[Digi168]

This is of interest to all of us, although it will mostly affect the under 25 crowd.

As you may or may not know there is talk of breaking up ICBC, now before you all go celebrating and having a party you should take a sec to realize what this will mean.

Basically if private insurance comes in, and you are a male under 25 and want to insure any type of bike over 400cc be prepared to pay. I don't mean a little I mean a lot, that is if you can find someone that will insure you.

As it is now, you go to ICBC and no matter what your driving record they will insure you. It will cost some more than others but you CAN get insurance. With private insurance you don't have that guranetee. I am over 25 so this doesn't really affect me right?? WRONG.

This will affect everyone, because what will happen is that younger riders won't be riding, there will be less motorcycles on the road, which means less shops to support them, less money for my trade in, etc.... As much as I hate ICBC, and I will be one of the first to bitch and complain about them, believe it or not they actually have a good system, it is just there administration of the system that sucks.

So if you want to keep riding, and have reasonable insurance rates then you will have to save ICBC. www.saveicbc.com has all the info that you need, BCCOM (british columbia coalition of motorcyclist) the ones that got you access to the HOV lanes are trying there best to help support the save ICBC campaign. BCCOM is also working on getting motorcyclist transferable plates so that if you have more than one bike you can just move your plate back and forth, or if you have a car and bike insured, that you pay alot less for the second vehicle because you can only drive one at a time, I will save this for another day.

Now you are going oh $hit, I am going to have to pay double or triple for motorcycle insurance if ICBC breaks up. Well your right, so what to do about it? Goto the www.saveicbc.com website and read the info there. Then find out who your MLA and WRITE don't email, actually write, (you remember, pen and paper and the curved letters they taught you in school) them a letter saying that you are John Doe average citizen, that you enjoy riding your motorcyle, etc...don't be hostile tell them to save ICBC, and most importantly let them know that you VOTE.

The www.bccom-bc.com website will be putting up a letter template that you can follow to write your own letter. As much as I hate them, I feel that it is up to us to save them, or many of my new friends won't be riding.

It's time for us the users of the system to stand up and fight for it.

I shudder to think that I am actually supporting ICBC, scary thought. Unfortunatly it has to be done.

:rider

 

[blazinr6]

I shudder to think that I am actually supporting ICBC, scary thought. Unfortunatly it has to be done.

i hate to say it but i'm beginning to hear your point...but to support icbc???...i've heard it so many times from the autoplan people but it's finally sinking in...considering i'm 22 and dont have a perfect driving record i may be in trouble and see where icbc comes in handy...:mad :mad

 

[Digi168]

What you will find with private insurance is that if you are under the magic age of 25 insuring anything car or bike will cost you more.

 

[dknite]

Well i fully support ICBC, for the reasons DIGI has mentioned, if my insurance was up to a private for profit insurance company I would not be able to afford to drive my car NOT ALONE my bike..

So point me in the way of the protest i'm ready for a political fight!

:gun :knife :evil :2guns :hangman

 

[thr1]

as much as i hate ICBC, count me in

 

[R1 GIRL]

ICBC

Well written babes. :angel

 

[Digi168]

Well i fully support ICBC, for the reasons DIGI has mentioned, if my insurance was up to a private for profit insurance company I would not be able to afford to drive my car NOT ALONE my bike..

So point me in the way of the protest i'm ready for a political fight!

:gun :knife :evil :2guns :hangman

Its not a protest, as they don't usually work, but BCCOM is planning a "picnic" in a month or so where they are hoping to get about 500 bikes and people from ICBC and the Media to come out and try to explain to the other people in the province why we need to keep ICBC.

Just as a side note did you know that with every motorcycle policy in BC you are guraneteed $150 000. for medical expenses that may be incurred due to an accident. Conversly if you live in the states they only allow you $15 000. Big plus should you ever need it.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with ICBC.

 

[superiorWANG]

Well, I've always liked ICBC for the reasons Bieu mentioned. Then again, I come from Ontario, so I know what it's like when you don't have an organization like ICBC. I'll definately support them!

 

[BCSBADMIN]

Everyone,

Digi makes some good points. I agree with saving ICBC for the reasons stated.

I've posted a news item.

If there is anything we can do as a group (other than writing a massive amount of polite, intelligent letters) please suggest it.

Jim.

