Time to change insurance

[Freebird]

My motorcycle insurance comes due the 28th of May. I've had it with Progressive for more than 14 years and never filed a claim. I have full coverage on the Road Glide and I still have liability on the RSV that I sold to Yammer. My premium for both bikes is just over $400.00 per year. If I drop the RSV, I lose the multi bike discount and my premium goes up by 97.00 just over $500.00 per year. I also have my autos and home with Progressive.

 

Now I just got a quote from Geico on the Harley alone and even though I increased some of the coverage, it comes to $234.00 per year.

 

I am not really surprised. It just seems that a person has to change insurance companies from time to time to keep the prices down. I will call Progressive today and see if they want to take another look at it but otherwise, looks like I will be making a change.

[Bubber]

Can you spell insurance?

C-R-O-O-K-S

They are getting a similar rep as lawyers.

If you have an automatic payment to your insurance like on a mortgage then that is a signal to them to automatically increase your premium each year in hopes you don't catch it.

Yes check around each year and make sure you are getting the best deal possible.

After all an insurance company is only as good as their last payment on a claim.

It used to be and still is for some that they have been with the same insurance company for years. They don't give discounts for loyalty.

Fortunately I have not had a claim in years but it is still a game of numbers.

[Midicat]

I can only dream of $234.00/yr for bike insurance here in Canada. My 85 VR costs me $1006.00 for this year alone. No collision, $1,000,000 liability. (which i think is a joke since if I crash into a car...who's more likely to die?) Riding season is MAYBE six months. I believe I'm in the wrong business...should have gotten into insurance. They never lose money.

 

Thomas

[Gary N.]

Don, be thankful you live on the south side of the lake. I'm less than 100 miles north of you and pay over $1200 / year on my RSV. I do get to use it year round by going south for the winter though.

The stupid part is they still base rates on engine size. The RSV is much more expensive than a Road Star but the insurance is less because of the engine size. I could have a 600 CC crotch rocket that would be suicidal and pay even less for insurance.

[Bubber]

Riding season is MAYBE six months. I believe I'm in the wrong business...should have gotten into insurance. They never lose money.

 

Thomas

 

In some states (Minnesota) it is law that insurance companies are required to make a profit. Thank you law makers. Do you think they were bought off?..... no wait they are lawyers.

[Marcarl]

Got some brand new insurance from Aviva, through Dalton Timmis in Ancaster. Cost is $1069. Economical would not insure the Spyder, said it was worth too much and they couldn't write it. I got quotes right up to $2300. Now have collision as well with $1000 deductible and 1m lib.

[djh3]

Don I just went thru this also. I have been with AARP Foremost for a couple years. Last year it went up like $80 this year about double that. No claims, no storms nothing. So I shopped hard. I also learned a couple things. If you have 2 bikes you can stack the insurance from one to another, if only single bike you cants, so dont pay for that service. Also something else on my policy I was covering when I called the lady at Dairyland she asked me if I had "good" medical insurance and if so why was I paying extra on this portion. I can look up what it was but I think I have in a post here not to long ago I started. Check out Dairyland. It was recommended here by someone and I checked probably 10 carriers and they had the least expensive rates for coverage.

[Black Owl]

I had my bike insured with USAA for almost 20 years. Even after they stopped insuring MC I was grandfathered in until I switched to the Virago. USAA dropped my MC coverage and recommended that I go with Progressive. I checked the rates with Progressive and Geico. Have been with Geico for the past six years. I have the winter lay up policy with full coverage to include Uninsured and under insured for about $300.00 per year.

[b2dad]

Was with Allstate about 12 years ago, then when their rates went up (for no reason) we changed to State Farm. THEN (again for no reason) they went up $300 yr when our policies came due last month. They had the house, car, jeep and bike. We realized we had the bike insured for too much and asked to lower it and they said they couldn't do that. Then we sold the bike and that started the ball rolling...we said goodbye and went to Farm Bureau. Used to have them long time ago. THEIR rates were $600 yr cheaper. Don and I almost went into shock.

 

We did shop around online for other insurance companies but none compared to Farm Bureau and they got all our business. AND they are nice too.

