Insurance

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:26 am

Does anyone know the average cost for full coverage insurance for a Buddy 170I? I have as clean/spotless driving record. Or does it vary by state (I'm in California)
P.S. Sorry if this seems too personal of a question.

DPoz · Post by **DPoz** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:40 am

We just got insurance for two scoots for $150 per year. Minimum coverage. Full insurance was significantly more. Go to Progressive.com and get a quote.

Dan

Edwub · Post by **Edwub** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:52 am

Quotes vary based on:
zip code
driver history
MSF course
CC of engine
length of time with license.

I've called a zillion companies a few weeks ago when I got my Blur.

Try "SafeCo" - cheaper than Geico/Progressive. Geico btw was $97/yr for just liability, 314 for liability+comprehensive. Proflgressive was 317, about the same. Other companies were way more, SafeCo was 240ish?

Fo full coverage, it was 500+ from both. Forgot SafeCos.

Geico was cheapest for minimum liability on my old Metro, as well as Blur ($97) though I later found SafeCo could have been $82.

On my metro, I didn't care but I do for the Blur. I want comprehensive as it covers vandalism and "acts of God." don't think I can afford full, plus uninsured coverage was 500 to 750+ at most places.

Hopefully these ranges help you with your 170

Also affecting rates:
how many miles/yr you put on.
If you garage or not.
Any performance mods?

I recommend calling for quotes at a ton of places. AAA, Geico, Progressive, Mercury, Amica, SafeCo, Farmers, Allstate, nationwide.
And brokerages like AIS. I called every singl one of those a few weeks ago, am going to switch to SafeCo due to a quote provided by AIS.

I hadn't heard of them so was skeptical but some coworkers have or used to have them.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:09 am

You are the most important variable, not the scooter. That makes it tough to give you guidance on what to expect. I have reasonable rates on several scooters through State Farm. (interestingly enough, full coverage on each of these bikes is very similar in cost despite large differences in value and performance)

irishtim · Post by **irishtim** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:41 am

Call your scooter shop and get the number of an agent who rides. Better to deal with a person than an 800 # plus he/she knows what a rider needs.
You are then also protected by their e&o coverage (i.e. Malpractice insurance) Progressive, Geico, etc can't offer you that!
If you do go with Progressive, Geico ,etc. don't let anyone else ride your scoot (e.g. Spouse/partner, relative, friend, neighbor,etc.). If they're not listed by name they're not covered.
Allstate, State Farm, Farmers, Grange, etc. do it better.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:57 am

I have never been insured for an on-road two wheel vehicle, I'm in a small town in NY and I'm looking at about $220/year for liability and comp with Progressive for my 170i. If I add my scooter on to my bf's insurance, as a registered/insured rider, it is about half that.
Definitely shop around though. I would be getting a deal by myself, and/or with my bf because all of our cars are insured through Progressive, and they give discounts when you add motorcycle, renters, home, RV, ATV, etc. insurance to your plan.

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:59 am

Progressive gave me a quote of $943.00 a year! Must have done something wrong filling out their questions cos I think that's a bit steep. Geico wanted $434.00 a year. better but I was thinking somewhere along the lines of $350.00 a year... Maybe it has to do with that safety class cos when I went to sign up for it, all the classes were full until the middle of Oct.(sucks!) and I don't really have experience riding. Well I guess there's nothing to do but keep looking....

groovy scooter · Post by **groovy scooter** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:29 pm

just got a basic policy from progressive for $75... 55 years old and living in newport RI for my new 170...

roblinx · Post by **roblinx** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:41 pm

The big factor affecting insurance cost is liability. If I lose control of my scooter and cause injury to a pedestrian (for example), I could be sued for a *lot* of money--I could lose my house, my savings, my scooter... everything. Heck... even if another motorist hits *me* and causes me to hit someone else, I could *still* get sued. A couple hundred bucks a year to cover liability to a half million dollars is worth the extra peace of mind to me.

Insurance is all about peace of mind, in the end. Be cautious of "minimum" policies. YMMV, of course! Insurance meets individual comfort levels.

KABarash · Post by **KABarash** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:50 pm

I've been using Nationwide for many, many years for ALL my insurance needs, my agent was an absolute Gem, sadly her husband recently passed and she abruptly retired. But anyhow I'm insuring my Buddy pretty 'heavily' with collision & comp and the Met to the minimum my premium is about $75 per year. I've gotten quotes from both 'Flo' and the 'lizard' at $5-600 for the same year......
I DON'T/won't shop around, I got the best price right where I KNEW I would, the Agent I've used for years.....

