Motorcycle Insurance Help

InkSplat

Alright, so, I am just totally confused.

From what I'm finding, I need insurance to get a bike registered. However, I also need the VIN from the bike to buy the policy.

But when buying from a dealership, they handle the registration, don't they? And if so, how can I have insurance to get the bike registered if I need to buy the bike first to get the VIN?

Am I misreading something? How is this all supposed to be done?

MichaelLC

When I moved back from college, I bought my own car and went off my parents' insurance. So to drive the car off the lot, I signed up for insurance right at the dealership. They then took care of the registration - got the paper license plate.

I would guess it's similar for bikes, please ignore if it's not.

edit: To clarify, I called the insurance agent while sitting there and got my own policy.

MushroomStick

There should be a grace period to get insurance. Sometimes you can pay the dealer like $30 or so for a temporary policy that's only good for a few days to get the bike/car/whatever home.

InkSplat

MichaelLC wrote: »

When I moved back from college, I bought my own car and went off my parents' insurance. So to drive the car off the lot, I signed up for insurance right at the dealership. They then took care of the registration - got the paper license plate.

I would guess it's similar for bikes, please ignore if it's not.

edit: To clarify, I called the insurance agent while sitting there and got my own policy.

So then, they'll have me pop onto progressive.com or call an agent? I guess that would work.

I'm definitely going to call the dealership when I get a chance to find out specifics, but right now, while I can't, I figured I'd try to wrap my head around it so I don't sound completely stupid when I call. :P

illig

You can usually get a quote from an agent with just your info, and the make and model of the bike. You then call the agent from the dealer when you're ready to buy, provide the vin, fax the title (or whatever else) and they'll get you covered.

schuss

Depends on the state. In NH, you buy it, then you register it yourself at the DMV or town offices. I've also done the "sign up for insurance from the dealers computer" thing before, and it works fine.

GoldChaos

I'd echo that it depends on the state comment. That being said, usually you're supposed to have insurance/registration before you operate the bike on the road. That doesn't mean that you can't buy the bike and then get the insurance before you ride.

schuss

GoldChaos wrote: »

I'd echo that it depends on the state comment. That being said, usually you're supposed to have insurance/registration before you operate the bike on the road. That doesn't mean that you can't buy the bike and then get the insurance before you ride.

In NH at least you get a 20 day temp registration until you get your real one. Also, we don't need to have insurance.

GoldChaos

schuss wrote: »

In NH at least you get a 20 day temp registration until you get your real one. Also, we don't need to have insurance.

NY might do a similar thing with the temp registration. We do need insurance though, which is slightly ridiculous given the limited amount of stuff that motorcycle insurance covers.

brian964

In my experience it is cheaper getting quotes online. Some of the top insurance companies offer discounts when ordering online, because it is less work for them. But to be safe you could compare rates online, pick the best offer and try a local agency to see if they can match it or do better.

I recommend this site for online comparing: http://www.quotes-center.com/motorcycle-insurance-quotes.html

InkSplat

I'm in MD. Guess I'll just have to find out when I can call tomorrow. Thanks for giving me at least a bit of an idea of what to expect though!

Daedalus

I'm in MD myself, but I got my bike from a private sale (so I rode it home without a plate or insurance and just hoped that nothing bad would happen -- don't do this). When I bought a used car from a dealer around here, though, I was able to get a quote the day before from my insurance company using just the year/make/model and then the day I actually bought it I used their computer to go to the insurance company's website, using the already pre-created quote, and just put in the VIN and printed out the insurance cards.

In MD, you need to already have insurance before they can get a license plate or registration.

InkSplat

Daedalus wrote: »

I'm in MD myself, but I got my bike from a private sale (so I rode it home without a plate or insurance and just hoped that nothing bad would happen -- don't do this). When I bought a used car from a dealer around here, though, I was able to get a quote the day before from my insurance company using just the year/make/model and then the day I actually bought it I used their computer to go to the insurance company's website, using the already pre-created quote, and just put in the VIN and printed out the insurance cards.

In MD, you need to already have insurance before they can get a license plate or registration.

Good to know.

I've got a Progressive quote saved, so I can just load that up and do it that way.

Still going to call tomorrow to be sure, but its nice now having an idea of what to expect.

Zeon

illig wrote: »

You can usually get a quote from an agent with just your info, and the make and model of the bike. You then call the agent from the dealer when you're ready to buy, provide the vin, fax the title (or whatever else) and they'll get you covered.

This is how it works for states or provinces that require insurance, either car or bike. If youre buying from a dealer, the dealer will be able to get you the VIN even if they dont have the bike/car on the lot. If they say they cant, press it and say you cant buy the bike/car without a VIN because you need to set up insurance and they wont do it without a VIN. The dealer knows all the info for a bike/car long before it ever ships, thats how the shippers know what bike/car to load on which truck.

But if youre buying private, the insurance company can set up a temporary policy with just the make/model and give you a policy number that you can use to register the vehicle. When the DMV runs the policy number it will show as active, even though its not yet a complete policy. And if you smash up the bike/car on the way home before youve had a chance to finalize the insurance, the policy will still cover you.

lessthanpi

The ViN number is no great mystery. It should be stamped on the frame and the engine. Just call up the dealer/seller/whatever and ask for it.

Once you have the VIN number you should be able to call up an agent or sign up for insurance over the internet. (Bike insurance is usually dirt cheap, so that's nice) All you need for insurance is the VIN so they can identify which bike you want to insure.

Depending on the state the dealer may or may not have the registration done for you. It's not a big deal if they don't because its not hard to take care of yourself. Either way, you can get insurance well before this is an issue. If you're insured you should be able to pick it up and drive it home from the dealer.

Of course if you're buying a really old bike things can get messy, some have two VIN's etc...