Deciding

[Vehement]

So im deciding on getting a bike for several reasons.

1) i live 2 minutes from work
2) its cheaper to ride a bike than a car
3) its on my list of things to get before i die

but theres some reasons why im not quite sure

1) how dangerous is it? ive never been in a car accident and ive been driving for 5 years
2) do bikes get damaged from being in the rain even if your not riding it.
3) how common is having a bike stolen
4) insurance on bikes vs cars


Maybe you guys can fill in the information for me

[LayinLo]

1) i live 2 minutes from work.............most accidents happen within 5 miles of your home
2) its cheaper to ride a bike than a car............thats questionable
3) its on my list of things to get before i die

but theres some reasons why im not quite sure

1) how dangerous is it? ive never been in a car accident and ive been driving for 5 years..............your chances of dying increase approx. 2000%
2) do bikes get damaged from being in the rain even if your not riding it............yes and no
3) how common is having a bike stolen...............depends on where you live
4) insurance on bikes vs cars................oooh the age old forum question, "Who has the cheapest insurance rates?"





Get a bike because of #3 on your 'reasons to get a bike' list

[Knoc]

1)A bike is only as dangerous as you drive it or risks you take. Other types of accidents are out of your hands (From other peoples stupidity). You have to be more alert of a bike of course cuz, yeah, it is more dangerous than a car, but imo its ALOT more fun than driving a car.

2) The rain will not hurt anything on your bike. Just be sure to leave the gas cap on hehe

3) This all depends on your location I guess. Around here its not too common, but theres places I still wouldnt leave my bike. Just have to use your head. Also they make alot of things these days to "Secure" your bike.

4) this depends on the bike you get I guess. And also your age is going to play a part in it. For me, I checked into a CBR 600 a few years ago and it wasnt very bad at all and Ive had a good dozen speeding tickets (Yeah, a little bit of a lead foot) so Im sure it was ALOT higher than normal dirvers Ins. and I still didnt think it was that bad..

Another factor is youll have to go and get a motorcycles licence, which is fairly easy if your up on your legal stuff for your car and have rode a bike before. I think itd sound like a good idea for you to get one. Youll fall in love because bikes are like sex..One ride and your hooked...lol

[Vehement]

Do most insurance companies offer some sort of dual vehicle rate? For owning a car and a bike?

[LayinLo]

yes


State farm gives good rates for that

[Gixxerdale]

Bike insurance varies a lot. Depends mostly on age, driving record and bike size. Don't know where you are located. Here in California I've had fair rates and good service form State Farm. Two UM claims in two years and my rates remain the same.

Definitely get a bike before you die! Just don't die once you get it! Take the MSF course and get a reasonable starter bike for the first year, preferably used since it will get banged up with learning.

Bike theft? Depends on where you are at and where you leave it. I live in LA and keep it garaged. On touring trips it gets locked and covered at night if it must sit out. First floor motel rooms are good!

Life is a lot more fun on two wheels!

[SDSUsnowboards]

Try AAA for joint car + Bike insurance rates. I'm 21 in CALIFORNIA paying 1500 a year for both. The bike is only costing 600 of that =P

Rain can hurt your bike. Mine was parked on SAND and the raid came and my bike fell and this dumb rider lost over $2500 SO FAR to get it back up and running. Sure it was a series of very unfortunate and unlikely events that led to the amount of damage being done but the moral of the story is the 4 letter capitalized word. Careful where you park her.

Get a bike because you like bikes, not because they are cheaper. Also... short trips are done faster on a car. Why is that? You don't have to gear up which can take a couple minuts putting it on, plus you have to go out of your way to secure your gear at your workplace once you get there. Get an older bike and you have to wait for it to warm up too.

[Vehement]

Well i could just get an old bike and not insure it, then sell it and buy a new one when im ready i guess.

[KS4JI]

If you need someone to talk you into getting a bike don't get it. You're not ready.

[KAOS]

state farm has really good rates. a good friend of mine is a state farm agent. actually he's trying to open up his own state farm ins. company. i have all my ins.(house, car, bike, and life) thru them. yes they do give you a better rate if you have more cars/bikes to ins.. i suggest call the ins. companies around you. to get some quotes. you'll need year, make and model of a bike to get the quotes. so pick a bike you think you'll end up with. that'll give you an idea of the ins. fees.