Edwub · Post by **Edwub** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:19 pm

roblinx wrote:The big factor affecting insurance cost is liability. If I lose control of my scooter and cause injury to a pedestrian (for example), I could be sued for a *lot* of money--I could lose my house, my savings, my scooter... everything. Heck... even if another motorist hits *me* and causes me to hit someone else, I could *still* get sued. A couple hundred bucks a year to cover liability to a half million dollars is worth the extra peace of mind to me.

Insurance is all about peace of mind, in the end. Be cautious of "minimum" policies. YMMV, of course! Insurance meets individual comfort levels.

I've only ever been licensed to drive in California, but the minimum requirement in California is liability.
$15,000 for injury/death to one person.
$30,000 for injury/death to more than one person.
$5,000 for damage to property.

I've been told it's actually just 15/30 minimum for motorcycles, but I haven't heard of anyplace not doing 15/30/5.

As someone said, the biggest factor is 'the driver' and that includes where they live/how they drive.

On both my 50cc Metro and my 220cc Blur, minimum insurance was $97 at Geico, 120ish at Progressive, and apparently $82 at SafeCo. Two very different scoots, irrelevant. Same zipcode, same driver history, same everything else was what made it matter.

I know a few people in LA who moved just a mile over, but being in a different zipcode affected their car insurance. I've been told rates around Los Angeles vary a whole lot actually, at least for cars since I don't talk to many scooterists.

jonlink · Post by **jonlink** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:47 pm

I use progressive, it is reasonably priced and the service seems good so far. Heck, they even emailed me just before hurricane Irene to let me know they had extra adjusters on call to speed up the process and reminded me how to get in touch if I needed it.

On the other hand, I had State Farm once upon a time and will NEVER go back to them. A few years ago my car got smashed by some asshat who drove through a red light because he was playing with his radio. I wasn't even the first car into the intersection! Long story short, the car was totaled and State Farm cut me a check for about 60% of the Blue Book Value. They based their figures on cars hundreds of miles away, some not even matching the features or year of my car. They also tried screwing me on some deductibles and tried to assign a percentage of fault to me (which failed thanks to numerous police and witness reports). A million phone calls won me an extra $500 or so, but it was not even close to enough money to buy a car in the same condition. Avoid State Farm at all costs.

Gorilla_Cycle · Post by **Gorilla_Cycle** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:59 pm

Drum Pro, you wouldn't happen to be under 25 years of age would you? Aside from the supposed all important drop in your insurance at 25, being below that age plays a HUGE factor in what you pay. My first bike at 18 for just liability was about $600/year. My last bike at 25 for full coverage was $600/year and they were both about the same CC and type, but the full coverage bike was brand new.

Experience, age, theft in your area code/zip code, combined with where the bike is parked (e.g. Garage, open car port, middle of a field with a big sign that says STEAL ME) all play bigger roles than the scooter does. If it makes you feel any better a full on sport bike is probably 3-4 times what any scooter would ever be. That's mostly because of claims made for theft, vandalism, and user error.

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:19 pm

@Gorilla Cycle.. I'm 35. and live in a small city north of San Bernadino (better known as the inland empire), but it's still S.B. county. My scoot is/will be parked in my garage.

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:42 pm

I live in a very nice part of town, the burbs if you will. Does drugs have any bearing on insurance? Let me make it very clear that I DON'T take any and DO NOT drink alcohol! I'm what's known as "strait edge". I only ask this because the high desert is known as the meth making capital of California.

Gorilla_Cycle · Post by **Gorilla_Cycle** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:44 pm

Drum Pro wrote:@Gorilla Cycle.. I'm 35. and live in a small city north of San Bernadino (better known as the inland empire), but it's still S.B. county. My scoot is/will be parked in my garage.

Then I would definitely keep shopping around as everyone has suggested, but as a new rider it will be a bit more. Progressive was always higher than Geico for me so I'm not surprised it was that much more. Geico worked well for me because it was easy to get the insurance, easy to pay, easy to update my information and get policy documents. That was almost 10 years ago so I'm sure a lot of companies have stepped up their online account sites since.

The MSF rider course will get you a discount as well, make sure you update your account after you have the certificate. It's not huge but it helps!

Gorilla_Cycle · Post by **Gorilla_Cycle** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:50 pm

Drum Pro wrote:I live in a very nice part of town, the burbs if you will. Does drugs have any bearing on insurance? Let me make it very clear that I DON'T take any and DO NOT drink alcohol! I'm what's known as "strait edge". I only ask this because the high desert is known as the meth making capital of California.