[Carbon_One]

Don don't forget to check with Allstate Insurance as well. I used to have Progressive but switched to Allstate a couple years ago, saving several hundred bucks in the process.

Larry

[bongobobny]

Don, get a quote from State Farm as well! Very reputable and reasonable. Stay away from Nationwide, pricey. We had them for years but switched to State Farm and we are saving a lot!

[Freebird]

It's all very strange. I had my house with State Farm for 13 years. I've had no claims but it went up every year. Two weeks ago I moved it to another company. Same covered at almost half the price.

 

I just called Progressive. They got the motorcycle down from $515.00 per year to $385.00 per year for the same coverage. I told them to cancel it and just got a new policy from Geico with higher limits for $260.00 per year. Could have got it for as little as $180 for full coverage but I raised some of the limits.

[billmac]

In the next few weeks they will be calling to offer you lower rates. Sometimes you can check with a different rep and get cheaper rates.

[Brake Pad]

I got max coverage for my new 12 Wing from Geico, for 287.00 a year & 40.00 coverage on my trailer:thumbsup2:

[chabicheka]

:bang head:

[Eck]

I have been with the green Lizard for a long time and my insurance just went up $19.00 only on my Avalanche.

I had that accident with the 05 RSV but my insurance never went up. Still hasn't on the bike.

Have no idea why they would raise my insurance $19.00 on the Avalanche though.

I will be calling them soon to find out why.

 

Maybe it's time for the General........

[ediddy]

I don't know what has happened to progressive. They are not the company they used to be. I posted before that in Georgia they have the highest rates and it's getting where evertime there is a claim, I have to get involved and get redneck with them to get the claim paid. How they are the number one motorcycle insurer in the US is beyond me. Well I do know. Harley Davidson asked companies to bid on putting a call center in their insurance agency in Nevada. Progressive won the bid. When a harley dealer sells a harley they send the info to their agency and they place the insurance with progressive. Most people just want to get the bike and leave so they don't check the rates. When the policy comes up for renewal most people have talked to other bikers and realize they are paying too much and thats when we insure them at half or 1/3 of what they are paying to progressive. I have my bike insured with foremost and they went up $87 on renewal but I am staying with them. Of the six companies I represent they are the best with service and claims payments. They are a quality company but they lost a lot of money last year on motorcycles and they have to make some changes. As an example if you take the premium they get from my agency and then subtract the claims paid last year my loss ratio is 400%. So for every $100 foremost received in premiums they paid out $400. The number one thing killing the insurance companies is theft of the crotch rockets. Effective January1 foremost will not insure a crotch rocket and effective 4/15 Dairyland won't insure one until something can be done about the theft problem. As I've said many times, every state is different so you need to get rates for more than one company.

[GAWildKat]

I don't know what has happened to progressive. They are not the company they used to be. I posted before that in Georgia they have the highest rates and it's getting where evertime there is a claim, I have to get involved and get redneck with them to get the claim paid. How they are the number one motorcycle insurer in the US is beyond me. Well I do know. Harley Davidson asked companies to bid on putting a call center in their insurance agency in Nevada. Progressive won the bid. When a harley dealer sells a harley they send the info to their agency and they place the insurance with progressive. Most people just want to get the bike and leave so they don't check the rates. When the policy comes up for renewal most people have talked to other bikers and realize they are paying too much and thats when we insure them at half or 1/3 of what they are paying to progressive. I have my bike insured with foremost and they went up $87 on renewal but I am staying with them. Of the six companies I represent they are the best with service and claims payments. They are a quality company but they lost a lot of money last year on motorcycles and they have to make some changes. As an example if you take the premium they get from my agency and then subtract the claims paid last year my loss ratio is 400%. So for every $100 foremost received in premiums they paid out $400. The number one thing killing the insurance companies is theft of the crotch rockets. Effective January1 foremost will not insure a crotch rocket and effective 4/15 Dairyland won't insure one until something can be done about the theft problem. As I've said many times, every state is different so you need to get rates for more than one company.

