Had no insurance to ride powerful motorbike

Riding a powerful Suzuki motorbike without proper insurance has led to an appearance before Fermanagh Magistrates Court for an unemployed digger-driver from Derrylin.

On 23rd September last year, the Court heard, police on duty along the Belturbet Road, Derrylin stopped James Michael Kiernan (28) from Killynick Road, Killycloghan, Derrylin riding a Suzuki GSXR 750 motorcycle. The defendant was carrying his 15- year old brother as a pillion passenger at the time he was stopped.

Evidence was given that the defendant only had a learner licence for the motorbike, that he had no insurance for this size of bike and that he had a defective registration plate displayed on the bike.

The defendant told police he had been insured with Quinn Direct but that his policy had been cancelled as he had missed two payments.

Defending, Vincent Maguire explained that the motorbike in question had been off the road for some time and it had just been fixed up and got ready for the road again. His client had only used the bike on this one occasion when he went to pick up his brother.

He said Kiernan had applied to sit the bike test and, as such, he could now ride a 125cc motorbike. "This bike is a 750cc', he added, " but the defendant intends to put a restrictor on it meaning he'll be allowed to ride it legally."

Regarding the number plate lettering, Mr Maguire said his client was unaware of the size requirements, but he submitted his client had co-operated fully with police.

Sentencing, District Judge John Meehan fined the defendant £250 and disqualified him from driving for six months for riding without insurance. For no licence, the defendant was fined £90 while for carrying an unauthorised passenger and having a defective number plate, fines of £60 on each charge were imposed.

Source:http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com

Bike Insurance - Bike insurance customers to decline

The number of people in the UK in search for motorbike insurance could fall according to statistics.

Regardless of the current economic crisis pushing more motorists to exchange their cars for a motorcycle, figures from the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) have revealed that the number of bike registrations in November this year have reduced by 16 per cent in comparison to figures from November 2007.
Only 7,517 two wheeler motors were sold in November 2008 compared to 8,947 in November 2007.

However, chief executive, Steve Kenward of MCI said: "The motorcycle industry is still holding up very well and I am encouraged by the upbeat mood of the International Motorcycle Show at the NEC last week."

Meanwhile, as Christmas approaches, parents planning to buy their children a motorbike, scooter, moped or a quad bike are being warned of the consequences of a two wheeler motor.

The warning was issued by Darlington police following an accident involving an uninsured motorcyclist without a licence.

Those riding illegally could not only face serious charges and bans if caught, but can also face excessive payments in the case of an accident.
Parents are being urged to ensure their children have adequate bike insurance before going for a ride.

Source:http://www.onlyfinance.com

Bike Insurance - Man fined for riding toy bike

man who was spotted ridding a small scrambler bike with his child has been handed a fine of EUR500 (£425) by a District Court.

Reports quoted the man, Kevin Kelly saying he had no idea he needed a licence or bike insurance to ride the motorbike.

The bike, he reportedly said, has a 20 cc engine and was so small that it could fit into the boot of the squad car.

But the 25-year-old dad admitted driving without driving licence or insurance cover.

Sergeant Michael Leahy told Tallaght District Court that he stopped Kelly on April 29 last year shortly after 3 pm, but was unable to produce his driving licence or insurance and refused to nominate a station to produce documentation within 10 days.

He was also said to have had no helmet on and the vehicle had no registration number on it.

Defence solicitor Grainne Malone argued Kelly was only driving a scrambler bike bought from a toy shop and didn’t think it would count as a normal motor vehicle because of its small engine.

However, Kelly who had 18 previous convictions was fined by EUR500 by Judge David McHugh and disqualified from driving for five years.

Source:http://www.onlyfinance.com/Bike-Insurance-News

Five men charged in motorcycle theft ring

TRENTON -- The state Attorney General's Office has charged five Burlington County men with involvement in a motorcycle theft ring.

The men allegedly stole motorcycles, retagged them with new vehicle identification numbers, then sold them, according to a press release from the attorney general's office.
TRENTON -- The state Attorney General's Office has charged five Burlington County men with involvement in a motorcycle theft ring.

The men allegedly stole motorcycles, retagged them with new vehicle identification numbers, then sold them, according to a press release from the attorney general's office.
Wilson Lopez, 25, of Burlington Township; Tyrone Sapp, 31, of Willingboro; and Angel Carrion, 28, of Mount Holly were charged in one indictment with eight counts of theft by unlawful taking, five counts of receiving stolen property and conspiracy, the statement said. Lopez was also charged with fencing, or receiving and selling stolen goods.

The three men allegedly conspired to steal six motorcycles and two vans between December 2003 and June 2004, according to the press release.

In two other indictments, Neil C. Moyer, 33, of Brown Mills was charged with receiving stolen property and fencing, while Ian Boyington, 30, of Riverside was charged with receiving stolen property, alteration of a vehicle identification number and another motor vehicle-related offense.

The charges for the five men are all third-degree crimes, the statement said.

In some cases, the men would receive the motorcycle from its owner, file a false insurance claim saying the motorcycle had been stolen so that the owner could receive an insurance payment, then change the motorcycle's VIN and sell it.

An insurance fraud investigation led the New Jersey State Police and the Attorney General's Office to evidence of the theft ring, officials said.

"Frequently, insurance fraud investigations lead to evidence of stolen vehicles," said Greta Gooden Brown, the office's insurance fraud prosecutor.

According to the Attorney General's Office, the five men have been ordered to appear at a later date at Superior Court in Burlington County.


Source:http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?

Geico Sponsors Scooter Pavilion At Cycle World Motorcycle Shows

Santa Ana, Calif. (November 21, 2008) – Advanstar Communications, a leading worldwide media company, announced today that they have joined forces with GEICO Powersports as the presenting sponsor of the all new Scooter Pavilion. The pavilion is set to be featured at every stop on the 13-city Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows presented by Toyota national tour.