Theft rates for motorcycles are one of the major factors for insurance costs as far as location is concerned. With meth comes theft. I know Victorville well, I covered a shift at the CycleGear there when I was working for them and the hotel they put me up in across from the train tracks was nestled between a gun store and a strip club.

However, I've never known an insurance company to care about your recreational usage of substances. If you've had felonies, substance based or not, that could effect something. I think you are in good shape as far as your person goes, you just need to find a company that likes your neighborhood and scooter enough to only charge you what you want to pay.

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:33 pm

Thanks for the info. I just signed up for the MSF course. I never understood about drink and drugs. What's so bad about life? No felonies either!!!

BlueMark · Post by **BlueMark** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:39 pm

Your rates literally depend on what neighborhood you live in. Some people can get motorcycle insurance for $100 a year, and others get the very same coverage from the very same company for $1000 a year. It completely depends on your neighborhood. Which company gives you the best rate for your neighborhood will not be same for my neighborhood.

When I got mine, I went to Allstate - who I have 3 other policies with, and my broker said it should be cheap, he had another client who got his for an expensive Harley for just $120 a year. But my quote astonished him when it came back at $850. I ended up with Geico for about $250/yr.

If you want the lowest rates, there is no substitute for contacting as many companies as possible. Some will check rates for other companies (like Progressive), but they will leave out a lot of companies.

It ought to be easier, but it ain't.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 5:20 pm

Progressive wanted $700/yr. AAA wanted $500/yr. I'm paying Geico $90/yr. All for the same coverage.

Post by **ericalm** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 5:44 pm

Read the Insurance FAQ!
viewtopic.php?p=137483#137483

Explanation of a sort for varying rates and some tips on getting better ones.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 9:56 pm

Edwub wrote:I've only ever been licensed to drive in California, but the minimum requirement in California is liability.
$15,000 for injury/death to one person.
$30,000 for injury/death to more than one person.
$5,000 for damage to property.

Most people getting liability insurance to protect themselves and their assets from vehicle accident liability will choose to go quite a bit higher than those minimums. Has anyone heard of a recent negligent death or serious injury where liability was not far in excess of $15,000? That is why 100,000/300,00/50,000 is a more common choice.

synaps3 · Post by **synaps3** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 12:09 am

Yeah, but HOW are you going to do that kind of damage on a 125cc scooter!?

That's why I went with the lowest possible, because for anything else at my age (23), the price goes way high, even though I have no at-fault accidents on my record. The area doesn't help either -- for antitheft coverage in Atlanta is really expensive.

The Buddy is $74 per year for minimum coverage for me.

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:34 am

Simple. Hit a pedestrian and have his head crack against the pavement. You'll soon find out how financially-exposed you are at state-minimum coverage levels. 100/300/50 isn't realy even enough with hospital and legal costs these days.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:44 am

Dooglas wrote:You are the most important variable, not the scooter. That makes it tough to give you guidance on what to expect.

Quoted for truth. On top of what everybody else said, the best example of this I can give you is this:

When my car died, I was researching how cost- effective, or even feasible, it would be for me to get my own scoot. In order to do this, my boyfriend and I began quoting motorcycle insurance for me. He pays 150 for a full year, through a company that specializes in sport and leisure vehicles that our dealer recommended- and that's while being a 25yo male with a clean American driving record only 3 years long, no SSN and thusly no credit history.

They quoted me over 500 for a 150cc scooter (they couldn't find the 170 in their system). So did two other companies our dealer recommended, as well as State Farm, Geico, Esurance, and Elephant- Progressive was the lowest with 400.

It was crazy and we couldn't figure it out- until I got denied for the scooter loan with a cosigner, and realized I needed to check my credit report. I knew my credit wasn't fabulous, but I found two HEOWGE errors on it- the reason the loan was denied, and I'm very sure the reason all the other insurance companies were quoting me so high- because yes, they check your credit.

So I called Allstate, the company my mother insures her cars with and whose policy I had been on for car insurance (also- I had done business with them for renter's insurance in the past)... our Allstate agent, a very pleasant man named Bob who happened to ride a motorcycle back in his day, quoted me 340ish for their primo package dealy-o, which I was pleased and thankful for, knowing about the awful spots on my report.

