What is a future classic motorbike?

A future classic is a bike somewhere on the timeline continuum between a classic bike, and a more modern machine. It’s a bike that has the potential to be a classic or vintage machine in its own right, given more time. It could maybe even be considered a classic now, depending on the machine and its history.

As a rough guide, future classics will probably have gone past the point of depreciation, and have actually started to increase in value. The bikes are probably quite a scarce sight on UK roads, and have begun to attract the attention of collectors. Think early R1’s, a Honda SP-1, or perhaps something with a story to tell like a Suzuki TL1000 widowmaker. Ground breaking bikes, unusual bikes, or bikes with unique histories as opposed to run of the mill commuters. Machines that are as much an investment as they are a fun way of getting from A to B.

The classification can even be split further, into “modern classic” and “future classic” – with the former being a bike from the modern era having already ascended to classic status, whilst a “future classic” merely is seen to have the potential to be a classic at an indeterminate point in the future.

Insurance for a future classic motorbike.

When it comes to finding the right insurance cover for your bike, a broker may appear to offer or market a future classic bike insurance policy, but use the same quote process and offer the same insurance cover as you’d get on a standard motorcycle insurance policy.

Others will quite happily provide a competitive quote on your future classic with no mention of this status (to the broker, your future classic could just be another bike that pops up on the database).

Some bikes that are considered future classics could actually qualify for a full-on classic bike policy, with the potential to add agreed values (as opposed to market value), and salvage retention rights. Some brokers allow bikes into the "classic" umbrella when they reach just 15 years old.

It's important to note that irrespective of your bike's age or status, it can still be insured on a standard motorcycle insurance policy.

Will being a future classic make any difference to my quote?

Maybe not. Underwriters will know the market value of the bikes they are insuring. If you think your future classic is worth more than an average equivalent model for whatever reason, you'll need to speak with the broker to see if an agreed value can be applied - although this is typically something applied to classic motorcycle policies rather than future classics.

In the same way that insurers segment their business into separate classes of bikes (adventure bike, superbike, commuter bike etc), the phrase “future classic bike” is perhaps more of a marketing tool than an insurance one when seen from the brokers' perspective.

It’s an issue of semantics rather than insurance. Your quote will be determined by the same risk attribution model and calculations (based on your individual circumstances) that are applied to any other bike.

This trend for segmentation has amplified in recent times. Brokers who appear on the top of page 1 in Google have a huge advantage over their competition. And because bikers search for different phrases when looking for a motorbike quote, brokers seek to capitalise on this and try to appear on as many of the more popular search terms as they can. Just as “adventure bike insurance” is a keyword which has seen an increase in searches over the last few years, so too is “future classic bike insurance”. Brokers respond by turning their lead generation efforts towards this, and could just be increasing reach rather than offering a unique or bespoke product for future classic motorcycles.

As all brokers differ on their definition of future, modern, classic or vintage bikes, it can pay to check with them directly. If you are only interested in achieving the lowest price insurance for your future classic, don’t care about how the bike is classified and aren’t looking for benefits associated with full on classic bike policies, simply compare insurance for your future classic using a comparison service.

After all, if you have a bike that you consider to be a future classic, but isn’t necessarily worth any more than market value for a bike of its age, then the classification could be a mute-point.