If you are going to compare motorbike insurance you need to make sure that you have all your paperwork to hand before you start.
That's vehicle details, from either your registration documents, or details like make, model and year of the bike you are thinking of getting.
You’ll also need your driving licence and details of any insurance No Claims Discount for your motorbike.
Don’t forget precise details of any security devices you have, as Thatcham approved alarms and locks can bring the cost down when you compare motorbike insurance.
Insurance companies also like to see you reducing the risk to your bike by keeping it in a garage or a securely locked shed.
Although it won’t reduce your premium, if you have to keep your bike on the street, getting effective motorbike cover will discourage criminals from targeting it and you won’t have to make a claim on your insurance.
What cover do you need
To effectively compare motorbike insurance you need to have a clear idea of what sort of cover you want.
The two main types of insurance are third party, fire and theft or fully comprehensive.
Third party, fire and theft is generally cheaper because it doesn’t cover you if you damage your motorbike through your own fault
That’s where fully comprehensive insurance comes in. If you have a high value or new motorbike, then fully comprehensive insurance is advisable.
If your bike is quite old and only worth hundreds, instead of thousands, then Third Party, Fire and Theft should give you sufficient peace of mind.
Along with the type of motorbike insurance you want, you should consider what excess you are willing to have on the policy and also whether you are happy to operate with a restricted mileage on your motorbike insurance.
If you take a larger excess, that should bring down the premium costs.
So it is sometimes worth trying several different permutations when you compare motorbike insurance, so that you get a feel for the cost-effectiveness of various changes to the cover you purchase.