And I now have a war to wage with the credit report. The moral of the story is do yourself a favor and check your credit report.[/i]

lonerockz · Post by **lonerockz** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:50 am

I'm a big fan of Dairyland insurance (https://www.dairylandcycle.com/motorcycle-insurance/). They specialize in motorcycles. I pay $600 a year for my Kawasaki 650 and that includes VERY high medical coverage (500k/250k), under/un-insured motorist, comprehensive with a very low deductible.

mia_mali · Post by **mia_mali** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 7:21 am

Drum Pro wrote:Progressive gave me a quote of $943.00 a year! Must have done something wrong filling out their questions cos I think that's a bit steep. Geico wanted $434.00 a year. better but I was thinking somewhere along the lines of $350.00 a year... Maybe it has to do with that safety class cos when I went to sign up for it, all the classes were full until the middle of Oct.(sucks!) and I don't really have experience riding. Well I guess there's nothing to do but keep looking....

Progressive is quoting me $589/year living in the heart of LA.

Taking donations

Drum Pro · Post by **Drum Pro** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 2:12 pm

Progressive did that cos I picked the most expensive package with the most expensive choices as far as medical coverage and theft protection when I was on their website. At the time I didn't complete the MSF safety class, ect. and never ridden a motorized bike before. Sine then I completed the MSF class, got my motorcycle license, and ride every day. I went back to Progressive and it is much lower quote this time round at $456 a year so I went with that about a month ago....

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:01 pm

It's great to be responsible about your coverage. But the thing about maxing yourself out against lawsuits is that you need to balance it against what someone can take from you with a judgement. If your scooter is the most expensive thing you own (not trying to put anyone down here- this is me if no one else, lol), you should know that there isn't much else someone can take from you in a judgement.
Make sure you are covering YOUR butt when you buy that insurance, not someone else's. Minimum liability only may very well do just that.

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 3:37 pm

Tom wrote:It's great to be responsible about your coverage. But the thing about maxing yourself out against lawsuits is that you need to balance it against what someone can take from you with a judgement. If your scooter is the most expensive thing you own (not trying to put anyone down here- this is me if no one else, lol), you should know that there isn't much else someone can take from you in a judgement.
Make sure you are covering YOUR butt when you buy that insurance, not someone else's. Minimum liability only may very well do just that.

Isn't it possible to be hit with a judgement placing a lien on future earnings/assets though? If so, then it'd probably be better to take advantage of the human tendency for immediate gratification by having some nice juicy coverage for them to go after. You know, $100,000 right now is a lot more attractive than $50 a month for the next "x" years. Better that they go after the insurance company instead of you personally.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:39 pm

charlie55 wrote:Isn't it possible to be hit with a judgement placing a lien on future earnings/assets though?

Yes, it sure is. Don't be too quick to assume you have little or nothing to lose.

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:57 pm

charlie55 wrote:
Tom wrote:It's great to be responsible about your coverage. But the thing about maxing yourself out against lawsuits is that you need to balance it against what someone can take from you with a judgement. If your scooter is the most expensive thing you own (not trying to put anyone down here- this is me if no one else, lol), you should know that there isn't much else someone can take from you in a judgement.
Make sure you are covering YOUR butt when you buy that insurance, not someone else's. Minimum liability only may very well do just that.
Isn't it possible to be hit with a judgement placing a lien on future earnings/assets though? If so, then it'd probably be better to take advantage of the human tendency for immediate gratification by having some nice juicy coverage for them to go after. You know, $100,000 right now is a lot more attractive than $50 a month for the next "x" years. Better that they go after the insurance company instead of you personally.

I guess that's right. I just can't stress enough that spending $50 bucks a month to ensure that you don't have to pay $50 bucks a month later is a crappy deal in my book. I do understand I'm gambling, but that's the name of the game either way..

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:08 pm

Dooglas wrote:
charlie55 wrote:Isn't it possible to be hit with a judgement placing a lien on future earnings/assets though?
Yes, it sure is. Don't be too quick to assume you have little or nothing to lose.

Varies by state.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:10 pm

mia_mali wrote:
Drum Pro wrote:Progressive gave me a quote of $943.00 a year! Must have done something wrong filling out their questions cos I think that's a bit steep. Geico wanted $434.00 a year. better but I was thinking somewhere along the lines of $350.00 a year... Maybe it has to do with that safety class cos when I went to sign up for it, all the classes were full until the middle of Oct.(sucks!) and I don't really have experience riding. Well I guess there's nothing to do but keep looking....
Progressive is quoting me $589/year living in the heart of LA.

