Insuring R1200 GS Adventure Iconic 100

AndyInBristol

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Hi,

any tips for where to insure a GSA Iconic 100? (Yes, I know, I paid £2000 over the odds for a nice paint job. Still love it).

It's been insured the last 12 months with BMW Motorrad Insurance, but the renewal is up £60 and it wasn't cheap to start with. (I've only been riding 2 years, with 2 years NCD, and the Iconic editions seem not to be ABI rated or listed on price comparison sites, so they're all dealt with as custom bikes. >£1k is not fun, especially as I'd been expecting a 20% drop this year with the extra years' NCD).

Looks like this is going to be expensive....

Thx.
 
Beyond its paintwork, there is nothing particularly special about your awesome steed. To quote MCN:

R1200GS Adventure Iconic
Based on the R 1200 GS Adventure TE
Custom Paint Work (Rallye Styling) inspired by 1980s Dakar modelsBlack Diamond Stitched Red Seat with Embossed Iconic 100 LogoGear Shift Assist ProBlack Powder Coating – Crash Bars / Luggage Carrier / Heel Plates
£18,050 OTR

In short, it's a bog standard bike, bling'd up a bit by BMW.

There is a very good chance that it won't feature specifically on most web based insurance comparison websites. That doesn't matter but it does mean that you now have to do a little bit of work for yourself.... you have to call people and speak to them... it's not hard once you get going, here's how:

1. Pick up a copy of MCN or Bike or RiDE or any of the similar publications. They'll all have adverts for insurance brokers / insurers, along with their phone numbers

2. Get a tidy piece of paper and a sharp pencil

3. Call the numbers and speak to the chimp / chimpette that answers, replying to their questions as honestly as you can. It's a good idea to have the answers to the most regular questions (name, address, age, date of birth, annual mileage, strings of convictions etc etc) written down already, as it will save you going "Um.... err..... wait a bit, it's oh no, it's um, err.." and sounding like a chimp yourself.

4. When you hit on a whizbang offer from the chimp on the other end of the line, buy it.

5. Don't forget to opt out of their "We'd like call you every 10 minutes to discuss theoretical nuclear physics, sell your details to 1000 India based chat lines, set you up for an automatic renewal when we'll roger you senseless with a pineapple until your eyes bleed" unless that is you want these and other services, in which case you'll be as happy as only a rugged, rufty-tufty self-reliant bikermate can be.
 
Rather than phoning loads why not just go on "go -compare " or other similar site. It's quicker and easier and an obvious option I would have thought??
 
Rather than phoning loads why not just go on "go -compare " or other similar site. It's quicker and easier and an obvious option I would have thought??

I guess because the OP tells us....

Iconic editions seem not to be.... listed on price comparison sites

Which rather suggests he's tried that route.
 
Just insure it as a white GSA TE (which is exactly what it is). When they ask if it has any modifications, tell them it has a red seat.
 
Thanks for the replies

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I'd tried the comparison sites. Most, if I put in my reg, say the bike doesn't exist. Compare the Market lists it as a white GSA TE, and gives quotes on that basis. However, all those sites also discriminate between standard edition bikes and special editions (30th anniversary of the GS, 90th anniversary of BMW etc.) and the pricing is different. So the insurers obviously care about the slight "customization" in these models. So I've spoken to a few of the insurers quoted on CTM, and they've said "we'll speak to the underwriters". They've come back with quotes in the £1,200 to £1,500 region, and usually not from many underwriters.

I've spoken at length to Bennetts, recommended in another thread on UKGSer for dealing with specials. Initially, the response was "yes, we have insured Iconics, I'm sure we'll get down to £800 or so, speak to you in the morning". Unfortunately, in the morning, the response was "I've spoken to three underwriters and the best I've got is £1,250. I don't know what's going on". I asked whether they could write a clause along the lines of "if it gets damaged, you'll only pay for standard GSA TE parts, no custom paint etc." but they were not willing. Apparently the big risk is the (perceived?) desirability and therefore theft risk.

The worst conversation I had was with BMW Motorrad Insurance. I am currently insured with them, and it's the increase in premium on their renewal which prompted me to go looking. I'd been hoping for maybe a 10% drop (after taking into account an extra 20% NCD offset by changes in exchange rates for parts costs, the change in IPT etc.) The conversation with them (Devitts under the BMW name) was along the lines of "on the BMW Motorrad insurance scheme, we only use ERS as the underwriters. You no longer fall inside their underwriting criteria, but they're obliged to keep you on under the BMW scheme, so you can expect the price to rise 5% year-on-year until it hits their maximum premium, which is about £2,500". I don't know why I no longer fall within their criteria: nothing's changed at my end except another year's experience, another year without an accident, conviction etc. If it's theft risk, I don't know why: I have a concrete block garage with a new concrete floor with Y-max 90 anchors embedded, and use appropriate hardware to secure the bike.

I'm gutted really: spending £700-£800 a year extra (and rising) on insurance by comparison with a 2017 R1200 GSA Triple Black doesn't feel good. The dealer's offering me £3,000 back on the bike half way through my 24 month PCP, which I reckon is quite a good deal. Much as I hate to lose my lovely bike, my head says chop it in for a brand new TB...
 
Just insure it as a white GSA TE (which is exactly what it is). When they ask if it has any modifications, tell them it has a red seat.

this

most of the websites allow you to put the model in manually if it does not auto-detect from the reg. plate
 
Let the BMW Motorrad branded insurance with Devitt lapse for a day and then ask for a new quote.
 
I was with Devitt last year, got my renewal a couple of weeks ago & it had more than doubled.
I rang them & asked them not to auto-renew & to let the policy lapse. This was met with a rather sh1tty "Well don't bother checking later as the price won't have gone down at all & will probably have gone up." from the girl I was speaking with. She then failed to cancel the auto renew so my card got charged anyway - I suspect the lassie wasn't having a good day. :D
 
Iconic editions on price comparison websites

this

most of the websites allow you to put the model in manually if it does not auto-detect from the reg. plate

Do you know of any price comparison websites which list the Iconic edition? (30th Anniversary GS, 90th anniversary of BMW seem to be there, but I can't find a single site which lists the Iconics.

Thanks.
 
Do you know of any price comparison websites which list the Iconic edition? (30th Anniversary GS, 90th anniversary of BMW seem to be there, but I can't find a single site which lists the Iconics.

Thanks.

no, that's why I say insure it as the TE and declare the extras
 
Do you know of any price comparison websites which list the Iconic edition? (30th Anniversary GS, 90th anniversary of BMW seem to be there, but I can't find a single site which lists the Iconics.

Thanks.

I've told you what you need to do, and you've ignored my advice. The Iconic is not on their database, as it's not an official model. It's just a white GSA TE with a red seat and some stripes. You're turning a very easy task into a nightmare.
 


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