Ask the lawyer
Gavin Grewal, used to volunteer his time as a special constable which gave him a good insight into how evidence is gathered from accident scenes. Gavin is partner at specialist motorcycle solicitors White Dalton.
I crashed on a bag of plaster left in the road. Can I claim against anyone?
29 Jan 2026
I was riding on a damp and drizzly autumn day last year. There was still some light, and as I went around a bend in a line of traffic moving at about 40mph on a moderately sharp bend (the traffic is calmed from 60mph to 40mph for this bend) my bike shot out from underneath […]
My frame’s failed out of warranty. What can I do?
22 Jan 2026
I bought a bike, brand new, from a franchised dealer. Crash bungs were fitted by them but oddly I cannot find an invoice for these. Shortly after the warranty expired, the frame started to crack – and obviously the bike is unrideable.
I’m in for £16,000 for a hire bike I didn’t really need. Do I have to pay?
15 Jan 2026
My bike was knocked over in a parking bay by a car driver. The driver left contact details on my bike and with the supermarket, which also captured the whole thing on CCTV, so no major problems. But I seem to have entered a nightmare world. I phoned my insurer, and the call was answered […]
A car wash dropped my bike and my insurer won’t pay. I’m at my wit’s end
08 Jan 2026
I took my 2022 Husqvarna Norden 901 to my local ‘cash-only’ car wash after a bit of mud plugging. I’ve been going there for years and the lads know not to jet wash linkages and bearings on filthy bikes. The lad who always likes cleaning my bike zoned in on me, we had a chat, […]
I bought knock-off gloves and they fell apart in a crash – can I sue?
09 Oct 2025
I bought myself a pair of motorcycle gloves from a well-known internet sales site. They cost about £8 and were heavily branded as well-respected primarily adventure/off-road brand Klim.
Am I breaking the law riding across the pavement to park in my garden?
02 Oct 2025
I live on a modern estate but where I live, we have a problem with bike thieves. I set off to work at about 8.15am and return about 6.00pm. I ride my bike from a little car park where we are supposed to park our cars in designated bays – which, in fairness, most people […]
Leaf mould caused my accident
20 Mar 2025
I was riding along a quiet country road. The tarmac was quite beaten up but my Triumph Tiger 800 is more than capable of managing this kind of road.
Big Bike Lessons
09 Jan 2025
My son was doing his bike licence with a local training school and he fell off, causing him to have a seriously sprained thumb and psychological trauma.
I fell down a hotel’s basement stairs while on a tour – should I claim?
17 Oct 2024
I was on a semi-off-road tour and had booked overnight accommodation in a fairly basic hotel.
The driver says I’m to blame. Can he do that?
11 Jul 2024
I was riding along the main road when a car emerged from a side road and into my path.
They say I was speeding – I wasn’t
21 Mar 2024
A car pulled across me and I hit it side-on. They say I was speeding – I wasn’t
Poor signage by the council played a part in my collision. Do I have a claim?
22 Feb 2024
I was riding along a very minor C-class country road. The road itself was quite challenging: it had a series of sharp bends on a steep descent with a very pronounced camber.
Uninsurable or Uninformed?
21 Dec 2023
I was hoping to buy a BMW R1200GS and I had sourced one but the seller told me he had removed a failed ABS system: the bike is now non-ABS.
Fuelish Fiasco
23 Nov 2023
I ran into the back of a car that had run out of fuel and had conked out about 10-12 metres past a blind bend.
What should I look for in motorcycle travel insurance?
05 Oct 2023
I read Richy Howland’s letter about travel insurance in the March issue of RiDE with interest.
There’s a chance I might lose part of my leg. Should I settle this now?
07 Sep 2023
I have had a serious motorcycle accident. Liability is all agreed. I have taken a 20% hit because witnesses and various engineering experts have put me at about 80mph in a 60mph zone, which I accept as probably correct.
I hit an unlit parked car facing the wrong way
10 Aug 2023
I have had a nasty accident, which has resulted in a spiral fracture in my ankle. I hit a parked car on the approach to a village in darkness.
My insurance company seems to be shafting me. What is going on?
20 Jul 2023
I was taken off my bike in the most obvious no-fault accident imaginable. Because the case is live, I cannot go into details but I was stationary and a car hit me at speed from the rear, sending me over the top of my bike.
