Need Insurance?
Every month or two, someone asks about motorcyle insurance; what sort of rates
to expect, why are they getting screwed, etc. If you're in California, I
highly suggest you contact Patricia Money's
State Farm office in Los Gatos (you can live anywhere in California).
Unfortunately, Lori Ramirez no longer works with Patricia - she'll be sorely
missed!
I first got insurance through them for my 1996 Honda CBR600F3. I was 27, had
one ticket, first bike, etc. Not your ideal candidate for good rates. I
ended up paying around $375 per year. This was for full coverage, low
deductibles, and much more than the minimums required by the state. After one
year of ticket-free riding, my rate dropped to just under $300/year.
I recently traded in the F3 for a new 1998 Honda CBR900RR, and my rate went to
about $500/year. This is still incredibly cheap compared to other rates I was
quoted (out past $1400/year for the F3). Each year I remain ticket- and
accident-free, the rate continues to go down. There's a whole scheme for
determining rates; I suggest you contact Pat for details.
4/5/1999 update:New rate of $222 for 6 months, so the cost
just keeps falling! That's not counting the dividend I get paid (much like
CSAA's) at the end of the year; such a deal.
6/1/1999 update:I traded in the 900RR this past weekend for a
new 1998 Suzuki TL1000R, and my rate went to $241 for 6 months due to the
displacement increase. I'm still *very* happy with that rate...
It's important to note that at the time, I only got motorcycle insurance
through State Farm. I still had a car insured through CSAA, as well as
homeowner's insurance through CSAA. I was not required to
move those over for these rates. I did end up selling the car eventually (who
needs one when you have a motorcycle?), and transferred my homeowner's over to
them (again, better coverage, at a much better rate).
Finally, aside from having great rates, Patricia and her staff are great people to
deal with; they're extremely friendly, helpful, and patient. My cousin also
has insurance through them, and when his bike was stolen, the claim was handled
quickly, and he got a very reasonable settlement.
Anyway, enough rambling. Here's their contact information:
Patricia Money
State Farm Insurance
15814 Winchester Blvd., Suite 106
Los Gatos, CA 95030
+1 408 399 6669 tel
+1 408 399 6667 fax
patricia.money.c4a4@statefarm.com
You can also get a bit more information and a map to their office from the
State Farm web page.
Everyone I've sent their way has been
extremely happy with the quote, and switched over to them. I get no money or
kickbacks from them, they don't pay for this web page, and I get no discount on
insurance; I'm just very happy with their service and want people to know about
them. There are just way too many people paying excessive amounts for
insurance (especially for motorcycles) that are just throwing money away.
Please mention that I sent you, and that you got this information off my web
page! It's interesting to have some idea how many people I've sent their
way...
Last modified: Monday, 27-Dec-2004 15:50:12 PST
Questions/Comments/Problems: Paul H. Yoshimune