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Custom Motorbike Insurance
Whatever you ride, and for whatever reason, we're here to help you find our best custom motorbike insurance quote.
0330 024 0087
The CUSTOM MOTORBIKE Insurance Specialists
Custom Motorbike Insurance
Cool custom? Protect it with specialist custom motorcycle insurance.
We offer specialist expertise in custom motorcycle insurance to help you best protect your modified motorcycle or trike!
We’ll take time to get to know you and your bike and help find the most appropriate and best value insurance from our extensive panel of specialist insurers.*
That’s true whether you your ride is a chopper, bobber, café racer, cruiser, cut-down, rat bike, streetfighter, trike.
Low and long or high and mighty we will work hard to find best custom motorcycle insurance quote for you and your machine.
Agreed value & salvage retention
Through our free agreed value service, together, with your insurer, we can establish the true worth of your bike to ensure it’s properly protected.
What’s more, knowing the love, time and talent that’s gone into its creation, we offer salvage retention rights so that, should the worst happen, you can recover those valuable parts and accessories.
Discounts
Additionally we offer discounts on our modified and custom motorcycle insurance policies for membership of recognised owners clubs, use of insurance approved security and – if you can bear to do it – limiting your mileage!
Multi-bike insurance
We also offer cost-saving multi-bike insurance**** and specialist schemes for rare and high-value motorcycles.
* Please ask for the details of the insurers on our panel we use to compare custom motorcycle insurance quotes. ** The value and availability of owners club, approved security and limited mileage discounts varies between insurers on our panel. Terms and conditions will apply. ***Salvage retention rights subject to meeting underwriting criteria. **** The cost per bike can be lower when taking out multi-bike insurance than when insuring motorcycles separately. Please ask for details.
Discounts for limited mileage, owners club membership and insurance approved security.**No limit to number of road-legal modifications.Free agreed value assessments.Salvage retention rights.***TurbosSpecialist service from one of the UK’s leading custom motorcycle brokers.
For the best quote chat to our friendly and informed UK based call centre team
CUSTOM BIKE INSURANCE QUOTES: A GUIDE TO GETTING THE RIGHT DEAL
Custom motorcycles are for those bikers who don’t do standard.
They’re an expression of individuality and creativity – and they take many forms. Bobbers. Café racers. Choppers. Cut downs. Rat bikes. Scooters. Scramblers, Streetfighters….
Because they’re not run-of-the-mill, standard spec machines, but something created by or for owners, they’re special.
That’s also why they demand extra care and protection.
If you invested time and money in creating a custom bike – your custom bike – you want insurance that means its properly protected.
Should you need an insurance repair, you want to have confidence in the repairer. If, God forbid, it’s stolen or written off, you want to receive a settlement that reflects its true value.
In that worst case scenario you might also want to have first dibs on the parts which made your bike so special.
With all this in we’ve put together a few pointers to help you get a custom motorcycle insurance quote that meets your needs.
What is a custom motorcycle?
This might seem like an odd question, but for insurers it’s an important one.
Whether you own a custom, factory custom of modified motorcycle matters.
Factory custom motorbikes
A factory custom is what it sounds like.
A factory-built machine which takes its cues from the custom bike scene.
For an insurer, these are standard bikes and so a motorcycle insurance quote will take as its base that bike’s insurance group rating.
Modified bikes
Modified motorcycles are bikes which have been tweaked rather than fully customised.
They are standard bikes dressed with non-standard, after-market parts.
Such modifications might include things like alternative brakes, exhausts, handlebars, suspension or personalised paint job.
As long as they’re road legal, we can arrange modified bike insurance for as many mods as you have.
The key point though is that you must declare them. Modifications can affect the performance and value of your machine so insurers need to know everything you’ve done in order to provide you with a fair quote and valid cover.
Custom motorcycles
These are bikes which differ in style and structure to their host machines.
They may have been lovingly built by their owner or created by a professional custom bike builder.
Often they are one-off.
