- This topic has 28 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 14 years ago by Sean_D.
Insurance.
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April 8, 2010 at 10:56 pm #25563Sean_DParticipantApril 8, 2010 at 10:58 pm #25565Jeff in KentuckyParticipant
If you are young and have good wrists and a good back, with no trouble getting out of bed in the morning, you will likely quickly get used to a sportbike with lower handlebars. They are designed so your chest is less like a sail in the wind, for racing or a racing look on the street.
I take a longer trip once a year, and one year a bunch of sportbike riders went with us- they broke off from the group on the twistier roads, and 3 out of 4 got speeding tickets. They often sit upright on the long straight sections, with just one hand on the throttle, to rest their wrists and backs. They are definitely not as comfortable as a Honda Gold Wing, especially for a passenger, but a lot of motorcycle riding is emotions, and getting what makes your heart beat a little faster. If a car pulls out in front of you, a sportbike or a light scooter will turn faster than a cruiser or tourer.
One of the options for a Gold Wing is an airbag:
April 9, 2010 at 2:25 am #25574DinugePampleParticipantI’m so excited! It was perfect! They had a 2010 Ninja 250R on display. I sat on it, it felt fantastic. I had the guy help hold it up while I sat on it, just to get a feel. I’m going to have to lower the seat a tad, but not as much as I was expecting. Plus the insurance guy was there, so that’s fantastic.
They said they could get me an ’08 250R, and that all the ones they get are under warranty and everything like that. They were really friendly and everything. Makes me feel good. They also offer the class there for $200. They said I’d just have to take the class and go to the DMV and they’d stamp my license.
April 9, 2010 at 2:55 am #25576Sean_DParticipantSounds like you are on your way! Do they only stamp your license where you are from? I had to get mine replaced. They give you a temporary paper in the meantime. But in Colorado they send you a replacement license with a motorcycle endorsement M on it.
April 9, 2010 at 3:18 am #25577DinugePampleParticipantI don’t know. The guy at the dealership said they’d stamp it. But I think they give you a new one like yours.
April 9, 2010 at 7:18 am #25579cwa0513ParticipantJust want to let you know that while I’m sure your insurance coverage advice is good spirits-it happens to be wrong. You need to check w/ your insurance agent and get some clarification on your understanding of the coverage.
1) the “per person” limits you are talking about are for LIABILITY coverage which covers the other party due to your negligence, not you. The MEDICAL PAYMENTS coverage covers you.
2) The Under/Uninsured motorist coverage DOES NOT cover others who ride your bike unless they are involved in an accident where the other party either does not have(Un) or does not have adequate(Under) coverage to cover your medical bills. Example: THEY have state minimum(in my state its 30/60/25). If THEY were to hit you and you had more than 30,000 in bodily injury per person, more than 60,000 per occurance, or more than 25,000 in property damage–then your under insured motorist coverage would come into play and your policy would pay up to the limits you have. If someone jumps on your bike and runs it into a tree and hurts themselves, they are going to get whatever you have for medical payments coverage. Remember, the insurance follows the bike, not the person. You can have no under/un insured motorist coverage and ANYONE who drives it is covered under your liability coverage, physical damage coverage if you have it, and your medical payments.
3) You cant add a motorcycle to an auto policy, they are two completley different policies. You also cant add any vehicle onto any policy that isnt in your name.
You sound like a pretty bright guy that just got some wrong info from someone. Probably shouldn’t have went with the cheapest(AMA) and instead went with the best(State Farm). Then they could have explained it a little better. Not trying to be an ass, just don’t want authority’s on important subjects like insurance to be giving out wrong information. BTW, everthing else you said I completely agree with.
April 9, 2010 at 3:53 pm #25583eonParticipantIs this really true? I confess I get confused by insurance polices and could not tell you what I have (other than I try to get the best coverage I can). I am more familiar with car policies and there you have to name all covered drivers. Blanket policies are available but they will have conditions like driver must be over 25 etc, and you will pay for this privilege. Otherwise 18 year old squid can ride his GSXR-600 and insure it in daddy’s name and pay next to nothing. I’m thinking the insurance companies are not so stupid to allow that to happen.
April 9, 2010 at 5:17 pm #25584Sean_DParticipant… but cwa0513 clearly knows more about specifics of coverage than I do, so I am sure could give you a better answer. But I believe insurance also follows the car, not the driver. By that, meaning that if you lend your car to a friend, co-worker, etc. and they get into an accident it is *your* insurance that will pay the claim, not theirs. So, it will be your premiums etc. that will go up, and your assets which will be attached if the damage exceeds the claim.
I am sure cwa0513 can clarify that, but that is my understanding of what is meant by insurance following the vehicle, not the driver. I am also not sure where you would stand in the case of an unlicensed driver borrowing your car and being involved in an accident.
Also, I am not sure how insurance works when test driving bikes, perhaps cwa0513 could clarify that as well. I know whenever I have gone for a test drive they make a copy of my insurance card and write down the policy number and contact number etc. In cases such as a test drive, does the insurance follow the rider and not the bike? Or is this only in the event that claims exceed those covered by the dealers insurance so that they can go after your insurance beyond that?
April 9, 2010 at 5:21 pm #25581Sean_DParticipant… but I think you are misquoting or misunderstanding a few things yourself.
First of all I *don’t* have insurance with AMA and never said that I did. I have insurance with Progressive.
