First: get yourself safe
- On a motorway or dual carriageway (M6, M60, M62, M61, M65, A55): get the bike onto the hard shoulder or verge, as far left as you can, and get behind the barrier. Keep your helmet and kit on. In a live lane with no way off, call 999.
- On a moorland or pass road (Cat and Fiddle, Snake Pass, the Trough): get off the carriageway, ideally where drivers see you from a distance. On a blind bend, walk the bike to a straight section if you can.
- In town: side stand on firm ground, hazards on if your bike has them, and stay with it.
The breakdowns we see most
- Flat battery: a bike laid up for winter, an alarm or tracker draining it, or a heated-grip habit. Often a roadside jump fixes it.
- Punctures: tubeless tyres can be plugged at the roadside if the hole is in the tread. A sidewall cut or a tubed tyre means it goes on the truck.
- Chain and sprocket: a snapped or derailed chain is a recovery job, never a ride-home job.
- Electrics: a blown fuse, a corroded connector from a winter of salted roads, or a regulator/rectifier that has cooked the battery.
- Fuel: run dry on a long moorland stretch, or a blocked filter on a bike that has sat.
- Clutch and gearbox: a snapped cable, a hydraulic leak, or stuck in gear.
How the recovery works
- Call or WhatsApp your location. A live location pin, a what3words address or the nearest junction or lay-by.
- Tell us the bike and the problem. Make, model and roughly what happened. It decides whether a roadside fix is worth trying.
- Get the full price. Local recoveries start from £125. You hear the total before anyone is sent.
- Bike loaded properly. Front wheel into a chock, soft loops on the bars or yokes, ratchet straps pulling down and forward. No straps over the seat, tank or fairings.
- Taken where you choose. Home, your dealer, an independent bike garage, or a lock-up. In most cases the rider rides along in the cab.
Bikes we recover
Sports bikes and superbikes, nakeds, tourers like a GS, Pan European or Gold Wing, adventure bikes, cruisers and Harleys, trail bikes and road-legal enduros, 125s and scooters, classics, trikes, and electric bikes like a Zero or an Energica. For heavy tourers and trikes, say so on the call. They need a bigger bed or two people to load.
FAQ
Rider questions
Can I get motorbike recovery without breakdown cover?
Yes. There’s no membership: you pay for this recovery only, and you hear the price before we send anyone.
Will my passenger and I be taken too?
Usually, yes. Most recovery trucks have room for the rider, and often a pillion too. Mention it on the call so we send a truck with enough seats.
How long will it take to reach me?
In towns and cities, typically 30 to 75 minutes. On remote moorland or Lake District roads it can be longer. We give you an honest estimate on the call.
Can you fix it at the roadside instead?
Simple things, yes: jump starts, some tubeless punctures, a loose connector. If it isn’t safe to ride, it goes on the truck.