Taking donations

Call around. The big companies gave us absurdly high quotes when we were insuring my wife, even when bundling with other policies. The cost of liability for her was many times higher than full coverage for me! She eventually went with AIC.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:21 pm

ericalm wrote:
mia_mali wrote:
Drum Pro wrote:Progressive gave me a quote of $943.00 a year! Must have done something wrong filling out their questions cos I think that's a bit steep. Geico wanted $434.00 a year. better but I was thinking somewhere along the lines of $350.00 a year... Maybe it has to do with that safety class cos when I went to sign up for it, all the classes were full until the middle of Oct.(sucks!) and I don't really have experience riding. Well I guess there's nothing to do but keep looking....
Progressive is quoting me $589/year living in the heart of LA.

Taking donations
Call around. The big companies gave us absurdly high quotes when we were insuring my wife, even when bundling with other policies. The cost of liability for her was many times higher than full coverage for me! She eventually went with AIC.

I see a pattern... maybe the ins co's just think women are going to be airheads on motorcycles XD

(I'm kidding of course)

charlie55 · Post by **charlie55** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:45 pm

Tom wrote:.....I guess that's right. I just can't stress enough that spending $50 bucks a month to ensure that you don't have to pay $50 bucks a month later is a crappy deal in my book. I do understand I'm gambling, but that's the name of the game either way..

I understand your position. However, also bear in mind that having a judgement/lien against you could mess up your credit rating, and that'd have repercussions far in excess of a hypothetical monthly cost.

But that's the paradoxical nature of insurance, you pay for it and hope you'll never need to use it.

Post by **ericalm** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:55 pm

LunaP wrote:
ericalm wrote:
mia_mali wrote: Progressive is quoting me $589/year living in the heart of LA.

Taking donations
Call around. The big companies gave us absurdly high quotes when we were insuring my wife, even when bundling with other policies. The cost of liability for her was many times higher than full coverage for me! She eventually went with AIC.
I see a pattern... maybe the ins co's just think women are going to be airheads on motorcycles XD

(I'm kidding of course)

Well… Here's the deal: At the time my wife was getting insurance, she was the same age, had a better driving record, lived in the same zip code and had the same amount of riding experience as I did when I got insured. Yet her quotes were as much as $600 more than what I was quoted. I did much of the footwork, following my own advice of calling and trying to work out good premiums with an agent rather then just online. (Web sites won't offer you much help and can't give you a deal like people can.) The insurance companies insist that gender isn't a factor, but I find that very hard to believe based on most of the quotes I've seen and read about.

For most people, full coverage can be had in the LA area (depending on zip and legitimate variables) for $200-$300 if you shop around.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:05 pm

Regarding limits on liability and medical, I agree. With today's lawsuits the current amounts on full coverage insurance seem woefully inadequate. But there's another way to protect yourself that costs very little - an umbrella policy.

Umbrella policies are usually in million dollar increments. If you want peace of mind for not much money, get one to cover you for another million or two. But they aren't easy to get. You basically have to prove you're worthy of an umbrella policy. You have to have a clean driving record and full coverage on all your vehicles. I also don't think you can have a criminal or lawsuit history.

LunaP · Post by **LunaP** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 6:37 pm

ericalm wrote:
LunaP wrote:
I see a pattern... maybe the ins co's just think women are going to be airheads on motorcycles XD

(I'm kidding of course)
Well… Here's the deal: At the time my wife was getting insurance, she was the same age, had a better driving record, lived in the same zip code and had the same amount of riding experience as I did when I got insured. Yet her quotes were as much as $600 more than what I was quoted. I did much of the footwork, following my own advice of calling and trying to work out good premiums with an agent rather then just online. (Web sites won't offer you much help and can't give you a deal like people can.) The insurance companies insist that gender isn't a factor, but I find that very hard to believe based on most of the quotes I've seen and read about.

For most people, full coverage can be had in the LA area (depending on zip and legitimate variables) for $200-$300 if you shop around.

Very similar to my situation. My boyfriend helped me do the exact same thing- same age (neither of us is under 25) clean driving record (they say they only look a 3-4 years back, I haven't had anything on mine for that long and his US driving record is only that long)- we live in different zip code, but the zip code I live in is farther out of the city where one would think would be considered a MUCH lower-risk zip code for scoots (I heard somebody call RVA the capital of scooter theft once

) Both of us told the companies that we had a couple years experience riding a 50cc (which is a lie for me, but after the first two quoted me so high, we started getting REALLY curious as to why and tried narrowing down things that were making me differ from him as a driver- that was virtually the only thing we could think of). NONE of this added up to me being quoted consistently 450+ dollars for THE STATE MINIMUM. I had a feeling it was my credit, but I didn't know how messed up my credit was until I checked it.

However- I supposed it really could be that they quote women higher... just like I know that below the age of 25 they quote males higher for car insurance.