contents Do they make
Table of Contents Need A Release From Your Finance Agreement? How Can Voluntary Termination (VT) Help? Just because it is easy to obtain finance for your next bike purchase, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should. In a matter of minutes, you can be easily swayed by a shiny new set of wheels, just waiting to
Yes, it’s not just new motorcycles and scooters that are available with finance packages like HP and PCP. You can spread the cost of a used motorcycle with monthly payments and the most common options are HP and PCP. Most dealers will be able to offer you flexible HP and PCP offers – but you
These days it is easier than ever to finance your new motorbike purchase. Whether you are buying new or used, looking to pay a deposit or to spread the cost of your finance over a fixed period, there is an option to suit nearly every buyer. Table of Contents If you do choose to enter
Table of Contents Know Your Interest Rates – Representative APR vs Exact APR If you are thinking of purchasing your next motorbike using a loan or other finance agreement, be sure that you understand all of the financial jargon before you sign on the dotted line. You probably are already aware that loans and finance
If you are thinking about purchasing your new bike on a personal contact purchase (PCP) agreement, you will need to take note of the optional final payment amount. This is the figure that reflects how much you will need to save up or find at the end of the lease term, should you wish to
If you are planning on buying a new bike on finance, it is important to find out much it will cost you, should you decide to keep it at the end of the term. This is called the “Residual Value” and this figure should be made clear to you before you sign on the dotted
GAP stands for Guaranteed Asset Protection and it is a financial product you can buy which will cover any shortfall from the insurance company payout should your financed motorcycle or scooter be stolen and not recovered or written off. Table of Contents How does finance GAP insurance work? Let’s say you buy a motorcycle for
People are wary of finance and for good reason – often it’s helping you buy something that you otherwise couldn’t afford to buy outright. But most of us are happy paying a bit more, for the privilege of being loaned the full amount to pay off over a time period that’s more convenient. Table of
Motorcycle finance – watch out for the early upgrade offer Read More »
Who’s planning on dying? Not us! As motorcyclists we have a lust for life but we’re all too familiar with the potential to shuffle off this mortal coil. Despite what your friends and family might think, you’re not planning on dying any time soon. Table of Contents Death is never an easy subject but it’s
What happens to my motorcycle finance agreement if I die? Read More »
If you purchased your bike using finance, certain circumstances can burst the bubble of your easy repayment dreams. Dealerships promote the use of finance as an easy way to buy your bike, as well as the opportunity to upgrade or trade in just a few years down the line. In some cases, however, your dream
Motorbike Finance: How To Navigate Negative Equity Read More »
Table of Contents What is GMFV and GFV with PCP motorcycle finance? Unfortunately, motorcycle finance is littered with acronyms. There are so many it would be easy to become a bit blasé but if you’re looking at PCP finance, there’s one you should never ignore: GFV or GMFV which stands for Guaranteed (Minimum) Future Value.
Table of Contents APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate of charge. Essentially it’s a figure that shows you the annual cost of borrowing – it’s what you’ll pay on top of the money you borrow – whether it’s a bank loan, a PCP or HP agreement. The higher the APR figure, the more the loan
Table of Contents The motorcycle industry is catching up with the car industry when it comes to finance offers. You’ll see lots of dealers talking about Hire Purchase (HP) and Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) finance. More and more manufacturers are now offering 0% finance deals. How does 0% finance work? Essentially interest-free finance is a
The vast majority of motorcyclists use some kind of borrowing to buy a new motorbike, and motorcycle manufacturers are keen to make finance as easy and flexible as possible. In theory, a bank loan still offers the lowest interest rates, but in practice dealing with the banks isn’t always as easy as it could be.
Choosing: Motorbike Hire Purchase (HP) or Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) Read More »
Hire Purchase finance is a loan, secured against your motorcycle, which you pay off in monthly installments and when you’ve finished your finance term, the motorcycle belongs to you and is yours to do what you want with. Table of Contents How does HP motorcycle finance work? When you buy a motorcycle or scooter on
If you are in the market for a new motorbike but know that your credit rating is suffering from previous mishaps, there are still ways to obtain your new set of wheels using a finance package. The payoff, however, is that lenders who cater to those with poor credit ratings may charge extortionate amounts of
A deposit contribution is often mentioned when a manufacturer is offering a new motorcycle finance package. Is a deposit contribution the same as a discount? The short answer is no but the slightly longer answer is: it can be. Table of Contents How does a deposit contribution work? Let’s say a motorcycle has a £10,000
You never know what the future has in store and often you’ll want or need to settle your PCP motorcycle finance before the end of the term. Terminating the agreement and settling early is entirely possible but it’s likely it’ll cost you a lump sum to do so. Table of Contents Voluntary Termination If you’ve
With credit card companies offering favourable deals, and 0% balance transfers, is it preferable to pay for bigger purchases, like a new motorbike or scooter on your credit card? Table of Contents Hire purchase agreements and lease agreements are usually tied to the bike you purchase, but your credit card allows you a greater deal
Should I Use My Credit Card To Buy My Next Motorbike? Read More »
Just like in the car world, motorcycles and scooters are grouped by the insurance companies to help them calculate your insurance premium. A bike’s group will have a pivotal effect on the premium you are quoted. In fact its group will affect whether or not you can be offered a quote at all. Table of
