European Recovery advice

[tiredtrooper]

I've decide to do my first tour in May. Never done a tour outside the UK so off to Germany and Bavaria, back end of May. My trusty GS1150 has only let me down once when the gearbox decided to go bang, apart from that, no probs.

My question is.............

Which or what recovery plan, company should I be looking at?

Would appreciate advice from tosser's that have touring experience.

 

[Giles]

Any of the big national companies (RAC, AA, Greenflag..) will do European recovery. If it's fixable they'll take you to a nearest dealer, if not they'll repatriate the bike to blighty.
I've had a (crashed ) bike repatriated from Belgium that went straight to a Honda dealer for repair. Very efficient service.
It might also be worth your while looking into holiday / travel insurance and speaking to them, so that if you really need to you can fly home.
The break down recovery will be outsourced and will happen instantly from the side of the road, but the actual repatriation may not happen for three or four days. (Some company's do a weekly round robin pick up of broken down stuff). So you either put your hand in your pocket to get home, or speak with your travel insurance.

 

[Timpo]

Any of the big national companies (RAC, AA, Greenflag..) will do European recovery. If it's fixable they'll take you to a nearest dealer, if not they'll repatriate the bike to blighty.

+1. RAC Annual Euro Cover I use here, I'm covered for any vehicle I am travelling in. If you do more than two trips a year, the the cost of two single trip payments is th same as annual policy cover. http://www.rac.co.uk/breakdown-cover/euro-breakdown/
Avoid schemes linked to your bike insurance as they tend to only cover the vehicle that you have insured, iykwim.
As mentioned, they will help with an accident issue but will probably serve you a bill, as it's 'breakdown cover', but then add the bill cost to an insurance claim and you should get it back +/- your policy excesses.

 

[stephen.stallebrass]

I've used the AA and they're great. Had to use them once from Holland a few years ago, no bother whatsoever, good value too.

 

[The Grey One]

Just go with a company that understands bikes. We had a case last year where they refused to collect hard luggage that had been left at our place. Bike was recovered but they said luggage was not covered. The company concerned did not appear to understand that hard luggage was part of the bike, the people I spoke to thought it was suitcases. I ended up bringing it back in the car when I came for the NEC bike show.

Another guest was told that his bike was covered but he had to make his own way back to us! Left him at the roadside after they picked up his bike.

I have also found that some companies just want to take the bike back to the UK. We heard of one case where a bike (a Honda VFR) was recovered back to the UK on the third day of a two week holiday because of a slipping clutch. A company that understands bikes would know that fitting a clutch is, on most bikes, a simple operation. It must have cost a fortune to ship the bike and fly the couple home but this is not the only such case I have heard of.

So, ask the questions, make certain they understand biking rather than just going for the cheapest quote. Then you can relax and enjoy your holiday

John

 

[Hairnet600]

i went to ireland on an very recently bought bike

so took out 4 days recovery with vehicle rescue direct

suffered head gasket problems

got the bike to friends about 30 miles from dublin did what i was doing, then arranged the recovery after 4 days

rang them and gave them the address of the bike and they were all for sending me back then arranging the bike collection at a later date, but after speaking to them and telling them the distances involved (30 miles and 118 miles) and telling them itd be cheaper just to pay the recovery places diesel back to them than a more costly plane and rail ticket for me they agreed

this was easier for me than messing about with planes (i also didnt have my passport on me)

not everything is set in stone they will alter and think on the hoof if they have to

best 20 quid ive ever spent

 

[crumbles]

Does your bike insurance have it attached,
im'e with Carol Nash,euro cover came as standard.

 

[Peirre O`Bollox]

Does your bike insurance have it attached,
im'e with Carol Nash,euro cover came as standard.

I used Auntie Carols euro cover (run by the AA last year), albeit I was on a triumph