 

 

Thanks Eddie for explaining why the insurance went up. Btw, if you need an insurance agent and live in Georgia, talk to Eddie. He made getting insurance on the bikes a breeze.

 

Unfortunately, we have the gecko on the cars and after getting the van towed we are not happy with them. GEICO only pays for the 1st 5 miles of a tow. Where we live is 36 miles from work...bill was $160 on delivery. So not good enough imho. I'll be getting something else for emergency roadside.

[Mike G in SC]

At work, so don't have time right now to read the thread,,,

 

Last month my old insurance went to $500/YR for good-full coverage on my 2009 RSV and 2006 RSTD, no claims.

I checked Dairyland on-line and saw about $380.

 

Then I went to my local independent guy (who sells me most of my insurance) and he got me good coverage w/$500 deductible with Dairyland for $330/YR. Yeah, both bikes.

[YamahaLarry]

I had my bike insured with USAA for almost 20 years. Even after they stopped insuring MC I was grandfathered in until I switched to the Virago. USAA dropped my MC coverage and recommended that I go with Progressive. I checked the rates with Progressive and Geico. Have been with Geico for the past six years. I have the winter lay up policy with full coverage to include Uninsured and under insured for about $300.00 per year.

 

I have been with Progressive the past several years and they have steadily gone up every year. When I bought the '99 RSV a few weeks back, I checked back with USAA. I got mine thru USAA via interface to Progressive at a lesser price than from Progressive direct. Not much less, but less.

[MikeWa]

Well all I can say is at least our friends up north don't have to worry about crooked insurance companies. Their's is regulated by the government.

 

Mike

[cowpuc]

In Michigan we have this "Catastrophic Fund" fee levied on ALL insured vehicles - cars and bikes - and ALL pay the same amount (last I looked I think it was 165 bucks or so every 6 months JUST FOR THE CF PORTION ON YOUR INS).. The "fund" pays costs over a certain amount when you are injured in an accident... That said, consider this carefully, if you are on your bike and get in a an accident you MUST have a car involved in that accident OR you have no access to the fund:confused24:.. There have been several legal challenges to this stupid setup BUT all have failed,, it seems the insurance companies are hooked up well enough in other arena's that they pretty much can do as they please...

Also,, wasnt I just reading on here a little discussion about someone thinking it wasnt necessarily correct to "take advantage" of the insurance companies in buying a bike back, fixing it up, trying to get a clear title for a salvage bike and all that??? NOT TRYING TO START ANYTHING HERE or drag that conversation into this thread, BUT,,,, perhaps part of that comment was based on the fact that Insurance companies DO NOT LOSE (as pointed out by the comment about it being illegal for them to do so),,, we, the consumer pay for everything,, part of that is the rise we see in our policies... Something to think about.....

Puc

[videoarizona]

I'm insured through USAA (Progressive) for both bikes. Just paid $222 for the 950T and it's going to cost less than $70 to add the 89VR. I can ride year around here in AZ.

 

This is for a year...100K/300K, uninsured...yada,yada,yadda.

 

I also have home, YukonXL and sailboat with USAA...which probably helps...as well as living in a small town.. My auto/bike insurance dropped in half after I left Phoenix. :shock3:

 

david

[Freebird]

This is what REALLY ticked me off with Progressive. From the HD website, I got a quote. It came to under $300.00, I don't remember the exact amount. Then I did it again and it asked who my current insurance was with. Well apparently Progressive is the company that HD uses and when I entered progressive as my current insurance, it told me that they could not give me a quote because I was already insured with Progressive and I had to go to them to get a new quote. That came to over $500.00.

 

So if you are a 14 year customer with them with no claims, they charge you over $200.00 per year more than a new customer. Something just isn't right with that.

 

Now it worked for me the other way also. I've had my house insurance with State Farm for about 15 years. It has gone up every year even though I've had no claims at all. This year it went up again to over $1200.00 per year. I shopped and ended up buying a policy from Progressive with lower deductibles and the same coverage for $660.00 a year. Now I'll just wait for it to start steadily increasing and them change again.

 

What a racket.

[videoarizona]

What a racket.

 

Agreed.