[c50tiger]

1) i live 2 minutes from work - I live 5 minutes from work... still most days I take the cage.

2) its cheaper to ride a bike than a car - depends on the car, but I do prefer to take the bike on some of the day trips I have to take (50mpg v. 20mpg @ .37 a mile)

3) its on my list of things to get before i die - sleeping with Shania Twain is on my list. How's that working out? Not to good.

but theres some reasons why im not quite sure

1) how dangerous is it? ive never been in a car accident and ive been driving for 5 years - It ain't always your driving you have to worry about. And you have to be about a zillion times more alert on a bike. See LayinLo's answer.

2) do bikes get damaged from being in the rain even if your not riding it. - No. Spent most of 4 years in college as a full-time rider with not one good place to keep the bike dry during the day. Never hurt anything.

3) how common is having a bike stolen - depends not only on where you are, but what bike your riding. Sport bikes seem more prone to growing legs. But that's why you get a good disk lock and insurance.

4) insurance on bikes vs cars - many, many factors (as has already been explained). A 21 year old with a few license points from speeding trying to insure a 4 year old Gixxer? It'd make your hiney pucker to think about. A reasonably mature (quit laughing, LayinLo) 40 year old such as myself with a clean DMV report insuring a brand new C50? About $200 a year. Oh, and in some state insurance is not optional. Gotta have it to get a tag.

[Phease]

So is it not illegal not to have insurance in the states?? Cause over here it is, probably becasue you insure yourself not the vehicle, but what happens if someone goes into the back of you and they don't have insurance? it's their fault but who do you claim off?

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by c50tiger

3) its on my list of things to get before i die - sleeping with Shania Twain is on my list. How's that working out? Not to good.

You gotta come over here and visit me ... she lives less than 3 hours away from me

[md2lgyk]

Phease: here in the USA it is indeed illegal almost everywhere to ride a bike on public roads without Liability insurance. Where I live, Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverages are also legally required. What is optional, unless you have a loan on the bike, is Collision and Comprehensive coverage. Collision coverage is what would pay to fix your bike in your example scenario. If you didn't have it, short of suing the other party you'd be SOL.

[Trapper]

Originally Posted by inspiron

You gotta come over here and visit me ... she lives less than 3 hours away from me

She moved to New Zealand. I guess she forgot to tell you.

[Phease]

Cheers i did wonder, it's just the casual way vehement stated buying a bike then not insuring it until it was financially worth doing so.

[inspiron]

No ... she lives outside of Geneva, Switzerland ...

[Trapper]

Not this time of year since it is summer in New Zealand. I'm sure she has a few homes.

Southland Times, The

QUEENSTOWN -- Country music star Shania Twain has moved into her $21 million summer home in Wanaka, New Zealand.

Twain and her husband Robert "Mutt" Lange have taken up residence in New Zealand for the summer.

Queenstown businessman Russell Hamilton was a consultant on the property sale and said Twain did not want any media attention during her stay.

Part of the appeal of the area was to get away from the fuss they were used to overseas.

"I think they just want to dig in and lose themselves," he said.

Twain spent last summer at Wanaka before putting in an offer on the land.

She was often spotted shopping in the town and told people she met to call her by her real name, Eileen Lange.

Neighbors in the remote back country said they had not seen her or realized she was back.

The Overseas Investment Commission approved the sale of the two pieces of land in September for $21 million.

The purchase attracted controversy after Twain wanted to build alternative tracks to the existing public accessway that passes close to her new home.

Twain is understood to have been shocked by the amount of media attention the track proposal attracted.

[themeatmanlandry]

Shania Twain . . . sheesh . . . I really don't see what all the fuss is about. She's pretty, but I've looked, and I ain't finding the 'bag of chips.' (If you don't get that, ghetto people in the US say they are "All that and a bag of chips.")

My advice to Shania: Get some body fat. I'm not talking Rosanne Barr body fat, but get some. Something, anything, just put on a pound or two. Look human for God's sake, not fake.

[Trapper]

I agree. Now Jennifer Lopez, thats some well placed body fat. Yowzaaaaa