Moped Questions

fender

Hi,

I am just about to get a moped. It will need to be MOT'd. Does anyone know how much that will cost.

Also, can anyone recommend any decent insurance firms, policies?

It will be garaged.

Any good tips on maintenance etc?

Thanks.

pompeyrich

According to the direct gov. site a motorcycle MOT is £27:15, doesnt mention mopeds seperately but says class1 bike up to 200cc.

My sons insurance on a new Pug was £263 with Ensign, done it through the bike dealer. Its not great value, TPF&T but a £500 theft excess and then only if chained to a fixed structure with a Thatcham lock and locked in the garage when at home.

Thats it really had his serviced at the Peugeot dealer for the warranty, anything from £40-£100 a time depending on the service.

Get yourself a good lock, take it easy, especially when wet and enjoy the independance

Keith

pompeyrich wrote: »

Get yourself a good lock, take it easy, especially when wet and enjoy the independance

What would you call a good lock? I hope not an Oxford chain because they have been proven to be cutable in under 1 minute

fox2319

We use Bennets for the insurance of our moped. I think they worked out cheapest at the time but can't remember the exact amount. If getting 2nd hand, 3rd party fire and theft is all you'll probably need.

Cheers

Jeff

livinginhope

fox2319 wrote: »

We use Bennets for the insurance of our moped. I think they worked out cheapest at the time but can't remember the exact amount. If getting 2nd hand, 3rd party fire and theft is all you'll probably need.

Cheers

Jeff

Beware of Bennetts!!
If you cancel they will keep ALL your policy fee and CHARGE an extra £30 on top :eek: we cancelled ours with 4 months left to run,Bennetts received a refund from Equity Red star,but would not pass it on to us,we had paid for the full year up front and were still charged an extra £30.

ElkyElky

Keith wrote: »

What would you call a good lock? I hope not an Oxford chain because they have been proven to be cutable in under 1 minute

I completely agree. My Oxford was snipped in half very easily when I lost the key.

forgotmyname

Unless you buy a chain thats physically too large to fit into the jaws of a bolt cutter then not
many of them will stand upto much abuse.

Youtube has several videos showing how easily mainstream locks & chains can be snipped with a set of bolt croppers.

Its easy to spend more than you paid for the bike on security. And can still take you longer to lock it up than it will
take them to steal it.

Even if its garaged still lock it though, Ground anchor into the floor/wall.


Mind you as this was posted in 2007 i presume its been stolen a long time ago.

ElkyElky

forgotmyname wrote: »

Unless you buy a chain thats physically too large to fit into the jaws of a bolt cutter then not
many of them will stand upto much abuse.

Youtube has several videos showing how easily mainstream locks & chains can be snipped with a set of bolt croppers.

Its easy to spend more than you paid for the bike on security. And can still take you longer to lock it up than it will
take them to steal it.

Even if its garaged still lock it though, Ground anchor into the floor/wall.

A lot of chains/padlocks can very easily be cut. They need to invent one that could withstand a bomb, let alone a hacksaw.

I locked my motorbike up against a lamp post and unfortunately the padlock key snapped off and stuck in the lock. The chain cost me like £60 and it only took ten minutes with a hack saw to cut it in half. I've lost faith in these "security" chains.

wealdroam

ElkyElky wrote: »

I completely agree. My Oxford was snipped in half very easily when I lost the key.

ElkyElky wrote: »

I locked my motorbike up against a lamp post and unfortunately the padlock key snapped off and stuck in the lock. The chain cost me like £60 and it only took ten minutes with a hack saw to cut it in half. I've lost faith in these "security" chains.

How unlucky you were.

To lose one key and then break one key in a lock is most unfortunate don't you think?

As the chains had secured your bike until your carelessness, why have you lost faith in them?

ElkyElky

wealdroam wrote: »

How unlucky you were.

To lose one key and then break one key in a lock is most unfortunate don't you think?

As the chains had secured your bike until your carelessness, why have you lost faith in them?

I guess I've had bad luck when it comes to Oxford chains, gosh darn it!

You are correct in stating that the chains had effectively secured my bike but the issue remains that it took ten minutes to remove the chain with the assistance of a hack saw. It most certainly was convenient for me as I required quick access to the said bike but wouldn't have been so good should someone else have tried to steal it using the same methods.

BlueC

fender wrote: »

Also, can anyone recommend any decent insurance firms, policies?

I use Lexham for my scooter. They were the cheapest I could find

http://www.lexhaminsurance.co.uk/

YMMV

Any good tips on maintenance etc?

Do the basics and do them regularly - tyres, fuel, oil, lights. Check the lights and brakes all work and the tyres are ok every time you ride. These are the bits that will save your life - its not like getting in a car where you have a ton of metal to protect you when things go wrong. Get a Haynes manual for the bike and look at the suggested maintenance/check routines.

Your insurance will insist it is locked with a certain standard of chain/disc lock etc so make sure to buy one of those. If leaving it in a public place I put a cover on mine - a grey bag looks a lot less tempting to a thief than a shiny scooter. Stops the kids from jumping on it too.

C