The Honda Owners Club

If any of you are insured with Bennetts take a look at this weeks MCN, the wife is but wont be next year.... my CB1000 has about 20 of the Mods they have on the list none of which make any difference to the power, speed or how it handles.... There idiots

Used them once, led me a merry dance, never again!!

In the same MCN this week they still advertise themselves as "The UK's No.1 Bike Insurance Specialist", sounds more like they are working 'hand in hand' with the same Euro bureaucrats that are trying to get Bikers off the road.

"The UK's No.1 Bike Insurance Specialist"

They might think they are but after this they will be lucky to in the top 20 if they don't go bust over it, do you no anybody with no Accessories on there bikes....i don't, every body i no would not be able to get insurance with them..... the wifes bike is standard well i thought it was till i took a look, Tank Pad, Extra Brake Light and a Sticker so 1 more and she wont be able to get insured, Like i said Idiots...

Ah well, if they want to shoot themselves in the foot doing this, then so be it. On a comparison with other insurance firms, their premium costs were quite a bit higher with no extra features worth the trouble.
But on a more serious note I've also heard of 2 people who were formerly insured with them, cancelled after the first year. Two years later there was a withdrawal from their bank accounts for an insurance policy that neither of them wanted or indeed ordered. Took them quite a bit of trouble to get the cash refunded, and then when this finally happened it was with an ill grace.

used them for the last four years, been the cheapest, but they are quite thick when I do need to speak to them.

You can read Bennetts' response on the HOC homepage http://www.hoc.org.uk

It is a massive home goal by them!

To quote from their reply:

"We recognise that, in the absence of industry standard definitions regarding modifications, accessories and safety features, improved clarity is required for all bikers."

Sounds like shorthand for "We'll make the rules up as we go along, and see if we can bump the premium up accordingly" to me, quite frankly.

Would a chain oiler count as a non-permissable modification? Surely this can only be beneficial from a safety viewpoint, while not affecting the performance of the bike.

Stickers....... mmmmm, I forgot that these can boost the performance no end (being go-faster, after all).

Funnily enough, can't say I've heard of similar restrictions proposed or in force for Bennett car insurance policies

If you put crash bars, Crash Bobbins on the front and back wheel and then a sticker they wont insure you but with all the crash protection the claim would be a lot less than without, Like i keep saying Idiots...Me and the wife will be telling them what we think of them and there stupid rules next year when she goes somewhere else for her insurance....

Only ever used them once without any issues.

However I search every renewal for evry insurance using comparison websites and find best value deals for me and the missus there. I personally recommend Go Compare as they always seem to be most competative for me in their quotes found. Besides I do not really want a free Meerkat and I am not that confused ----- yet!


Always read the documents that arrive either in post or electronically as there is quite often these days a statement that they will automatically renew the policy if you do not tell them.

As to modifications and accessories someone in the insurance world and the government authorities needs to get a grip on this. Crash bobbins save them money and do not increase or affect preformance, Stickers do not cause any change to the bike, Panniers do affect bike as they completly change aerodynamics that said they protect bike and rider to some degree in the event of crash.
However noisy performance enhancing exhausts, remapped power commander units, added nitrous units, modified suspension units, non standard road use tyres etc etc. These all could affect the things the insurers really want to target.

Careful what you wish for in arguing with companies such as Bennets as they do have links to the wider influencial community. They are wrong in this instance but it has created debate.

Well i have been with Carole Nash now for many years as they always seem to offer me the best deal and every year i ask about this Mods stuff and are told there biker insurance and they don't do that, i insure 4 bikes and the wife 1 so the insurance company takes a bit of cash of us each year, Bennett s are wrong about this and its only us that can change this by going somewhere else for your insurance, we take a lot of bull in this country and i for 1 wont let them keep on ripping us off... if Carole Nash started doing it i wouldn't be with them and if everybody did this Bennett s would drop this like a ton of bricks or go out of business...

My insurance enquired what "mods" were on my bike, and after agreeing they were not performance mods were quite happy, but explained that my policy would not cover their lose or damage.

In this weeks MCN they say they will look at it and make it more than 3 mods....?? they also say you have to use common sense about the sticker mod but would they still say that if you were after £5,000 payout and they found out you had some decals on the bike............. I think they would drop you like a ton of bricks and you wouldn't get nothing.... I would say until they sort this out stay well clear....