Motorcycle Insurance in Europe

[20774]

I received a PM from a new member asking for some help with obtaining motorcycle insurance in Europe/England/Ireland. I did a search and only found stuff that's quite old. I understand that this insurance is written on the person, but the insurance covers the motorcycle as well. I believe the term is "third party insurance". Can someone point out some recent threads or if you have some experience with this, it would be helpful to have some up to date information.

Thanks...

 

[darrylri]

In Europe, liability insurance (insurance that covers the other party if you're involved in an accident) is mandatory. It's generally called 3rd party or Green Card insurance (the form you must carry in your vehicle is a three part form with a green sheet on top). This does not cover your medical needs if you are in an accident, and it doesn't cover repairs to your vehicle.

If you have your own vehicle in Europe, you will have to buy green card insurance when you visit and intend to drive. It's an obscure product and most insurance companies don't sell it. In Germany, the ADAC - the German equivalent of the AAA in the US - used to do so, but my experience is that they stopped offering it a couple years ago, after raising the price about 5X over the previous few years. I only know of two sources for it right now:

• Stefan Knopf - www.knopftours.com - based in Heidelberg
• MotorTouring -www.mototouring.com - based in Milan

You can also rent bikes from both organizations. Stefan is a long time supporter of the BMW MOA and attends the national rally nearly every year.