Green Plating/Off-Road Insurance a Street Legal Motorcycle | GTAMotorcycle.com

Green Plating/Off-Road Insurance a Street Legal Motorcycle

48Connor

Well-known member
Hey guys, hows it going?

First post on the forum, but I've been reading for years ever since my interests in bikes started.

So here's the deal. I've come to a point in life that I am able to buy my dream bike, a new DRZ400SM. Though, being a student and still living at home, the parents are against it under their roof. On the other hand, they are fine with me purchasing a dirt bike to use on and around the property we own up North, as long as it is insured.

With this, I began looking at new (yeah I know, used would be better for a newbie) dirtbikes, but man was I in for a shock. At 6'2", 220lbs (probably 235 with gear), it appears that the smaller of bikes, like a Honda CRF230F, Yamaha TTR230 etc., do not have the suspension set up (or power, that I've heard, though that doesn't matter to me) for someone like me. Which lead me to larger bikes, like the WR250F, 450F, CRF250X, 450X, etc., but are in the range of $9000, bringing me back to my fav DRZ at $7500. Here's where I need help.

I want to buy a 2016 DRZ400SM, get a green plate, insure it as an offroad dirtbike, ride it around up at the cottage for one or two years, then after gaining experience and taking an MSF course, re-insure the bike for normal street use. The question you insure a street bike as a dirtbike

I tried to call State Farm last year, but instead of a DRZ it was a Grom (State Farm was apparently the only company to insure Groms at the time), and the idea went completely over the guy on the phones head. Started talking about needing to have an M2 license, being over 21, and that it was going to be around $2800/year, and I knew we weren't on the same page.

If any of you have an insight or experience with this, I'd love to hear it. And I look forward to getting to know you guys, as I'll have to get something either way haha.
 
Hey 48Conner, are you talking about insuring it with a farm plate? Like for example insuring it the same way you would insure a lawn mower (the ones you ride), or like ATV?
 
Hey 48Conner, are you talking about insuring it with a farm plate? Like for example insuring it the same way you would insure a lawn mower (the ones you ride), or like ATV?

Like an ATV. Basically want the same insurance the average guy would get on a dirt bike (or an ATV minus the on road stuff), just on this thing.
 
Sorry, it's not possible, besides the SM is a street bike. By the time you're ready for the street it'll be thrashed from constant trail use. Buy a used dirt bike.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
 
Sorry, it's not possible, besides the SM is a street bike. By the time you're ready for the street it'll be thrashed from constant trail use. Buy a used dirt bike.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk

That's what I was afraid of :(

But I'm not too worried about beating the thing up. I'll be riding on the same trails that I've been ATVing on for the last 10 years. Nothing too serious.

I guess I'll go back to looking at dirt bikes, thanks,
 
I actually talked to my buddy about this and turns out, he's done it with one of his previous bikes.

He went to Service Ontario with the standard green ownership for road bikes, and forfeited the ownership to them in exchange for a brown ownership intended off road vehicles. When he wanted to go back to riding it on the road, he said he had called Yamaha themselves, and then brought the bike to a Yamaha dealer who signed off on it being fit for the road, somewhat similar to what you'd do without an ownership. Then with that, went back to Service Ontario and got the green ownership card back. This was after 2007 when they got rid of dirt bike to street bike conversions.

Seems like a lot of steps where things could go south. Something to consider, I guess. Don't know if I want to put $9000 in a bike, banking on the fact that two years from now I'll need to talk to the 'right' guy at all these places, as it isnt a thing they run across everyday.
 
I wouldn't even bother, buy a cheap dirt bike. It's lighter, better in the trails, and will cost under $2000. Save your cash and buy a street legal bike in two years when you're ready for the street.

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I haven't came across the above situation, I'm pretty sure a dirt bike with green plates is not insurable.
In order to be road fit and insurable it would need: lights, turn signals, mirrors and a blue plate
 
I haven't came across the above situation, I'm pretty sure a dirt bike with green plates is not insurable.
In order to be road fit and insurable it would need: lights, turn signals, mirrors and a blue plate

Is green plates not the correct plates for a dirt bikes? I know dirt bikes need insurance to ride on property that you don't own, and they don't need lights and ****. Even so, a DRZ is fully street legal bike.

