Yet another insurance thread

[vaara]

Is there any rational explanation why the same riders and bikes (2 adults with >5 years riding experience, both with clean records, on a V-Strom and a CB1000R), should get wildly different quotes from different companies?

We got married almost 2 years ago, but still have our finances and insurance separate. Here are the monthly quotes we got online for 'basic' coverage:

State Farm (our existing carrier, total cost of separate policies): $300 - note, I think he got something more than 'basic' coverage for the CB1000R

Allstate: $80

Progressive: $525

I'm thinking something might be a little off with that Progressive quote. Is this consistent with other people's experience?

Does Allstate really suck, and is that why they're so cheap?

Do insurers actually give discounts to married couples, or not so much?

And finally, can I ride his bike without being listed on the policy? :teeth

 

[danate]

From my experience dealing with a claim with Allstate, they are absolute garbage. Every department seems to be in a different country and none of them knows what the others are doing. It took me two months and a lawyer to get them to pay out on a totaled bike.

That said, different insurance companies classify bikes differently. For example, I find Geico usually has the lowest rates, but for some reason they classify the BMW R1200r as a sportbike and have a stupid high rate for it. We currently use Farmers and pay around $1200 a year for 5 bikes. We use Erich Stiegler who is a barfer and a great agent. Worth contacting him to see what rates he can get you. Also get a quote from Geico because they're usually hard to beat.

 

[vaara]

Thx for the recommendation! We tried GEICO but couldn't figure out how to get the online form thingie to understand that there are *2 riders* on *2 bikes*. Maybe I'll try using that newfangled "voice call" technology.

 

[Heywood]

The above is not my experience with Allstate. I've only dealt with 1 auto claim (veh. totaled, no injury) where it went to arbitration due to the other party lying (red light runner) but at the end I was satisficed and only dealt with US based claims.
I use them also for my bikes and having shopped around they are still the least expensive.
ETA: I've been with them for about 12 years or more

 

[ST Guy]

Exact same coverage? Same categories and same dollar amounts?

 

[ejv]

Last I shopped insurance 5 years ago Progressive was more the double the next highest quote and that was for about a half dozen different bikes I was looking at.

 

[ViperThreat]

Progressive and Geico are always insane on pricing for me - never again.

Find a Safeco rep and get a quote through them, they are consistently the cheapest for me.

 

[mayorofnow]

I don't remember if it was Progressive or Allstate, but one of the majors had no idea how to insure my Vespa. Basic coverage on an $8800 vehicle was quoted at thousands of dollars per year. Based on that experience, I'm not surprised you're seeing a big price delta.

 

[derache123]

When I was searching for insurance quotes for my new bike, Progressive gave me the highest quote by a pretty absurd amount. Interestingly though, GEICO was the lowest for me.

 

[bikeama]

Went from a 2016 Ducati MTS to a 2020 BMW S1000XR. I have State Farm on everything. Almost double the cost for the BMW WTF shopped and got a quote from Progressive more than State Farm. Called GEICO and quote of less than the 2016 Ducati. All coverages the same. I now have GEICO

 

[tgrrdr]

I think insurance companies want everyone in a household who drives a vehicle (and is related) to be included on the policy. I also think it’s common to have multiple policy discounts, no sure how that works with married couples though.

 

[Heywood]

Exact same coverage? Same categories and same dollar amounts?

You asking me? The answer is absolutely yes, what good would comparison shopping do if you're not comparing apples to apples? Even being a AAA premier member they couldn't touch my Allstate rate.

 

[bpw]

I think insurance companies want everyone in a household who drives a vehicle (and is related) to be included on the policy. I also think it’s common to have multiple policy discounts, no sure how that works with married couples though.

Yep, I can loan my bike to a friend and they are insured, but anyone who lives in my house needs to be listed on my policy or they can't use my bikes. I don't think they care about married or not, just if you live together.

 

[Michael1013]

First off I have to give a plug to Gieco cause they took care of me very professionally and easily when my girlfriend crashed my 350z. If you can get on the phone with them they’re good people with good employees and will probably know how to insure your situation with two riders on two bikes.

But yeah I’ve had the same experiences with insurance regarding strangely inconsistent rates. I think it’s just a side effect of automated rate calculations.

 

[ST Guy]

You asking me? The answer is absolutely yes, what good would comparison shopping do if you're not comparing apples to apples? Even being a AAA premier member they couldn't touch my Allstate rate.

Just checking. You might be surprised at how many people don't make sure it's apples to apples.

 

[NoTraffic]

Is it a heterosexual marriage? If so, male vs female pricing comparison is already out the door.

 

[vaara]

No, we're both dudes.

Anyway, I called GEICO earlier and got a quote. It was pretty much identical to State Farm, but right now they're discounting all policies 15% because (the guy said) of COVID. Which would save us $500 over the course of the first year. Beyond that, it's unclear whether there would be any savings or not.

It seems like a good deal, so I told the guy I needed to consult with my better half, but the rep was NOT having it. He insisted over and over that I shouldn't need to ask my spouse whether it's OK to save $500. But IMHO it would be uncool to switch carriers without at least checking with him first.

That interaction left a bad taste in my mouth TBH.

I also called State Farm to find out if we could get a multi-vehicle or multi-line (including renter's insurance) discount. Nope - not with motorcycles; those only apply if there is a cage involved. Feh. :x

 

[novaks47]

Progressive being very high, seems par for the course in my experience. When I first got my Ninja 1000, I couldn't believe how much they cost to insure(worse than most supersports!), but Progressive was waaaaaay out there. Geico wanted around $1200/year(I carry just about all the coverage I can), Progressive was $2600, for less coverage. :rofl I honestly have no idea who the heck gets good rates from them, as they have always quoted me some of the highest rates I've ever seen, even for cars. to top it off, my record is clean, no accidents, tickets, nothing! Over 12 years of riding too.

 

[vaara]

aaaand I just tried Dairyland and they're in the same general range as State Farm and GEICO. Sigh.

 

[danate]

If you haven't already, try Erich at Farmer's. estiegler@farmersagent.com

When my wife and I combined policies it dropped by around $200 a month. Also, to answer your last question on the first post, you both need to be on the policy if the bike is housed where you live.