In July 2012 my Stator fried itself, taking out the Reg/Rec and melting the battery leaving me stranded while at the summit of Col de Madeleine in the French alps after I pulled up to take photos, & it wouldn`t re-start.
I managed to free wheel what seemed 5 miles down the mountain to the town at the bottom (le Chambre), and called aunty carols lackeys the AA, 5hrs later a recovery truck turns up, drives like a nutter thru town with the bike on the back, while talking non stop on his mobile, and takes me to a local garage (DAT Moto) at Saint Jean du Mauriene. Where it was diagnosed the rec/rec & battery was fugged. But not the stator.
Under the term of the Carol Nash euro recovery policy, IF the bike can be fixed locally, it must be repaired and the owner has to pay the repair bill. the bike will NOT be recovered back to the UK because it CAN be repaired locally.
Only IF the vehicle is irreparable or broken beyond economic repair, will they initiate recovery back to the UK.
Which mean`t I had to spend 2 days in a local hotel (at my cost) while waiting for parts to arrive, I then found myself with a repair bill of €723
However they failed to correctly diagnose that the stator had failed, as it was breaking down when hot. so with a new Reg/rec & battery I paid up Well they would have been a simple job and I`d have been on my way if the mechanic didn`t injure himself and had to go to hospital, so a simple 1/2 day job & turning it into 2+ days, & ultimately resulting in me missing my timetable of events (hotels etc) & connecting ferry, and so with plans screwed and bike fixed I turned around & headed towards home, only to find 130 miles later the bike had been running on its new battery, & when that ran flat I found myself at the side of the road again.
2hrs later the AA had recovered me again, this time near J31b on the A6 at villefranche-sur-saone, albeit to a local car main dealer, who made sure I was looked after, and made additional arrangements for me, as soon as it was decided enough was enough and the AA would rent me a car to continue back up to Zeebrugge. the local garage arranged for a taxi to the hertz office, and a local English speaker to assist me, in getting hire car paid for by the AA. then I was on my way in a car, 600 miles overnight to the ferry at Zeebrugge.
However this is where its get interesting, as over the next few days at my insistence, I got them to transfer the bike to the Triumph dealer in Lyon so the bike could be diagnosed, after all the 1st garage should have fixed it ......... shouldn`t they?
Oh and don`t forget the immortal words IF the bike can be fixed locally, it must be repaired and the owner has to pay the repair bill the bike will NOT be recovered back to the UK because it CAN be repaired locally
The triumph dealer finally diagnosed the stator fault, and it needed another reg/rec & battery + labour. Which mean`t I was facing a possible bill from the triumph dealer of over €1200 for repairs, add in the est cost of £400 for travel back to Lyon from the UK, accommodation, fuel, tolls & ferry for the bike back to the UK I was facing another bill, this time for a total of around €2000.
This was on top of the delay caused by the AA suing the 1st garage for botching the 1st repair & over charging me, and the costs incurred by the AA for the 2nd recovery, the car hire etc., that they where trying to back charge the 1st garage for, and at the same time recover some or all of the cost I incurred for the botched repair.
Yet the AA where still adamant that the bike could be repaired locally (by the Triumph garage in Lyon) and they need not recover the bike back to the UK at their cost.

So 6 weeks later, they caved in, probably due to the storage charges stacking up at the dealer, and so the AA arranged for my bike to be brought back to the UK.
The day after it arrived, I fitted a spare stator I had in the garage, a Mosfet reg/rec I got from the USA and a new battery I got in evilBay. The whole job took me 2hrs+ to do and cost me £80

Would I go to Europe without any recovery cover ..........NO!
Despite having a rough experience, after standing my ground, they sent my bike back. Next time I`d consider buying ADAC cover

 

[wessie]

Firstly, check your bike insurance policy as some have breakdown cover bundled on e.g. Carole Nash. Others allow you to add it at an additional cost.

As John says, get a policy that will provide a replacement vehicle so you can continue your holiday, or at least pays your train/air fare home. Note, the replacement vehicle will have 4 wheels so you will need a car licence to be able to use that element of the policy. Not ideal but better than a cancelled trip.

If you want a standalone policy then check out http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ where you can compare prices and policy details

 

[Rasher]

I think most policies would have a similar clause on repairs locally, I doubt any would say that they will repatriate for any old fault or I would just pull a fuse to save the cost of riding 800 mile of French motorway back from the Alps each year.

My mate used Carole Nash twice abroad, the first time required bike taking to main dealer, luckily repairs were under warranty, but they arranged all bike transport and sorted hire car for the 2 1/2 days he was without the bike. Second time was just a puncture, but again they got it sorted PDQ.

No recovery service can gaurantee the workmanship in the thousands of European dealers, this is luck of the draw, not like the RAC / AA or anyone else is going to have factory trained bike mechanics dotted all over Europe in warehouses full of millions of pounds of spares for every motorcycle.

They all pick up your bike and take it to a local repair shop, I make sure:-


Repatriation is covered in any event, such as bike cannot be fixed, or has been trashed in an accident

Make sure accidents are covered (some policies only cover breakdown and will not offer any assistance for a crashed bike - check small print)

Also check what if you are taken ill, you could trip and break an arm or a leg, or some other ilness could have you shipped home without your bike.


Some policies may cover the cost of a hire vehicle and even pay towards Hotel costs, I am not too bothered about being a bit out of pocket for repairs and a couple of nights Hotel money, being stranded on top of a mountain as it gets dark is my main concern, closely followed by being able to get me and my bike safely home if it has gone horribly wrong.

 

[Peirre O`Bollox]

with hindsight
The only thing I wish I`d done was stick the car mount for the zumo in my pocket. Having a 1/2 charged zumo with no means of charging it in a hire car, while navigating 600 miles up the autoroutes at night. was interesting
I will probably still have CN`s policy this year, but as I intend to venture into Europe in the car, I figure getting another policy to cover both bike & car, probably ADAC`s single Plus membership at €79

 

[Phil Magill]

I've got ADAC Plus (which is personal cover, so any vehicle you are in is covered) cost €79.50 never had to use them but according to members on several camper and caravan websites their service is first class.


Have a read of THIS WEBPAGE , the only downside I can see is you have to phone Munich for assistance but the telephone operators speak english.