The vexed question of rising insurance premiums is a hot topic just now, but there's nothing new about complaining about insurance. Motorcyclists have been doing just that for at least a century. Back in 1926, the Rudge Book of the Road grudgingly observed that insurance was ‘an absolute necessity.’ It wasn't yet a legal requirement, but ‘you might damage someone's person or property and the court may award them damages which would bankrupt you. Insurance is the cheapest and (unless you are a millionaire) the only way to safeguard yourself.’ Imagine being a millionaire in 1926! That would probably make you Elon Musk today…
Moving on to the classic era, insuring a machine was by then ‘quite straightforward. In the case of a new mount, the agent from whom it is being purchased will often see to the whole matter.’ How convenient!