Second. I fully understand that an auto policy and motorcycle policy are two different policies, but my wife and I were able to get discounts for having multiple policies (10%). My suggestion was that if her father was willing to be part owner and insurer of the bike that she might be able to get a discount by doing the same. Something she assured me that her father would *not* be interested in doing
We could argue about whether State Farm is the best (or not.) We have had many problems with State Farm in the past both on a personal and a business level. This isn’t the forum for a debate on the merits of various insurance companies, so I won’t expand on this any further. It is now water under the bridge. I wasn’t trying to promote or discourage any particular insurance company, nor do I want to offer subjective best/worst ratings. Rather, the suggestion to check out AMA, was an effort to help the OP find better coverage than her original quote within a limited budget. I have no personal experience whatsoever with Dairyland Cycle Insurance through AMA, so I won’t offer any advice beyond what I did.
I honestly do appreciate you taking the time to provide clarification of the coverages. I am sure it was explained *far* better to me at the time of setting up the policy than what I relayed, but in the course of our busy lives, time has a way of clouding the details no matter how clearly they were explained.
Thanks!
April 9, 2010 at 6:31 pm #25586eonParticipantHmm…seems I am more confused than I first thought
I know what I stated about car insurance is correct in the UK, I thought it was the same here as well but I could easily be wrong. Doesn’t seem to make sense though. So a standard situation is a teenager starts to drive their parents car. Are you (or cwa0513) saying the insurance company does not need to be informed about this? Cause obviously the risk of a claim has just gone through the roof. If the parents are not asked to pay for this increased risk then it means we are all paying for it.As far as test riding bikes, I read about one person who crashed while on a group test ride and he had little or no insurance. He ended up paying thousands in repairs that he could not afford. The dealership had no insurance on the bike which kind of makes sense. Can you imagine how expensive it would be to insure a test bike that any idiot is allowed to ride? That would be a crippling expense I would think. Then again, that might be why so few dealerships allow test rides.
April 9, 2010 at 6:44 pm #25587TrialsRiderParticipant…maybe only in Canada, eh
I believe it is a law that all vehicles be insured, hence the reason the insurance is applied to the vehicle and not the driver. I believe this regardless of who was operating the vehicle at the time of an incident, including the case where the vehicle was in fact not being operated ( a runaway ) or for that matter if it was stolen and involved in an incident while at the hands of a thief.
I’d love to be corrected on this point, maybe then I could drop the insurance on several vehicles, seeing as I can only operate one of them at a time.Remember also the insurance companies can in turn sue for liability as they deem appropriate, for instance; did you leave the keys in the ignition?
April 9, 2010 at 7:44 pm #25588Sean_DParticipant.. as obviously I didn’t understand some of the terms of coverage as well as I thought. So I will quote this description in its entirety. If it is wrong someone can take it up with the author. I am definitely NOT an insurance agent, nor do I play one on either TV or forums.
“Author: Jake Sapio
Original Publication Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005Most people don’t fully understand their car insurance and exactly the way it works. Car insurance is tied to the vehicle not the owner. Even though the rate is partly based on the usual and customary driver of the vehicle, the coverage follows the car.
For example, if you loan your car to a friend (anyone with permission), and they get into and accident, your insurance will pay the claim, not theirs. This is very important to remember for one main reason: the premium. Insurance companies raise your rates after an at fault accident. If your friend who borrowed your car is at fault in the accident mentioned above, your insurance will go up and could be in jeopardy of being canceled. You’re stuck with the increase in premium as well as any deductible applicable to your policy.
If someone uses your car without permission it’s a different story; then you would not be liable for the damage. For example if your car was stolen and involved in an accident, you would not be liable.
Be very careful of who you lend your car to as there can be serious circumstances that arise. If the person borrowing your car does not have his or her own insurance, be more careful. If he/she is involved in an accident and the claim exceeds your coverage, since he/she does not have a policy to go after, the injured party could come after you and your assets.
Don’t lend out your car or be extremely careful when doing so. You could be exposing yourself unnecessarily.”
Another person claiming to be an insurance adjuster answered that very same question with more of an “it depends” type of answer. So maybe it is best to check with your own company. The answer this person provided was…
“I am an auto insurance adjuster and the quickest answer to your question is – “it depends on the Owner of the vehicle’s policy language”. Most auto insurance policies WILL in fact cover ANY driver of the insured vehicle, UNLESS that driver has been previously excluded from the policy or UNLESS the driver has STOLEN the vehicle. This would have to be proved with a copy of a theft report filed by the owner. Now, most of the time this is the case – but NOT in all states, and NOT on all policies. I urge you to call your agent BEFORE you drive a friend’s car or BEFORE you let a friend drive yours.”
– Sean
April 10, 2010 at 4:09 pm #25613owlieParticipantHeya!
I don’t want to confuse things any further, but +1 that most people don’t understand their insurance policies. I wouldn’t trust anything written on the web regarding understanding insurance for a variety of reasons. Find someone local and educated in the insurance to explain it to you.
Eon: Insurance in the US is under state jurisdiction, so it is even more complicated than just US rules vs UK rules. You also have a variety of rules in each of the different states. Thankfully with auto insurance, this does not seem to complicate life nearly as much as with health insurance.
April 10, 2010 at 8:02 pm #25617Sean_DParticipant“Thankfully with auto insurance, this does not seem to complicate life nearly as much as with health insurance. “
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