The bike below is a good example.
Created by acclaimed customiser Larry Houghton, Lamb Chop II exclusively features one-off components such as those amazing CNC machined wheels.
Cover notes
As well as what is and isn’t a custom motorcycle, the actual type of cover you want or need is another good place to start.
There are three main types of cover – Third Party Only, Third Party Fire & Theft and Comprehensive.
There is also SORN insurance for bikes that have been registered off road via a Statutory Off Road Notification.
TPO covers only other vehicles and people (third parties) involved. What’s more, with TPO your bike will not be covered if your bike is damaged or lost to fire or theft.
Third Party Fire & Theft insurance
TPFT extends TPO cover to insure the the cost of repairing or replacing/settling the value (less excess) of your custom motorcycle should it be stolen or fire damaged.
Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance is likely to be the level of cover best suited to custom bike owners.
That’s because, as the name suggests, it offers much more extensive protection.
Should you need make a claim, with comprehensive cover your insurer will meet the cost of repairing or replacing/settling the value (less your excess) of your bike.
It will also settle with third parties involved in accident for which you are to blame (a fault accident).
In addition your beloved machine will be covered if it is damaged in an accident and blame cannot be attributed to another party because they cannot be identified.
Sorn insurance
If you don’t ride your bike year round, laid up or SORN insurance could be just the ticket for protecting your machine whilst it’s legally declared off the road.
SORN insurance offers protection against fire and theft whilst your custom motorcycle is laid up and when it is being restored, rebuilt or further customised.
Principal arranges specialist laid up bike insurance. For details of cover options visit sorninsurance.co.uk.
Custom motorcycle insurance options
People don’t tend to own a custom motorcycle for nipping to the shops or battling the traffic into work.
They own them for the joy of owning them. For the ride and pride.
That’s why custom motorcycle insurance offers specialist benefits, cover options that reflect the nature of the biking beast.
Agreed value
Having an agreed value on your policy can be an attractive option.
This pretty much does what it says on the tin.
When you take out your policy, you and your insurer agree on its worth. Then, if your bike is stolen and not recovered or damaged beyond economical repair, your policy will pay out that value.
Of course in order to secure an agreed value, you’ll need provide your insurer with some evidence.
They will require recent photographs of your cherished custom and receipts for relevant parts and paint work.
If you further customise your bike during the term of your policy, it’s important that you inform your insurer. You may need to review your agreed value.
Securing an agreed value means that if your vehicle is damaged beyond economic repair – or be stolen and not recovered – you’ll receive that pre-agreed sum in settlement (less your excess).
Principal offer a free agreed value assessment service via our specialist underwriters.
Salvage retention rights
Given that many custom bikes feature one-off and rare components, gaining salvage retention rights may be important to you.
Here, if your motorcycle is written off you can recover what’s left.
The reason this matters is that whilst an insurer might deem your machine to be beyond economical repair, you might be willing to invest more – not least of your own time – to restore your bike.
Alternatively, you might just want to reclaim parts so you can embark on a new custom project.
Custom paint cover
Many bikers invest serious money in stunning and intricate custom paint jobs.
Some specialist policies offer specific cover to reinstate or compensate for accidentally damaged paint work.
Show insurance
The UK has a thriving custom bike scene, marked by countless shows and competitions.
These range from the Custom Heroes contest at the mighty Motorcycle Live to local, regional and club gatherings.
If you’re looking to show off your pride and joy, then ask about show and rally cover when getting your custom bike insurance quote.
Modifications
A standard bike policy is designed to cover standard – factory spec – bikes. They may not cover any modifications you have made to your machine.
As a specialist broker we are able to arrange cover for all road legal modifications, without limit. This may be subject to referral and approval by the insurer.
How can you get cheap custom motorcycle insurance?
OK, the first thing to say here is that cheap isn’t necessarily cheerful.
If your bike is special, if it means something more than simply a way of getting around, you want to make sure it’s properly protected.
