Tip no. 1 Read the policy. It, and it alone, tells you what is covered, what isn't, when and where. You have done that - or at least read the summary - so take a gold star.
Tip no. 2 Policies, while often very similar, may differ (sometimes quite significantly) from insurer to insurer and even sometimes from the same insurer. So what works for one chap (assuming he has even read his policy) may well not work for you.
Theft from garage / out-buildings / shed is often restricted, particularly if the garage / out-buildings / shed is not integral with the house. For instance, when I lived in London W1 I had no garage of my own but had to rent one, 600 yards away in a mews. Not surprisingly perhaps, I found it difficult (but not impossible) get good theft cover on my several hundred quids worth of tools kept there. You do not say what else, if anything, was stolen with the old panniers. If nothing, maybe the value fell beneath your excess? Similarly, most theft from outbuildings requires forcible or violent entry. If the thief simply opened the door and waltzed off with the old panniers, you may well be looking at a zero pay out. If I were a thief, I would nick an old pannier, for sure. Why? I would use it carry away other items. It's why thieves pinch jewellery, cameras and the like from a house and, seemingly oddly, one pillow case. It's not easy to debate your claim, nor is it really worth it, on a public forum.
You can possibly get your GPS insured under your Household policy on a worldwide All Risks basis, a bit like a valuable watch or camera. Try having it declared as a special item or it may simply be covered already. But, depending on the Household wording, the GPS may well
not be covered whilst on your bike. For that, you would probably need an extension to your Motor policy. That, depending on the insurer, is not always possible. For instance, Groupama, will not insure (or never used to) a bog standard Garmin on a BuMW, but would insure a branded BuMW GPS device that was otherwise identical, providing it was originally fitted by BuMW, or something like that.
If you are away from home and have bought good travel insurance, you may well be able to claim for the loss of your GPS under the policy. Some (many) restrict theft from vehicles to being from a locked boot or glove compartment. I would argue that a locked pannier on a motorbike (when it is fitted to a motorbike) is the equivalent of a boot or glove compartment on a car. I would also have a go at claiming that the GPS bracket was sufficient. Similarly, if your pannier is stolen when you, say, take it off to go hooning about it may well be possible to claim under your travel policy. But, take care. If you simply leave it lying around you may well struggle.
Similarly, if the device - or even the pannier - is stolen from a hotel room, I would have a damned good go at claiming from my travel policy and / or from the hotelier's policy; though that may well be difficult in the Yak and Yeti Towers, deepest Umbongi Land. I would try to argue that a pannier, when away from a motorcycle, is a metal suitcase.
I successfully claimed under a travel policy for a camera, stolen from an open tank bag whilst my back was turned, staring at the view from a popular mountain top lay-by. Silly me, I opened the bag, turned my back and BINGO! Gone in about 5 seconds. I am sure we have all done it at one time or another. That makes me think that a GPS device might not be so very different to a camera.
I hope that is helpful.
It is very difficult to be exact as everyone and everything is different. Not least I don't broke private insurance (thank God for small mercies) so I am having to guess at what seems sensible or maybe possible.
Whatever else, the best rule is still:
Try to be careful, of course, both about the policy(ies) you buy (cheap is not always good, but expensive is no guarantee that it it really is best) and your possessions. I forgot and will probably forget again!
If in doubt, ask your broker / insurer and take a good note of what they tell you, in writing, preferably with a name of who you spoke to, the date and time.
I noticed that accessories are only insured for thief if stolen with the bike. Not so long back I had my garage broken into and a set of old panniers pinched, but the house policy wouldn't cover them either even with specific garage cover..
