Motorcycle insurance costs?

[SleeplessMommy]

My husband wants a motorcycle. He has been wanting this for years, he just got his permit and signed up for 6 weeks of classes. This is partly motivated by the expectation that the total gas cost will be lower, saving money and doing good for the environment.

He is 100% on board with always wearing a helmet. At least he agrees with me there. I have some difficulty being happy with the new hobby, as his brain is required for his job, at a high level of functioning. And he does not heal from cuts and scrapes well.

Some questions:
* What does motorcycle insurance cost, assuming we will still have 2 cars insured? He has a clean driving record, but I have a non-clean record But I won't be driving the motorcycle.
* If there a safety difference between a 49cc scooter and a "big" motorcycle? This is for a 7 mile commute, not long road trips.
* Is it legal for a 5 year old to be a passenger on a bike? (PA)
* Will having a motorcycle make term life insurance more expensive (we are covered by work but have no non-work coverage.)
* What are annual maintenance costs (oil, tires, etc)
* How many years or miles will a bike last before it wears out?

All opinions welcome

[Alyantavid]

Its been a few years since my dh had his bike but if I remember right, motorcycle expenses (maintenance, gas, insurance) are all fairly low. He used his as a commuter vehicle.

* If there a safety difference between a 49cc scooter and a "big" motorcycle? This is for a 7 mile commute, not long road trips.

Well a bigger motorcycle has a bigger engine and is more powerful so yeah probably. I know nothing about scooters but I assume they don't go all that fast?

Is it legal for a 5 year old to be a passenger on a bike? (PA)

I have no idea, but there's no way in hell I'd allow my child on a motorcycle in the street at any age below, oh, 18? You should be able to find that out through your insurance company.

Will having a motorcycle make term life insurance more expensive (we are covered by work but have no non-work coverage.)

I believe so. I know there was a question about that on my work policy form but it probably depends on your insurance.

How many years or miles will a bike last before it wears out?

Depends on the bike and how well its taken care of. Motorcycles can last a long time.

I'd recommend going to a bike shop, without buying, and talking to your insurance company. That said, I completely understand how you feel. My dh sold his not long after our oldest was born because of the risks of having it. Now he wants another one.

[Ms Ladybug]

I think I can answer some questions. I just got the mc policy set up today. It was $198.00 down pmt. Then, $65/mo. Not TOO bad I suppose. The mc that he had before was a 1200cc and a LOT less to insure. This one is 1450cc. So, yes a scooter would be dirt cheap.

There should be no change in life insurance policy. Ours never did through the on/off years with a mc.

Gas is WAY cheaper. Maint/oil etc aren't very much either.

The only expensive part is accessories. MY h always wanted to add things. Chrome this, and new pipes, new handlebars, leathers, etc...

[nonnymoose]

My bike insurance was about $350/yr through Dairyland (this was 2001-02ish). I wouldn't put my kid on the back at that age, especially if he's a newer rider. I wouldn't want a 49cc scooter because someday I might need to gun it to get out of a bad spot. I don't know if it's the same in every state, but here you only need a M/C license for >49cc.
Oh, and he should take an MSF course!

[tonyarn]

Yikes, ladies! DH has a 1984 Kawasaki ZN100 which I just put full coverage on yesterday (will drop comp and collision after monthly payments established since they require your annual cost to be over $300 before they'll do monthly) Anyway, it is just $25.00 per month with full coverage insurance for us.

Does your DH have any working knowledge of small engines? DH does all the maintenance and repairs on his motorcycle, so those expenses are very minimal for us.

[Emmeline II]

Dh has a Kawasaki sport bike (bought cash). It costs $76 a year to insure. Maintenance is cheap (if you can do the basics yourself) and he spends $14 a week in gas for his daily round trip 20 min commute to work.

[spring978]

Dh spends 27 a month to insure his Goldwing. Its a 20 year old bike that rides like a Dream. He spends between 50-100per year in upkeep. Last year was more since he needed a new tire but he was riding about 1000 miles a month last summer.

[Sharlla]

We pay $225 a year for DH's crotch rocket but that may be high because of the type of bike and the fact that DH only has a permit not a license. Taking a motorcycle will save you 10-20% off usually. We have a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja and it gets 70 MPG. DH is a SAHD so he rarely gets a chance to take it out. DH said that when he gets a license and a bike helmet for DS1 (age 9) he will take him out, I think age 5 is a bit young for my taste.

[SleeplessMommy]

DH is signed up for a safety class, at the end he automatically gets the motorcycle license. I guess I won't be letting my kid on the bike :-) Since DH drops our son off at school in the morning, there will be very little actual gas savings this summer - I will have to do the morning drop off in the other car.

I really wish DH would fall in love with the Prius instead. it seems safer!

[dbsam]

My husband has always had a bike, over thirty years, and it never affected our term life insurance. We currently pay $363/year in additional insurance costs. Maintenance is almost nothing since he does it himself and he’s always had Honda’s or KTM’s – unless you count modification costs, those can get expensive.

I would not let a five year old ride.

We used to love spending the day riding through the country roads – I miss it. Maybe we need to add two sidecars for the kids.

My husband is a safe experienced rider and says you need to be more concerned with other drivers. We prefer to ride in low-traffic rural settings.

[ShaggyDaddy]

for liability only in Texas, at the age of 18 my 500cc motorcycle was $13/month to insure. It was a few years ago, however my car insurance has gone down quite a bit from back then so I would assume the same ballpark 10 years later.

[krisnic]

It still depends a lot on your age too. We're in Michigan (no-fault insurance state) and full coverage on our bike is about $150 per month. That's with just him, he's 23. We have a service plan that lasts 3 years I think that he bought with the bike that covers all his maintenance. I don't know how much it is to do it yourself, but I know the prices that the shop charges for just oil changes are absolutely ridiculous.

My parents have a Harley and would take my autistic cousin on it. I had a cow. Being severely autistic, she is not capable of knowing to hold on or how dangerous they are. They don't take her anymore thank God.