So it’s good value rather than cheap custom motorcycle insurance you should be looking for. A policy that offers the cover you actually need or want.
The size of your premium will depend upon many factors which you cannot change. The value of your bike, where you live, your age, occupation and so on.
However, there are things you can do to reduce your custom motorcycle insurance quote.
Limited mileage policies
If you’re able, committing to a set mileage limit can help cut your quote.
Typically insurers ask you keep below 3,000 miles in return for a reduced premium.
Voluntary Excess
If you’re willing to share a little more of the risk with your insurer, then you can get a cheaper custom bike insurance quote.
What we’re talking about here is agreeing a higher excess – the amount you would pay towards the cost of any claim you make.
Owners club discounts
Many insurers offer discounts if you are a member of a recognised motorcycle club.
Being a member signifies your passion and suggests you’ll be taking good care of a vehicle you don’t just own, but are proud of.
For example, insurers on Principal’s motorcycle insurance panel offer discounts of up to 10% to recognised owners’ club members. The scale and availability of discounts will vary between the classic bike insurers on our panel.
Storage and security
Clearly insurers are interested in where you will store your bike and the measures taken to protect it.
For obvious reasons they prefer motorcycles to be garaged overnight, or at least securely parked off road, rather than being left out on the street.
Making use of Thatcham-tested and approved security products and system may also earn a discount.
The kind of devices that win approval include ground anchors trackers, tagging systems, electronic or electromagnetic alarms and/or an immobilisers. Again the scale and availability of discounts will vary between the insurers on our panel.
No claims discounts
One of the best ways of minimising your custom bike insurance quote is to have racked up a few years claims-free riding.
Different insurers operate different no claims bonus structures, with discounts available from insurers on our panel reaching up to 65%. Discounts usually kick in after 1 claim-free year, with the maximum bonus typically offered after seven years or more.
Make a good call
You’ll be able to get our best custom motorcycle insurance quotes by calling our specialist bike team on 0330 024 0087.
By talking to you, our team will be able get all the details they need to find the best policy to meet your needs from those offered by our panel of insurers.
If applicable they’ll also be able to set in motion our free agreed value service, arranging for your insurer to assess and determine the worth of your machine.
* Please ask for the details of the insurers on our panel we use to compare custom motorcycle insurance quotes. ** The value and availability of owners club, approved security and limited mileage discounts varies between insurers on our panel. Terms and conditions will apply. ***Salvage retention rights subject to meeting underwriting criteria. **** The cost per bike can be lower when taking out multi-bike insurance than when insuring motorcycles separately. Please ask for details.
OTHER PRODUCTS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN
WE PREFER TO TALK
WHY CHOOSE PRINCIPAL INSURANCE?
Because we put our policyholders first, we now serve around 40,000 motorcyclists, motorists, classic car enthusiasts, van drivers, couriers, motorhome owners, homeowners and motor trade professionals nationally.
Whilst we embrace the latest quote and administration technologies, you might say we’re a bit old school.
That’s because we’d prefer to talk to you in order to get the best possible understanding of your needs. That then means we are properly equipped to seek out the best deal for you from our extensive panel of leading UK insurers.*
What’s more we are able to give motorbike insurance, car, van, motorhome, multi-vehicle, home and commercial insurance quotes.
Our impressive growth has been achieved not through multi-million pound marketing campaigns but by delivering old fashioned service.
That can mean finding you the lowest possible insurance quote from our panel of insurers or, if you need make a claim, ensuring that you have access to specialist assistance so that the process is as prompt and painless as possible.We’re a company with personality, one that instead of demanding staff always follow stringent call scripts and call length targets, encourages them to chat so they can provide you with the highest quality of service.
An independent broker, we source the best quotes from the UK’s leading specialist insurers.With no call length targets, our experts take the time to find you the best deal.We’re here to help – with dedicated claims and customer service support.Our quotes hotline open weekdays 9.00am-6.00pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm.
For the best quote chat to our friendly and informed UK based call centre team