Insurance in the UK

Thanks, LAB, that's good info; I hadn't run across it in my research! Based on the info, my wife is now interested in the UK license again, going the Direct access scheme for motorcycles. If she does so and the insurance price drops dramatically, I may do the same OR I suppose we could just put both bikes on an insurance policy under her name with me listed as a second rider.

I did just that. You take the written, the intro test and then the real test.
If you are new to UK and grew up driving on "the other side" it is much harder than a kid who is starting out. Trust me on this. I drove for 48
years before coming here and it is tough. If you have been here often and drive a lot then it will be fairly easy. The hard part will be driving
as your instructor tells you to drive and as the examiner expects you to drive.
If you do get the license you are probationary for TWO years which doesnt preclude you from anything just dont get nailed for speeding!

Re speeding - we went with a Britt friend in his car on a week-long trip to Scotland two weeks ago. Frankly, he drove like a maniac, seemingly paying little attention to the speed limit signs except going through towns/villages. When we were on the 70MPH M-roads he was typically at 80-85MPH and on the A roads he routinely was in the 70+ range as traffic permitted. He didn't seem worried much about getting a ticket. When I asked about it, he just said, "you have to be careful!" Not sure what "being careful" means in that context since we were almost always over the limit!

Two thoughts, Mike.

Maybe inquire about insurance if you buy the bikes in the name of a corporation or other non-personal entity?

Can you get a binder or “umbrella” of coverage from your Mexican or US carrier that covers you internationally?

Being careful is speed +10% +3 plus whatever under read is built into you speedo. Motorways you can get away with a bit more for patrols but the cameras are fixed so 80 is good but that may be 85 on your speedo. GPS speed is best.

MexicoMike said:

Re speeding - we went with a Britt friend in his car on a week-long trip to Scotland two weeks ago. Frankly, he drove like a maniac, seemingly paying little attention to the speed limit signs except going through towns/villages. When we were on the 70MPH M-roads he was typically at 80-85MPH and on the A roads he routinely was in the 70+ range as traffic permitted. He didn't seem worried much about getting a ticket. When I asked about it, he just said, "you have to be careful!" Not sure what "being careful" means in that context since we were almost always over the limit!

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80 mph is the norm on UK motorways
The thing that normally keeps the speed down is the volume of traffic!!
I would never speed through a town where potentially somebody could step out, or a child not thinking etc
But on a good fast A road where you can see the side roads and any dangers and you are riding within your limits then I see no reason to stick rigidly to the limit
There is a road near me that's a 50 limit its a country lane and frankly 50 is too fast for some people on that road
And the sheer amount of accidents on that road seem to prove this
Speed cameras just slow people down for a couple of hundred yards and are a great source of revenue I read somewhere that the council consult the police as to where to site a speed camera but the council don't have to abide by the police instructions and they rarely get sited where the police would like them
Don't know if this is true or not?
Average speed cameras are the ones to be careful of, my girlfriend got a speeding ticket on the Dartford crossing where it's a 50 limit
She was doing 53 or 54 can't remember now
It's rare to see a police car on the road these days although there are some unmarked ones about
Recently I was in hurry to get home in the early hours on the M25
I was in the 3rd lane well above the national limit when a Volvo for no reason moved from the second to the 3rd lane right in front of me
I moved to the 4th lane to overtake him and he turned his blues on!
I took this as a warning and dropped back down to 70mph
I appreciated the fact he didn't nick me,
Just be sensible on the road and it's generally ok

Thanks Baz! I was under the impression that there was no tolerance at all with the speed cameras. IOW, I thought that if you went past one at even 1-2 mph over the speed limit, you got a ticket. Glad to hear that's not the case.

Based on our trip and your info, it seems pretty much the same as in Texas (though no speed cameras there). Nobody drives the speed limit on the interstate; 10-15 MPH over is 'normal'.

XBack - I can't get insurance from the US on a UK registered bike through my US insurance company. Several other US companies I checked with said the same. I CAN get it in the US for a US-registered motorcycle that I ship to/ride in the UK. The price for that is $900 for 6 months - actually just a bit above the UK insurance price I was quoted for a UK-purchased bike.

TBH, I thought about going that route and shipping bikes here. But I'd rather have one purchased locally with the resulting warranty, etc and not go through the shipping/importing hassle.

Also (forgot to add this earlier), if I 'import' it to the UK it will no longer be US-registered so there's no long-term advantage to doing that...at least that I can see.

The 'tolerance' on speed limits depends on where you are in the UK, and also how keen the Police are in that area.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/revealed-the-true-tolerance-of-speed-cameras/

North Wales is notorious for folks getting tickets, and some of the best A roads have average speed cameras

My local Lancashire Constabulary are among the more lenient, but general rule is to respect the speed limit in built-up areas.

The papers had an article on what The Law uses as the actual speed limit and it is by county. Out west where I am Somerset is greedy and hungry for your pounds. Somewhat less so in Devon and Cornwall. But again the cams are usually marked and although I've blown through several with no problem you never know. What I do know is they use a lot of mobile vans especially in summer when the incomers arrive and they are not just on the dual carriage where people really fly. They can be just as you enter a village . Also know that they use telephoto lens so you get nailed before you can see them. Typical spot is on an overpass.
Id not put too much faith in the 10% plus 2 or 3.
Speed limit on the M roads really should be 85 as those of us obeying the law are at risk.

It's a tag team. Insurance companies lobby for low speed limits, pols send the revenuers out, media spouts the government/insurance "safety" party line.

Not Norton Related!

Insurance/etc all sorted! Today I bought a Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe; my wife bought a Honda NC750X. I was shocked by her step 'down' HP-wise from her '18 Africa Twin and her '15 Ducati Diavel! But she rode a hired Honda 750X last year for a week at the IOM and she thought it would be a good bike for her here.