IN COMING!
Summat to say? Send your comments, hints, tips, tales of woe and derring-don’t to: RCHQ@RealClassic.net
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Thank to Rowena for her Members’ Enclosure article about MoTs and breakdown cover. I have just received my renewal quote from Carole Nash and, in the notes covering the breakdown cover, it stipulates that your bike will need a current MoT. I called them to ask if this applies to vehicles over forty years old which do not require either tax or MoT. Would my bike be collected if it broke down? The advisor had to go away and ask, but he did already know about older cars and bikes not needing an MoT or tax. He returned to confirm that if I did have a breakdown then the breakdown cover would come out and pick me up. They do know about the DVLA rules covering vehicles over forty years old.
Anthony Curzon, member 1010
GEM Motoring Assist are rarely mentioned. They’re a spin-off from the old Guild of Experienced Motorists to which I have belonged since about 1980. They cover you, rather than any particular vehicle (so that MoT problem does not arise) and I have used them many times over the years for motorcycles, cars and caravans. I must have covered my yearly premium many times over! You either contact their national helpline for assistance or make your own arrangements locally. You pay the bills up front and claim the costs back from GEM. They are extremely prompt in settling claims. I pay by credit card and have always had a cheque from them, no quibble, before the card account is due. Everything is covered; homestart, roadside assist, national recovery and onward travel / accommodation. If you are a member, as a passenger in another’s vehicle, then the same assistance applies to that vehicle, too. Their current annual premium is £78.50 and they will send you an excellent quarterly magazine which often includes motorcycling articles by known authors. Which? rated them #1 in 2018 and they also got top place in the Auto Express driver power survey. I am in no way connected to GEM, just a thoroughly satisfied customer. Indeed, I would nominate them for a Service Star!
Mike Knowles, member 8882
My local MoT tester informed me of a couple of early 1980s bikes recently brought in for MoT by someone who had purchased a container-load of bikes. Both bikes failed due to the frames /