The all new Scooter Pavilion presented by GEICO Powersports is an area designated to showcase the current scooter craze. From the Piaggio MP3 three-wheeler to the all-electric Vectrix scooter, the new Scooter Pavilion is the place to see and learn about all the latest high mileage transportation options now available. Showgoers can check out scooter accessories and compare more than 20 models from Aprilia, CF Moto, Genuine, Honda, KYMCO, Piaggio, Suzuki, Vectrix, Vespa, Yamaha and more. Visitors to the pavilion can also enter for a chance to win two new Honda Metropolitan scooters and matching helmets courtesy of GEICO Powersports.

“We couldn’t produce such a successful show series without the help of our sponsors and we are thrilled that GEICO, the country’s third-largest private passenger auto insurer, will join as presenting sponsor for our new scooter pavilion,” said Group Show Director Jeff D’Entremont. “With gas prices fluctuating, scooter sales are booming and more and more people are looking for alternative modes of transportation such as scooters, so we are expecting a great turnout at the new Scooter Pavilion presented by GEICO at all the shows across the country.”

“GEICO is proud to be a part of this event that will benefit those who appreciate the powersports lifestyle,” said Vince Giampietro, manager of GEICO Powersports and event marketing. “The Scooter Pavilion is a great place to learn about the newest equipment and our goal is to keep scooter-riders safe on the road and properly insured.”

For hard-core motorcyclists or casual riders, GEICO motorcycle insurance is designed with money-saving discounts, payment plans and GEICO's reliability to meet the needs of motorcycle owners. Specializing in a range of coverage policies, GEICO covers most types of motorcycles, including cruisers, street, sport, touring, high-performance bikes and scooters.

For the 16th consecutive year, Cycle World, the world’s most popular motorcycle magazine, is the title sponsor for the series and leading manufacturer Toyota will return for the 11th year as presenting sponsor. The Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows® presented by Toyota is the world’s largest motorcycle show series. For more information, call 800/331-5706 or visit motorcycleshows.com.

Source: http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=35051

Competition in UK Private Motor Insurance 2007 - New Research Report on Companies and Markets

The brief analyzes the competitive developments in the UK private motor insurance market, discussing market concentration and competitor performance and providing analysis of the top insurers´ market share, GWP and underwriting performance over the last five years.

Scope

Analysis of the top private motor insurers´ growth or decline in market share and the trends driving these changes Performance data of the top
insurers in the UK motor insurance market.

Highlights

The market dominance of the largest players is expected to confer a greater control over the setting of premium rates and a greater ability to steer the market. This has been evident in the fact that the current underwriting cycle has turned before the market reached the level of losses seen in previous cycles.

Reasons to Purchase

Benchmark your company against your competitors based on current and past performance in the market Gain knowledge of competitive developments among private motor insurance providers.

Source:http://www.live-pr.com/en/competition-in-uk-private-motor-insurance-

Young man awarded €5m for motorbike injuries

A YOUNG man who suffered catastrophic head injuries when the motorbike on which he was travelling as a passenger hit a roadside earth bank has secured €5 million damages in one of the biggest High Court settlements of its type.

Approving the settlement yesterday, Mr Justice John Quirke said he had "real concerns" about how meeting the costs of future care for crash victims was dealt with here and he suggested the UK system was "infinitely better".

Given the large difference of opinion between experts about the costs of providing care for crash victims for the rest of their lives, there was a need to examine the "much better" type of compensation system in the UK which allows for periodic payments in such cases, rather than one large settlement, he said.

He made the comments in the case of David McCullagh jnr (30) who, through his father David snr, had sued the driver and owner of the motorbike, Anthony Leahy, Ballineadig, Farran, Cork.

Mr McCullagh, a painter and decorator from Ardcross, Crosshaven, Cork, claimed he suffered severe injuries and is now in a wheelchair as a result of Mr Leahy's negligence in controlling the bike when it hit an earth bank at or near Lee Valley Golf and Country Club, in Ovens, Co Cork, on June 25th, 2006.

Yesterday afternoon Mr Justice Quirke was told the case had been settled without a hearing.

The €4.98 million settlement provides for the cost of daily care to Mr McCullagh for another 33 years, a figure reached on the basis of medical opinion his life expectancy had been cut by 29 per cent.

Henry Hickey SC, for Mr McCullagh, said his side's expert had assessed the costs of care on the basis of the reduced life expectancy while another actuarial report had come up with a figure of €3 million for future care.

Mr Justice Quirke said he had "real concerns" about how the costs of future care for people in such situations is dealt with here.

The system here is supposed to cover all future costs but there was no way of doing that properly and it was the equivalent of "looking into a crystal ball", the judge said.

The judge approved the immediate payment out of €865,000 from the €4.9 million to include €250,000 towards the cost of adapting the family home for David and sums of €60,000 for his parents and €40,000 for his brother and sister for the care they had provided in the last two years for him. The remainder of the money will be paid into court pending wardship proceedings.

David's brother and sister had provided daily assistance bringing him to physiotherapy five days a week while he was in hospital in Dublin and Cork. The insurance company, which insured the motorbike owner, has already provided financial assistance towards home improvement, a car and daily physiotherapy, Mr McCullagh's counsel said.

Mr McCullagh has spent most of his time since the crash in Cork University Hospital and the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire and is staying in St Finbarr's Hospital in Cork pending the completion of works to his family home, his counsel said. Apart from his physical injuries which have confined him to a wheelchair, he is also affected intellectually, counsel said. He can carry on conversations but has speech difficulties.

Source:http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper