Total Motorcycle Community Forums

but anyway, where does insurance fit into the process of buying from a dealer? do you purchase the insurance based on the model but without a vin, close the deal on the bike, and then supply the vin to your carrier? how is it usually done so that you take delivery of an insured bike?

you can ask quotes from diff insurance companies.

but they need a VIN number before they can insure a vehicle.

and i have it delivered by the dealer so that i don't have to ride it w/o insurance.

some dealers sell temporary insurance so you can be covered while taking the bike home.

but yeah, if you can have it delivered, do it and then bring the paperwork to your insurance company.

Insurance is required in California... but the dealer I went to took my money, handed me my paperwork, and never said a word about insurance. When I asked, one of the people said "we have the names of some good insurance companies if you want" but that was it.

Once I had the paperwork (which had the VIN) I called around and found the lowest price I could get on insurance, paid for it, and had them fax me an insurance card. Then I went and picked up the bike... they still didn't care about insurance... I rode it out of the dealer's service bay without ever "proving" I was insured.

Of course, I paid cash for the bike....

In BC, if you buy a bike at a dealer, most Ins brokers will have a runner pop out to the dealer and throw some plates and insurance on the beast before you can get that baby warmed up. They'll finance your insurance right on the spot if you need to.

I bought my bikes, got the VIN's took it to the insurance company, got my insurance (I had phoned around the week before), took my insurance and title to the DMV got a license plate, then took it all back to the shop where I put the plate on my bike and rode off.

use the computer at the dealer, go to www.progessive.com, use ur credit card online to pay for the insurance then you can print out a proof of insurance, or if he don't have a printer ask for his fax number, it will be faxed to you right away, ride that puppy home. or if he don't have a pc call the insurance co and tell them to fax it. its easy if i can do that anybody can.

thanks for the tips. i will be cashing in the brc papers at the mva this weekend, so i guess i'm technically not licensed yet . i will then be visiting some dealers. it's gonna be hard to resist jumping at the first thing i see with two wheels.

best quote so far is progressive: 750 for a year of 100/300/50 on a 06 Kawa ex500 with a 500 deductible comprehensive and the same limits in uim coverage. (just to test the waters)

i'll continue to look around but do you think a 23 y/o with no street experience and a clean record can do much better that? dairyland quoted me at over a thousand for comparable coverage. i know i live in a pretty high theft region.

DC has the highest insurance rates in the nation iirc. No getting around it

umm why not stop by the insurance company before heading to the dealer. I dont think you should buy the bike and take it home on the same day anyways. Kind of like a car. you go in they give you quotes etc you sign paperwork and pick up your vehicle the next day.

in most places your insurance will drop after one year of having your bike license and being insured. then you get to wait another year or so and get the "over 25" discount too.

if you were really masochistic you could get married to save some bucks on insurance, but that's not recommended