Motorcycle Insurance Articles
How Foreign Motorcycles Affect Your Motorcycle Insurance Quote
2010-08-07
For many riders, the beginning of motorcycle season is the best time of the year. Bringing an old bike out of storage or purchasing a new bike is a feeling seldom matched and getting back out on the open road, with the wind in their hair and the landscape sliding by is not something that can be readily described. In order to make sure that every ride is a safe one, however, motorcyclists must make sure that they have the right type of motorcycle insurance quote and coverage for their bikes. This can be made more difficult if their bike is not a stock North American model but instead comes from another country. Due to a number of factors, a foreign motorcycle quote will be more expensive than that for domestic bikes, and there are a number of reasons for this.
The first is due to the way in which a foreign motorbike is constructed. Every company has different standards and practices for the creation and safety outfitting of their bikes, practices which are well-known to insurance companies in the American market. Bikes made by small motorcycle manufacturing companies in foreign countries can have production methods that may include different or lower-quality safety standards or parts, which can translate to higher rates for those insureds who wish to drive them. While most companies are upfront about their building methods, not all will meet the regulations of insurers for the "base" quote prices that typical North American bikes receive.
Another reason for the greater expense involved in insuring foreign bikes comes is replacement cost. If a locally made bike is damaged in an accident, sourcing and shipping replacement parts is simple and straightforward. If, however, a foreign bike is damaged, the price of finding and shipping parts to the United States can exceed significantly the cost of sourcing parts domestically. This can be especially true in cases where the bike manufacturer is smaller or uses uncommon or older parts. The longer a part will take to obtain and the higher its cost, the greater the motorcycle insurance quote for that type of bike will be, as it will require the insurance company to pay out a larger sum of money.
For those looking for a foreign motorcycle quote, it is important to bear the above-noted factors in mind. While it may be worth it to purchase a foreign or specialty bike because of the enjoyment that it brings while riding, riders must understand that there is a very good chance that their quotes will increase accordingly. Whether this is a cost worth paying is something a rider must decide.