Honestly I have no need for insurance on it. Its not like it would ever be stolen or I'd hit anyone. Just more worried about the one time a year I see OPP up there, and the $5000 fine that comes along with it. I mean I practice wheelies on my ATV in the middle of the highway, the area isnt swarming with cops or concerned neighbors,I'd be fine without it.

Nevertheless, I'll probably end up showing up at home with it fully insured. I mean its better to ask for forgiveness than for permission, am I right? haha
 
Yes a green plate is for off road vehicles. I had liability on all my dirt bikes, usually cost around $110-125/year.

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Don't bet it won't get stolen. If a thief can see a way to get it it will be gone. They steal ATV's all the time. Also insurance is good not only if you hit someone else but also if you do an unexpected get off into a tree, or a rock, head first and need 24/7 health care for the rest of your life, pretty sure your parents don't have millions of dollars just laying around to cover that

Is green plates not the correct plates for a dirt bikes? I know dirt bikes need insurance to ride on property that you don't own, and they don't need lights and ****. Even so, a DRZ is fully street legal bike.

Honestly I have no need for insurance on it. Its not like it would ever be stolen or I'd hit anyone. Just more worried about the one time a year I see OPP up there, and the $5000 fine that comes along with it. I mean I practice wheelies on my ATV in the middle of the highway, the area isnt swarming with cops or concerned neighbors,I'd be fine without it.

Nevertheless, I'll probably end up showing up at home with it fully insured. I mean its better to ask for forgiveness than for permission, am I right? haha
 
I agree with Iceman... if I had access to riding spots with storage and didn't need to trailer a bike, I'd get an older CR250 like this: http://www.kijiji.ca/v-dirt-bikes-m...50/1141267322?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true and have a ton of fun.

DRZ's are fun, I have one... but not as fun as a true dirtbike off the road.

Oh... and you should post in the Dirt Section and invite all of us dirt riders to come ride at your land up North. ;-)
 
I agree with Iceman... if I had access to riding spots with storage and didn't need to trailer a bike, I'd get an older CR250 like this: http://www.kijiji.ca/v-dirt-bikes-m...50/1141267322?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true and have a ton of fun.

DRZ's are fun, I have one... but not as fun as a true dirtbike off the road.

Oh... and you should post in the Dirt Section and invite all of us dirt riders to come ride at your land up North. ;-)

I agree with what you, and almost everyone else, is saying. I just thought it would be easier to buy the "right" bike once, instead of buy a dirt bike, then a road bike.

The trails I was planning on riding are the same ones I've got set up for my ATV. Some big hills, but nothing something on street tires couldn't accomplish.

We've only got 4 acres about an hour North of Belleville, but I ride now on other peoples land, the hydro cuts, crown land, and the highway, but ATV's are legal on the road up there.
 
Don't bet it won't get stolen. If a thief can see a way to get it it will be gone. They steal ATV's all the time. Also insurance is good not only if you hit someone else but also if you do an unexpected get off into a tree, or a rock, head first and need 24/7 health care for the rest of your life, pretty sure your parents don't have millions of dollars just laying around to cover that

Still not concerned about it getting stolen. The property is gated and has cameras set up. Everything is stored in locked sheds, chained up and booted. Yeah if someone wanted in, they'd get in no problem. But it'd be a lot of work to break into a shed for someone who has no idea what's inside of it.

And no doubt you could get hurt, but that's the worst case scenario.

As of now, the plan is to sign up for an M2 course and just buy the bike. I wanted to have time and experience on it beforehand (and to please the parents), but I'm not to concerned. With riding a buddy's DR200 around at Ganaraska, I realized I've picked up a lot of bad habits from ATV riding that I wanted to work on before, like constantly blipping the throttle instead of continuously holding it, and only using the front brake.
 

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