Please help me understand this insurance (SF) thing.

J

Jay72

Well-known member
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Ok I have been reading lots on here and I still don't totally get it. So here is the thing for me, I am 39, never had a ticket in 23 years of driving, have a great rate for both cars house and bike through State farm. Oh I have a 2011 Ninja 250, and I pay $32/month for the bike, full coverage. So anyways I spoke with my agent the other day about maybe buying a larger bike (FZ6) and he explained that they basically have two magic numbers, 600cc and 1000cc. So I asked him, lets say I buy a bike that is named a 600 but is actually 599 cc does that consider being under a 600, and he says yes...they will go by the actual displacement. Now I do further research on the FZ 6 and the damn thing is actually 600cc, when the hell do you ever see that? So I don't get how I can buy a sport tourer and pay double what I am now, or buy a R6 or zx6R and still pay the same as I am now.
Next part is do you have any other nice suggestions for a bigger bike (sub 600) that would be a nice upgrade to me 250? I did see that Honda has the CBF 600 but damn they are expensive and there are very few of them used.
Either way sorry for rambling, but I just don't get how I can get a bike that will do almost 300 km/hr and pay the same as I do for my 250, but I can't get the much tamer bike and pay the same. I should also mention that I have been with SF for around 20 years, so I don't know if it would be a good idea to shop around for a different company for a bike. I should also mention that for me to go to a 600 + I will still be paying sub $100/month but I have a "better half" (wife) that says no higher insurance, if you know what I mean.
Thanks for any help you can suggest and have a great weekend.

JAy
 
I recently insured a 2002 Yamaha YZF-600R Thundercat from SF for very cheap, I believe they quoted me under $700 for basic with a car on the policy. Yamaha made this bike from 1997-2007 and you can get a nice example online for a reasonable amount of money. Watch out for 2nd gear, if it pops out on the test drive don't buy, it's an expensive repair.

Another nice choice might be the Kawasaki ZZR600. It's a ZX6R in sport touring clothes.

There are plenty of "tame" bikes to be had, I suggest you check out some GTAM, Kijiji and even craigslist ads, or visit a few dealers for test drives (no sign anything.. "I'll have to think about it/talk to the wife first) :)


edit: Katana's are nice 600's too.. don't write off the "little" 500's either, they are popular for a reason!!
 
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Thanks Kuma, I would also be about the same quote as yourself, problem is wife say no to higher insurance payment, and I have 2 cars plus my homeowners with SF. And the one problem with the Yamaha FZ6 is that it is actually 600cc, not 597 or such, so it will be the higher rate. Like I said if I can stay just under 600 I will remain at the same insurance rate. But thank you very much for the other suggestions as I didn't realize that the ZZR 600 was a toned down zx6r. I will look. I have done tons of looking on Kijiji and Autotrader.ca and even expanded my range to 250 kms from where I am but not much out there, but now that you gave me a couple of more choices to look at, that makes things interesting, for that, thank you. And the only reason I want to upgrade as I just love my 250 is that it drives me nuts that if I just want to cruz at 100 km/hr and it revs at almost 8000 rpms, it so damn buzzy, and the passing power just isn't what I would like. So I will check tomorrow after work on those other bikes you suggested.

Jay
 
No problem! Katana's, Bandits, there are lots of bikes that would have you grinning ear to ear. And the 500's are pretty sweet, coming from a 250, I'm sure a nice 500 ninja or a GSF something like that would actually be perfect, especially to get those rpm's lower at highway speed, and give you a bit more passing power.
 
LOL thanks, I have already started reading reviews of a few that you mentioned..Really liking the zzr600 and the Katana 600, and there seems to be quite a few on Kijiji and Autotrader. I will keep you posted.
 
Jay, Im not sure how long you've been licenced for a bike but, call a broker and get some quotes for the bike you want. I understand the comfort of staying with the company you've done business with for 20 years but, it's always a good idea to shop around. It only cost you the time to look.


Try it and let us know the outcome.


I say this because my wife has worked for the same insurance company for over 20 years and gets a very good employee discount. However, they haven't always been that great to us so, I have some insurance products with competitors.
 
I'm 39 also and ride a 07 gsxr 1000. They do not take into account its a 999. Not sure about a 599 but pretty much any bike that ends with a R ie gsxr 1000r is going to cost more! Either way insurance is out to lunch, have had my M for 23 years, no tickets, no accidents and I know guys 8 years younger than me who just got there M and there paying 200 to 400 less then me. All 4 of us are insured with SF and we all pay different amounts!
 
