If You Total Your Bike

[pdub]

Watching the Velo Channel, they're building a Bugatti Veyron. Amazing, how that thing is built, I guess that's why we watch. The "other" world.

Those Allstate commercials on that channel, over and over. With the nice clean actors standing around motorcycles talking, using that guy's Voice of God, "Oh you've got a new bike (motorcycle)?" Yep, if you total your bike (Voice of God) Allstate will get you a new one.

I'm gonna cause a firestorm with this, I'm sure, but I'll wager that if you total your bike on the street, YOU are totaled, too. So that's an easy bet for Allstate to make. Real easy. Allstate doesn't mention life insurance to go along with that. Yep, they'll make that bet if there's nobody left to collect it.

[RockJustRock]

Worse than that you have to have Liability coverage on a bike. To cover all the damage to whatever you go Splat! against.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Actually, that isn't true in Washington state. You are not required to have insurance if you're on a motorcycle.... is it stupid to ride without it? yes, but in the insanity that Washington - that's just one example of it.

[studemax]

I have far too many friends who were badly hurt or killed outright in bike accidents.
Of course - it's the young kids dying who are most depressing.
A pal works at a bike salvage yard in California, and he gets bummed out at all the busted bikes with less than a 100 miles on the odometer.
He's pretty sure most of the former riders were kids who couldn't handle a hot bike doing something stupid.

[RockJustRock]

At one point there was a push to require motorcycle riders to carry proof of health insurance. But since it has been decided "Why not EVERYONE?".

[Monster]

Actually, that isn't true in Washington state. You are not required to have insurance if you're on a motorcycle.

Same in Florida.

[Huskinhano]

There was a discussion about this on the VFM. If you total your bike you're going to be soiling more then your underwear. Your just not going to be back like it was,a common everyday event for you, walk into the dealer bright and early the next morning to buy a new one let alone your rates or accident forgiveness BS.

As a former All state customer my advice if you have them, RUN. About 10 years ago I had a house fire. It was a toaster in the kitchen that was only a few months old that we never really used caught fire and set the cabinet above it on fire. The house had a lot of smoke damage. I'm not making this up, they offered use ten dollars a day living expense. Not per person per day but for the four of us for the day. The pets had it better, $15 a day to board them. They only wanted to replace about a 20 sqft section of sheet rock in the kitchen ceiling and $4000 for new kitchen cabinets installed. They used a Montgomery Ward catalog for replacement cost on items, really!

Their housing policy will only pay for nine months. Think about that for a second. Do you really believe you can get estimates from contractors as well as them rebuilding your house along with all the permits and inspections done on a house that is totally destroyed? Not in this life time. Your talking well over a year, well over. That time for rent on your temporary housing is now totally out of your pocket! A very sobering thought. I was very, very lucky and lied to the building inspector we had a functioning bathroom. Well the toilet worked. Otherwise I would have been paying $3500 a month on the town house we were in. That was the going rate in my area for a dwelling with two bedrooms. My son slept in the unfinished basement.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Same in Florida.

Because Florida

[HUMBLE PIE]

I have far too many friends who were badly hurt or killed outright in bike accidents.
Of course - it's the young kids dying who are most depressing.
A pal works at a bike salvage yard in California, and he gets bummed out at all the busted bikes with less than a 100 miles on the odometer.
He's pretty sure most of the former riders were kids who couldn't handle a hot bike doing something stupid.

I was in a similar situation in that I was a full-line Kawasaki Dealer, and then a Polaris Dealer-I can't tell you how sad it was when a Customer that I hadn't seen for Months would show up in a Wheelchair (or a Family member telling me they were dead) after I had sold them a Ninja or something similar-many would not buy a Helmet or Leathers (which made you wonder)-

The same thing at Polaris-they have (or had) a directive to not sell ATV's to anyone under 16 (National Law is 18)-then I would hear about so and so's 10 Year old Daughter who was killed because they endo'ed going too fast or trying to race-it was really sad sometimes-

Apparently I have not gained much in the way of smarts because I still have a Harley and a Yamaha Y6-now, I wear a full face Helmet and Leathers (you don't see a lot of people on Harley's with a full face), but as I'm getting older I:

a) can't hold the throttle open as long
b) sometimes get scared just riding through the Sea of idiot Drivers who can't (don't) see me-

As far as Insurance, I go through Farmer's-my Harley doesn't get ridden much as it is a historic Harley (# 1), and Farmer's has agreed to Insure it for much more than a similar model-the Yamaha,not so much-

[Deaf Bob]

Husk, I was a long time Allstate customer.. Kid was under my policy and was 18-19, had a minor fender bender, (car stopped short as he was turning right into traffic). They DROPPED me, my wife and daughter because of his minor bump.. The next insurance I got because they badmouthed my credit/records.. Wife 0 tix or accidents, me, last tix was 20 years before, son one, daughter 16-17 yrs old none.... I got Safeco, full coverage on 57 chev, liability on 3 other cars, my bill is $125/ mo.... Add my 1100 Yamaha during riding season is $8 more a month!

Screw Allstate! It was $165 for 3 cars/mo