Electric Bike, insurance?

Dolomite Pete

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Hi , I've recently got an electric bike and was wondering about security when traveling (when possible!). I would have to keep it on the rack on the back of my Autocruise Rythem. I've purchased a really solid lock and I've got a cover. Do any of you have separate insurance for an ebike, or added it to the household cover etc, and if so how much did it cost / is it worth it?

Cheers
Pete
 
I might be wrong but I think the one of the most expensive parts of the bike is the battery (having tried recently to buy replacements, follow the charging instructions faithfully to avoid the mistakes we made). So keeping that inside the van would mitigate the risk.
 
It's always a good idea to remove the battery, partly for security but also the weight - ours weigh 3kg each. I use a towbar mounted rack because the rear of the average coach built motorhome is too flimsy to have two electric bikes of about 18kg each hanging on it. An extra 6kg of batteries is far better off inside the van.
As far as insurance is concerned, it doesn't cost very much to add them to the house insurance, but you do need to check with your insurance company/broker, because I found that when some refer to bicycles they don't include e-bikes. Others specify that a ridiculously expensive brand of lock must be used. AIB were unable to find an insurer on their panel to cover the bikes, so I am now with Tesco.
 
The value makes a difference. If they are over a certain threshold they may need to be stored out of sight.

Removing the the battery is not always an option, ours are hidden within the frame and not easily removed.
 
This thread I started might be of interest? - https://motorhomer.com/threads/electric-bike-insurance.43163/
discussions on insurance and locks.

I also have the eBikes on a rack on the back on my Autotrail and the AXA houshold contents insurance I took out covers that external mounting.

I take the batteries out when on the rack both to save rack carried weight and should also make the bikes less attractive to theft I would imagine.
 
Just out of curiosity what do you all use, excluding the lock that is to secure to the rack. ? I’m wondering just how accurate they are weather proof statement is. Imagine driving along with the rain pelting them. Removing the battery on mine is a nightmare so would rather not.

can’t seem to find a rack weight “useful load” in the manual. Surely 10kg is ok, I can see that having two on my be off a concern?
 
Ours are insured on the household insurance at no extra cost. We removed the batteries before putting them on the bike rack on our previous van, on the one we have now we are hoping they will go in the garage
 
On our previous Autotrail I realised that it only required undoing two bolts to lift the whole rack, bikes and all, off the back of the van. So locking them to the rack didn't appear to add much value... Fortunately we have a garage in our current van. As far as them being out in the rain I tried various covers and eventually decided that bikes are designed to be ridden in the rain and it was better to leave them uncovered so that although they got wet they also dried off again quickly, which didn't happen under a cover that I could never make completely watertight. I did cover the saddles and handlebar grips with plastic bags though. I suppose there is a security benefit of a cover in that the tea leaves don't know whether your bikes are worth nicking or not.
 
We have had two ebikes on the back of our MH since 2013. We always had a new tow bar fitted for the express purpose of using a tow bar mounted bike rack which makes it possible to lift the bikes on by myself - although it really makes life a lot easier if there are two people doing the lifting. Our bikes weigh 20kg each without the batteries so the rating of the tow bar at 100kg and the rack at 60kg works well. I always put the batteries (5kg each) in the door pockets of the van to get the weight as far forward as possible. This also separates the bikes from the batteries to make either a lot less desirable to any thieves.
We always use a cover when travelling and have a motorbike chain (silver grade) which attaches both bikes to the carrier. If anybody wants to try and lift 55kgs of bikes and carrier I would like to see them try!
We got the cover from Taylor Made and it has taken everything the weather can throw at it - including huge hailstones in an Alpine storm.
Having said all that, we have never been able to get insurance cover that we thought was worth the cost - the best offer was 400 pounds - so we self insure.
One other thing to bear in mind is how much weight goes on the back axle when you put a couple of bikes on the van. Depending on the distance from the back axle to the centre of gravity of the bike assembly, this can easily put well over 100kg on the back axle ( and take 40kg or more off the front one!)
Hope this helps.
 
I'm impressed that you managed to get a cover that was totally waterproof. After several attempts I found that the best I could do was make it pretty well waterproof but the small amountof water that still did get in couldn't easily get out again so leaving the bikes in a damp humid atmosphere for a long time which seemed to make them go rustier quicker than leaving them out in the rain which allowed them to dry quicker. But good luck top you if you've made it work! It was also one more faff when getting the bikes on and off the carrier.
 
We have a towbar mounted rack. When it is attached I run a lock/chain around the body of the towbar and the rack so that if the bolts holding the ball in place are removed there is an extra obstacle for a thief to overcome. The clamp that holds the rack to the ball is lockable as are the clamps that hold the bikes on the rack. For good measure I run a lockable chain through both bike frames and the rack.

The batteries are removed and kept in the van - even the one that is in one of the frames.

We have a very old and modified Taylormade cover to keep the worst of the rain and dirt off but this is removed for going through the tunnel entance/area so that stowaways can be easily seen (yes, I have seen it tried). I've also made a cover for the 'shoe' that one of the batteries sits in to stop dust and water getting into the electrics of that.

The bikes are insured on our household insurance (models named and replacement valued). When going abroad we have to phone up to tell the company when we are going and when we will be back but domestically no such issues. When not in use the insurance is only valid if the bikes are secured to a fixed object. I asked the question and they confirmed that a motorhome is considered to be just such and object.
 
Will not cover you when there not at home.
Can't say about bikes but ours cover a lot of our personal items when we are away like Cameras binoculars phones up to £500 so wouldn't do for bikes
 
I have mine insured on our Aviva house insurance and they are insured away from home anywhere in the world.
They are secured to the rack when travelling and on site secured to the chassis via a steel cable. One of the conditions of the insurance policy.
 
It can be surprising what household insurance covers "away from home"

Two things I claimed (and got paid) for on a Nationwide BS House insurance policy ...
  1. Motorbike Leathers and Crash Helmet after accident (Bike insurance covered bike but not clothing)
  2. Barrister Fees on an employment tribunal
 
I would be more worried about being insured for running someone down. All mechanically propelled vehicles should be subject to the same rules.
 

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