Thanks for the info guys, and I only have my M2, but been driving for 23 years, not that the car matters, but I am ticket free. And mf5, you must be somewhat correct, as I spoke to my agent the other day and he was the one that told me about the "magic number" was 600 then 1000, so that was when I asked the old WHAT IF question of what if the cc's are just below 600 and that was when he told me well if it is actually under 600 cc then you will still be paying the same. I don't know, but I think I will call around a bit more, and I love my 250, so it will not be a problem to keep it if I can't work something a bit bigger out. thank you for the info guys.
 
@Nakkers, just realized that you are from London, real close to me..I am in St. Marys!
 
Jay72 said:
@Nakkers, just realized that you are from London, real close to me..I am in St. Marys!
Click to expand...

Love St Mary's Jay. I played I nice little golf course there. And it's a nice town. I work from home but I travel a fair bit and have 3 kids. So, my riding time varies but, shoot me a pm sometime. I'll ride with anyone and anywhere.

Cheers.


Sean
 
I definitely think you misunderstood them. If it is a 599cc or a 600cc it is the exact same for insurance. They are all in the same 600cc class for SF.

Edit: Nevermind I just realized it was already mentioned.
 
For rating purposes, the displacements are banded. Whether it's a 585CC or a 615CC, you will probably end up with an identical rate. The bands are probably something like the following hypothetical example:

100CC - 200CC
201CC - 300CC
301CC - 550CC
551CC - 700CC
701CC - 950CC
950CC +
 
I got a quote for a 696 (Monster) and a 600 (r6) and the r6 was about $50 cheaper per month for the exact same coverage.
 
Jay72 said:
Ok I have been reading lots on here and I still don't totally get it. So here is the thing for me, I am 39, never had a ticket in 23 years of driving, have a great rate for both cars house and bike through State farm. Oh I have a 2011 Ninja 250, and I pay $32/month for the bike, full coverage. So anyways I spoke with my agent the other day about maybe buying a larger bike (FZ6) and he explained that they basically have two magic numbers, 600cc and 1000cc. So I asked him, lets say I buy a bike that is named a 600 but is actually 599 cc does that consider being under a 600, and he says yes...they will go by the actual displacement. Now I do further research on the FZ 6 and the damn thing is actually 600cc, when the hell do you ever see that? So I don't get how I can buy a sport tourer and pay double what I am now, or buy a R6 or zx6R and still pay the same as I am now.
Next part is do you have any other nice suggestions for a bigger bike (sub 600) that would be a nice upgrade to me 250? I did see that Honda has the CBF 600 but damn they are expensive and there are very few of them used.
Either way sorry for rambling, but I just don't get how I can get a bike that will do almost 300 km/hr and pay the same as I do for my 250, but I can't get the much tamer bike and pay the same. I should also mention that I have been with SF for around 20 years, so I don't know if it would be a good idea to shop around for a different company for a bike. I should also mention that for me to go to a 600 + I will still be paying sub $100/month but I have a "better half" (wife) that says no higher insurance, if you know what I mean.
Thanks for any help you can suggest and have a great weekend.

JAy
Click to expand...

Which bike goes almost 300km/hr?
 
Your wife doesn't care how much you spend on the bike, but won't let you pay more than $1000 a year in insurance?

Anyway, you could always try Primmum/Melonche/TD.
 
I agree with those that are suggesting to shop around. It's nice to be loyal, but business is business, and don't kid yourself - SF would dump you so fast if it ever became suitable for them to do so. lol. I have been mucking about with insurance so much lately. Recently got a second car, and now a motorcycle. I almost switched my cars and content insurance to SF to save on motorcycle insurance, but at the last moment realized they go by 6mth premiums for cars! They were offering my Ninja500 for $1200 (liability only) without anything else with them, and $700 if I brought my cars over.

Check out Riders Plus insurance. My 36yr old friend was quoted $700 full coverage on a Ninja500. He is a new rider with M2 and no experience (except RTI) just like myself. I am quoted at $1110/yr with them: Liability + Theft.
 
jeffjones said:
I definitely think you misunderstood them. If it is a 599cc or a 600cc it is the exact same for insurance. They are all in the same 600cc class for SF.
Click to expand...
I just want to make it totally clear to the OP. The broker who told you 599cc is cheaper than 600cc gave you totally incorrect information. Any 600 class bike will cost you more than your 250, period. Doesn't matter if it's 599 or 600.

murf said:
Which bike goes almost 300km/hr?
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I was able to hit the rev limiter at 283km/h (GPS x 2, 299 indicated on speedo) on my 08 R6 so I'd have to imagine most current gixxer 750's and 1000cc sport bikes could get to 300 given enough time and room (and gearing if it's too short from the factory) ;)

-Jamie M.
 
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