thank god for AAA!

[jmillheiser]

Be lucky you are 25 Vermilion.

In LA many insurance companies wont insure anyone under 25 for a sportbike that is 600cc or over period.

On a sportbike forum I post on I have heard a few stories of guys who were 17-19 or so and were shopping for a 600 and were at least smart enough to get an insurance quote first. If they could get coverage at all it was 10,000-15,000 a year for a good driving record if their driving record was less than perfect it was 25,000 a year or complete denial of coverage.

I consider myself lucky. I live in wyoming where insurance is cheap. Also helps that im 26 and married with a decent driving record.

[VermilionX]

yeah, i guess i picked the right time to buy a bike.

or should i say... it's the right time i picked to buy <B>the</b> bike, of course, im only referring to insurance purposes.

[Dirtytoes]

In LA many insurance companies wont insure anyone under 25 for a sportbike that is 600cc or over period.

i've never heard that before and i dont think its true....my friend who is 22 just bought a brand-new R6....NO experience and he got a full coverage "quote" for like $1500 annually......i personally think he made a mistake & mixed up some numbers on the quote......but anyway, what i'm trying to say is that ANY bike you get, you can insure (w/ comp & collision) but prices will be HIGH.

[CNF2002]

I can't imagine how they could justify an annual insurance charge 2-3 times the price of the vehicle.

[Sev]

Because in a typical crash the payout is more then the cost of a totalled vehicle. There are medical and liability expenses to take into consideration. Say you wreck your brand new $10000 bike. You have full coverage, so the insurance company HAS to buy you a new one (assuming you weren't in violation of some part of the policy). But on the way down you also managed to hit a pedestrian, broke both his legs, and he's laid up in the hospital. Your insurance company has to pay for that as well.

First time riders who start out on a 600 or even liter sportbike fall into the category of high risk. Which means that they are likely to wreck within the first year. The insurance company needs to make sure that they take in enough money to cover anything that happens to the bike, the rider, and any bystanders, or people otherwise involved. Or else they will go out of business.

I know it sucks, and I honestly believe most of that is profit, but what can you do?

[basshole]

So what does your driving record look like? Are you single or married? how old are you? Those are all huge factors! Also, what part of LA are you in and what kind of bike is it?

woohoo!

i just got a quote from AAA.

so currently, i have my car insured and now im gonna add my bike.

the quote for liability only for the car and comprehensive for my bike will only be $1,597 annual.

this is so freaking awesome! other companies i called are charging almost $10,000 for a comprehensive insurance for my bike alone. that's like buying my bike over and over each year.

im soooooooooooo happy!

[VermilionX]

i was still eligible for a good driver discount.

im 25 and single.

my bike is an '06 GSXR1000. the one you see on my personal gallery and avatar.

for AAA, they said they can't insure my bike if i don't have a lic for 5 yrs already BUT if i have a car insured, it will be no problem.

good thing my car is also insured by AAA so that's another discount factor.

[VermilionX]

yeah!

my bike is insured now, i can practice outside now and go to that parking lot.

[CNF2002]

Where were you practicing before?

[VermilionX]

on my avatar pic, you can see our condo driveway.

i got 6 miles there, just circling around clockwise and counter clockwise, trying to get used to the bike at slow speeds.

i've only tried accelerating and downshifting from 2nd gear, since it doesn't take long before i reach the corner over here.

that's why i need to go outside to practice accelerating/downshifting to/from 50mph, which is the top speed i'll have since im not gonna use freeways for a very long time.

i also need to practice changing lanes, cornering and counter steering. they sound so challenging bec of the leaning part.