Yamaha Xmax 300. Insurance?

[Rich_H9]

Hello.
I'm 54, been riding bikes since DT50 at 14, and MB5 & an MT5 at 16, GP100 at 17, break til I was 30 then ZZR600, T595 Daytona, F800GS. And I did 3 seasons racing an FZR 400rrsp. Sold the F800GS in 2014. Kids/work. I had a freak injury in a mountain biking accident in 2018 which destroyed my hip sockets and put me in a wheelchair for 6 months. Last summer I finally managed to get on my brothers Kawasaki 1200, but once I'd put my foot on the peg I got immediate cramp in my hip so that was that. I've been doing Tom Morrisions 'SMM' 3 days a week for 18 months and am still getting improvements in hip mobility, so the other week I tried sitting on an Xmax. It was clumsy and my hip hurt. I gave it 5 minutes and tried again and it hurt less. I'm a 'burn your boats' kind of person (aka stubborn). I left it, but last week the train to work was late again and in a fit of pique, in the time it took to get to work I'd arranged a loan with my bank and put a deposit down on an Xmax. Its being delivered the week after next. It may have been a mistake, time will tell.

Anyway..... I haven't had bike insurance for over a decade. To save me time, has anyone got any tips of who to try first? And any other tips re hips and Yamaha Xmax's also gratefully received. It's a 2024 Tech Max.

[poo]

I always get quotes from comparethemarket.com - other price comparison tools are available - and telephone my insurers Swintons with the cheapest one, which they either match or get so close to that it's not worth the hassle of moving. I'm a smidge older than you and pay £173/annum on a 2017 C650 Sport, but do have a decade of NCB. P.S. Hello!

[Andym]

Started both my SuperCub and Repmobile* insurance from zero NCB. Just put the details into the comparison sites. You get different companies companies quoting but you get quotes.

*Switched company car to allowance when the tax no longer made sense, so started with a driving history but zero NCB.

Are you set on the Yamaha? Their lower level of built in security should make them harder to insure, but doesn't mean they are, biggest factor is where you live. Don't tell the sewer-ants, it's just self- identifies a theft risk, but get some proper physical security.

Andy

[Rich_H9]

Poo - thanks. Why the 650?

Andy - thanks. Yeah, I’ve paid for the Xmax now. My main ride will be from my pretty secure garage at home to a fairly secure underground parking area at work. I will look at extra security, Feel free to recommend things though, I’m all ears.

P.s. I don’t know what a sewer-ant is.

[poo]

sewer-ant = in sewer-ants = insurance

C650 because it was cheap, has the heft and ride I'm used to, plus a higher power to weight than all others I looked at. Yet to discover its real world mpg and tank range on my commute, so yes, could be in for a shock. Really though, the only thing I've found I don't like about it is the heated grips are crap.

[Whatsisname]

The Martin Lewis advice for cars is to try all the big comparison sites to check the widest range then try one or two of the non-comparison insurers. Do actual local insurance brokers still exist in the flesh as it were?

[Rich_H9]

When my daughter passed her car test my wife spent nearly a whole day getting quotes online. Named drivers, commuting, driveway or road and all sorts. I was hoping to avoid that, but maybe that’s the way to go.

[Andym]

P.s. I don’t know what a sewer-ant is.

In sewer ants: bent bookies forced on the population as a form of legalised mugging. Pay money, be legal, hope you don't win the bet and try to claim

Here in Mega City 2 we layer the home defences. Garage Alarm connected to the house, cctv, concreted in lockdown point with 16mm English chain and shutter lock, other stuff you don't mention online....block the garage door with a car etc.

If your work location has lock down points I'd consider using a chain there too. Anything under 13mm and/or Chinese is a waste of time unless some kind soul parks next to you on only the ignition lock. If you leave the chain at work beware the super glue trick; if they fill your lock with glue over the weekend they intend to take the bike this week, so park elsewhere.

I have a Litelock for when forced to park away from home, plus a cheap cast disc lock. Scooters have problems getting disc locks to fit and these days thieves just cut the disc off with their battery grinders. Two locks win the arms race with most fellow riders, sorry guys.

They way to steal Yamaha's is via the workshop emulator plugged into the diagnostic plug. I'd check with other owners to see if there is a way to stop this. Maybe extract the CAN pins and hide them in the loom. I don't know huge detail on this, my Honda's are marginally less vulnerable, you need to stick a soldering iron into the ECU on those.

I do keep my key fobs in a Faraday pouch but honestly don't think scooter thieves use scanners. Usual rules though, don't hang the keys on a hook in your hallway.

Don't let the threat of theft ruin the experience, just do enough to be ahead of the pack.

Andy

[poo]

When my daughter passed her car test my wife spent nearly a whole day getting quotes online. Named drivers, commuting, driveway or road and all sorts. I was hoping to avoid that, but maybe that’s the way to go.

Once you've plugged your details into comparethemarket.com (other comparison sites are etc. etc.) then it takes me no more than 90 seconds to generate dozens of quotes on any new car or new bike I'm looking to purchase. Honestly, it's one of the few areas of my life where I am genuinely grateful for technology doing the legwork. Normally it just gets in my way and makes the veins stand proud of my forehead.

Incidentally one of the reasons I like the C650. And, for what it's worth, my erstwhole Gold Wing. Older and simpler.

[poo]

First day with the bike at work: stolen. Two guys saunter along between the delivery drivers and staff and make off with the scoot. I've looked at the CCTV footage and they crank the steering lock, one helps push the bike up the road whereupon it magically starts (er, how!?). The one pushing mine leaps on and disappears, the other follows close behind on his scoot. Total time maybe 10 seconds.