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Whose got a motorcycle?

bigmike23

bigmike23

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
2,604
Location
NE PA
Looking to get a ballpark of what you guys pay for insurance.

I want a bike in the worst way for a few reasons. 1, to make the commute to my local gym more tolerable. 25 minutes each way is getting old in regards to tire wear and burning gas.
Second, it'd be a great tool to expand my scouting horizons, to explore new state Forest and game lands an hour plus away and not care about the same reasons as said above.

And I want it to be highway capable, not fighting for its life at 70mph.

So I really liked the Honda Rebel 500. Low to the ground for more confidence. More than enough engine for highway speeds. I wanted full coverage for theft protection from leaving it in a game lands parking lot.

The LOWEST rate for me was 630 a year. The other two wanted 720 and the other 810. Like what! 31. Never had an accident. And I would have taken the motorcycle training course to get a discount. It would be lower with basic liability, but then I can't get theft protection.

Ain't no universe im paying that for a bike. What do you have and what do you pay?
 
Youd wanna take the course anyhow, thats the easiest way to get the M class if you dont have it. Dont even need a bike to take it, theyll provide it. $50 a month for full coverage on a bike is pretty cheap, gotta remember theyre very high liability. Most people will wreck one, not if, but when. I havent had a bike in ten years but have strongly considered it again. Just like any other machine, the more expensive it is the more expensive to cover. I pay what youre getting quoted on a SXS that has only seen 1700 miles of off road. Its not really about you per say, but what the average person will do that could cost them to have to pay out. SXS for example are known for getting the absolute piss beat out of them, engines ruined and insurance on the hook. I dont ride mine like that, but lots of idiots do.

If you hate tire wear on a car youll really hate it on a bike, they wear extremely fast. I put 15k miles on a 600rr and sold Ducati for a short stint.
 
I am in VA and have a 2017 Honda CRF250L and a 2019 KTM 790 Adventure R. I have multiple other vehicles, so receive a multi-discount. Both have full coverage. The Honda is $421 a year and the KTM is $373 a year. This is with State Farm.
 
I have 3 bikes I ride and insure '03 Harley Dyna is $220/yr, '22 Kawasaki KLR is $237/yr and a '86 Harley FXR is $220/yr. I don't carry full coverage on any. State Farm with multi vehicle discount.
Edit: After reviewing the policy, I misspoke and I guess those rates are what most would consider "full coverage"

Low to the ground in my opinion doesn't necessarily mean more confidence. I feel my KLR is more balanced than the lower to the ground Harleys. It all depends how it carries the weight. You'll have to try/ride a few to find your fit. It's like buying a saddle.

If you like a 500 Rebel and Honda, look at a CB500x it's more in line with the type of riding you're speaking of or a Honda Transalp. There's several decent middleweight adventure bikes out there now that are fairly affordable too. They handle commuting, rough roads and some offroad with zero issues. Some examples are: Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, Honda cb500x, Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650/400, Yamaha Teneré, Kawasaki Versys 650, Suzuki VStrom There's tons more on the market right now at fairly decent prices I'm missing.

There's tires out there that'll last 4k miles or less all the way up to 20k plus depending on the style of riding and the tire you're buying.

I commute daily on my KLR 650 72 miles total, have zero issues with it. I have 15k on it in a couple years. I have a few miles of 70 mph plus and it has no issues. There are days I wouldn't mind a little more oomph but the comfort, ease of maintenance and reliability are a good trade off. There are bikes out there with more oomph, same reliability but might cost a little more.

If you do your own maintenance and change your own tires, you'll save money compared to driving a car. I can't say that would be the case if you paid someone to do the maintenance and tire changes.
 
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In my opinion, you should buy a motorcycle only if you want a motorcycle. Buying a motorcycle to save money, well that's not likely to happen. I'm in Michigan and I pay $373 for full coverage on my BMW R1200GS. How that compares to prices in PA, I don't know.
A less expensive option might be to get basic PL&PD to cover you for liability against others for damage and get comprehensive to cover your bike against fire, theft and damages from non riding incidents. Comprehensive won't cover you or your bike if you get in a wreck while riding.

If you're going to get a motorcycle, make sure you get adequate training if you want to live to an old age. As stated above, depending on the motorcycle you choose and the way you ride, you can go through tires fairly quickly. I typically get between 7500-9500 miles on a set of tires but some guys are changing tires between oil changes.
 
bigmike23 said:
Looking to get a ballpark of what you guys pay for insurance.

I want a bike in the worst way for a few reasons. 1, to make the commute to my local gym more tolerable. 25 minutes each way is getting old in regards to tire wear and burning gas.
Second, it'd be a great tool to expand my scouting horizons, to explore new state Forest and game lands an hour plus away and not care about the same reasons as said above.

And I want it to be highway capable, not fighting for its life at 70mph.

So I really liked the Honda Rebel 500. Low to the ground for more confidence. More than enough engine for highway speeds. I wanted full coverage for theft protection from leaving it in a game lands parking lot.

The LOWEST rate for me was 630 a year. The other two wanted 720 and the other 810. Like what! 31. Never had an accident. And I would have taken the motorcycle training course to get a discount. It would be lower with basic liability, but then I can't get theft protection.

Ain't no universe im paying that for a bike. What do you have and what do you pay?
Click to expand...
Did you look into Erie Insurance? Also, are you getting a quote for all your vehicles and your home or just the motorcycle? Bundling will save you the most money. Your zip code makes a huge difference in the cost of coverage. Like Lancaster, PA is gonna be a lot less than Philly.
 
But asking ballpark what people pay in different states or towns is basically useless info that will only make you mad. I will write someone in MD and their auto policy will be about $100 a month. They'll move to Philly and the same coverage will literally be $600 a month.
 
Ya I decided I'm not getting a bike. I do want one, but I vehemently will not pay more for motorcycle insurance than a dang car. Not happening. No way no how.

I tried bundling and got quotes from as many as I could. It's always around 800+$. I originally said around 630, but after speaking to a friend whose in the insurance world, he said especially with a bike you have to have under insured and uninsured coverage. That pushes me up to always 800+. Geico wanted 1000$.

There's other hobbies alot cheaper than this.
 
Next fall will be my third deer season on an e-bike. I will never go back to a gasoline powered ATV (or bike) again. Quiet, no odor, and super fun.
 
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