In order to enjoy the awesome power of your bike on the road, it must be insured. This is a legal requirement, and quite frankly, there are no excuses not to hold valid insurance for your bike. Road tax, insurance, fuel and the cost of your motorbike itself are all expenses that you cannot avoid
Ah, the old moped vs scooter debate – it never goes away but we’re here to settle it, once and for all! Mopeds and scooters offer a cost-effective transport option for new riders, or those looking to keep costs down. The simplest bike to start out a long career of happy and safe riding is undoubtedly
Ex-demo stands for ex-demonstrator and it’s usually a new-model motorcycle that the dealer has registered so that potential customers can test ride it or it may also be used by the dealership staff to commute with or use to go between service stations or other dealerships. Table of Contents Most ex-demo motorcycles are sold with
Diesel has long been the fuel of choice for car drivers who want to save money or eke out a few more miles per gallon over their petrol equivalents. Motorcycles and scooters can already return a higher miles per gallon figure than most cars, so surely a diesel-powered motorcycle would be a motorcycle commuters dream,
In the car world, you can forgive an automatic gearbox but for us bikers, we want to be able to change gear manually, right? Well, kinda. Automatic gearboxes used to be the preserve of old grannies in the car world, but did you know, only a quarter of new cars sold in the UK in
Time to buy a new bike? If you are looking to purchase a second-hand motorbike, you may be concerned that it could have potential problems or defects just waiting to be uncovered. Whilst buying any kind of second hand or used goods can never be 100% fail safe, there are ways to reduce the risk
Used Motorcycle Warranties – Everything you need to know Read More »
This isn’t just another guide that tells you to check every component of the motorcycle and ensure it’s not corroded and not damaged. This is a real-world buyer’s guide designed to help you purchase a great second-hand motorcycle, not a lemon. When you’re buying a used motorcycle, it’s easy to let your emotions get in
A pre-registered (pre-reg) bike is a motorcycle or scooter that has been registered (often by the dealer, sometimes by the finance company) but it has never been owned or ridden by a member of the public. Table of Contents Why do dealers pre-reg bikes? Pre-reg motorbikes are a result of sales targets, often set by
Getting your hands on your first motorbike or scooter is a real buzz and luckily, it’s one of those feelings that you can repeat – every time you purchase a fresh motorcycle there’s an addictive rush about the whole experience. Table of Contents However, it can be a daunting prospect as there’s a lot of
In 2009 the UK government introduced a scrappage scheme but it was only for vans and cars and didn’t include motorcycles and scooters. The scheme was introduced after the car industry experienced 11 months of a consecutive fall in sales. The rallied ‘round and lobbied the government into submission. There was a heightened fear of
Part-exchanging your motorbike or scooter can be a great option when you’re switching to another model. The way it works is simple: the dealer values your bike and offers you that sum off the purchase of a new model. Some dealers will also part-ex your used bike with another used bike they have in stock
There aren’t many people who relish walking into a motorcycle dealership, even if you know they’ve got a bike you want. You’re on their turf, you’re playing them at their own game and they’re professionals, you’re just a happy amateur. The odds are stacked against you, or at least, it can feel that way. Never
Why do motorcycle dealers offer low part-exchange prices? Read More »
Thinking of investing in a new bike? Fancy seeing something new and shiny on the driveway? When it comes to purchasing a new bike, there are many ways to finance your next set of wheels. But, when it comes to how much you should pay and what is included in that price. Figures, finance and
Motorcycle OTR price – What does On The Road mean? Read More »
When buying a motorcycle privately, there’s more risk than buying from a dealer. One of the risks when buying a bike privately is that there’s outstanding finance on the vehicle. Table of Contents However if you take the right steps, buying a motorcycle with outstanding finance needn’t be an issue. Even if a motorcycle is
On January 1st, 2016, it became mandatory for all motorcycles that have an engine displacement greater than 125cc to have an ABS system fitted. In addition, smaller motorised two-wheelers with a displacement of 50cc or more are now required to have either ABS or a combined brake system fitted. Table of Contents Do All Motorcycles
Table of Contents Buying your next bike is a big investment, both in terms of finance and emotion. When we buy a car, we consider the practicalities and seek out the most affordable and sensible way to get us from A to B. But, when we buy a new bike it’s all about the passion.
Buying at auction can be a great way to pick up a bargain bike. But, if you are not careful you can end up with a real doozy on your hands, or blow your budget in a bidding fury. Table of Contents Whether you choose to use a high-end auction company, or just pay
Motorcycle Auctions – Your Guide To Bidding And Buying Read More »
Buying your next motorbike on finance means that you are able to afford a newer, faster and more reliable bike than just using your savings alone. The benefits of bike credit are many and varied, but there are potential pitfalls to be wary of when taking on a debt to finance your next set of
Buying a motorbike on finance? Watch out for these traps Read More »
Table of Contents For most of us, a new motorcycle is one of the largest purchases we’ll ever make, so it makes sense to shop around and get the best deal. There is no guaranteed time of year where bike prices are always going to be lower but there are some key areas to understand
Twenty-five years ago, pretty much the only way you could buy a motorcycle was with cold-hard-cash. A lot has changed and now more motorcycles are bought with finance than any other method. Table of Contents Every way to finance your new motorcycle In the 90s, the likes of Carnells and Motorcycle City came on the
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