 

[gsxr6racer]

OH MY GOD!! You guys are kidding right?!!?
Privatization will bring competition which will lower rates - guaranteed! And if one company doesn't insure you, another will. Yes there will be rate discrimination, but that is the cross section of age that causes the most accidents, sorry but it is true. I had to deal with that living in Alberta when I was 22 - 24, but I sure would like to insure my vehicle their now being 29. Even when I was 24 and insured a 600cc bike in Alberta it was only $300 for the whole year! Of course my car was $2200 a year.
So with competition rates will go down, and I know your pain about being in that discrimanated category, but it will get better. This is by far the best damn thing that could happen to vehicle insurance in this province. So you can whole heartedly count me into the HIP HIP HURRAY ICBC is dead clan!! Plus you get deals for having more than one policy with the same company. I am sure ICBC will stick around for those of you who choose to stay with them, they will just be higher priced than anyone else that's all...

 

[tokenboy]

I must disagree about some of digi's points. I came from a government insured province (sask) to alberta, which is privatized.

At the time I was an under 25 single male with 2 speeding tickets. After shopping around a bit I found full coverage for my car for about $300/yr more than I was paying in Sask. I did not think this unreasonable as I had got some unreal quotes from other companies.

When I went to insure my bike, I shopped around again, and found there are very bike friendly companies out there. I have full perils coverage with a $250 Deducatable for $850/yr...and it was $950/ye last year. Each year in Alberta my insurance has gone down. When I turned 25 my auto insurance was cut in half.

While I lived in Saskatchewan, insurance rates went up on a yearly basis, the governement was a pain to work with if you had a claim, and you had to pay in lump sums (that has since changed, but they do charge you a decent lump of interst).

In a privatized system you benefit from being a good driver and your rates decrease. In the government run system you pay the same (or more) each year. In Saskatchewan a 18 year old and 45 year old pay the same to insure their vehicles. No breaks. In Alberta, the 18 year old is going to get hit hard until they are 25, but once they hit that magic date, insurance gets extremely low.

The competition is a wonderful thing. I had a buddy, 27, married, riding a TL1000R paying $1200/yr for insurance...I told him to try my place. He now pays $750/year. He is loving it. The great thing about the private system is that if you don't like it, you can go elsewhere. The companies have to compete for your business.

Makes sense to me.

 

[Harps]

hmmm...I was thinking what gsxr6racer just said. But i could be wrong...never having insured a vehicle outside of BC. Plus I'm only 21. Same as most of you I HATE ICBC, with a passion. Five years of absolutely clean driving/riding (with one very minor speeding ticket 3 years ago), I get into one accident about a month ago...and I'll be paying $3000 to insure my bike next year, that's not even with full coverage. :mad

What would it cost someone like me to get insurance in Alberta (if I could)? A friend of mine, age 23, used to pay $500 annually to insure his R6. Just basic insurance...but that's not too far off of ICBC rates compared to a province that is privatized. Plus, this guy had a number of speeding tickets, with a couple of them being excesive speeding for which he had to go to court to fight to keep his license. Not a squeeky clean driving record by any means.

 

[tokenboy]

When I was 23, insuring my new 2000 ZX-6R with full coverage cost me $962/yr with a $250 deductable. (that was with 1 current speeding ticket and a riding school)

www.primmum.com (formerly Canada life) is a great company for insuring bikes. You can do an online form to see what kind of rate they would give you.

 

[dknite]

Well i don't know where some of you are getting you're quotes from in alberta because i have called 4 companies out there out of curiousity, and for me 22 years old 5 years no accidents 3 speeding tickets in the last 5 years,.. $11,000 honda cbr929, it was OVER $2100 AT EACH place,.. icbc, $1900 full coverage,.. so ill stick with ICBC thank you very much.

 

[Digi168]

Granted private insurance will create competition but it doesn't GURANTEE insurance, single male under 25, 1000cc sport bike, 2 tickets a year for the last couple of years, good luck finding cheap insurance. We have semi privatized insurance now and can any of you new riders get it??? NO, they don't want to insure and they don't have to insure you, so why do you think that if they are all private that they will insure. From a business point of view would you take the risk??

As much as you hate ICBC and yes going private will help some of us older riders/drivers it is up to US as the motorcycling community to support all riders not just think of ourselves.

Just think if you want to sell your bike who are you going to sell it to? Most people over 25 have jobs/careers and will more than likely buy new. It is usually younger riders and new riders that buy used bikes, and if there are no younger/new riders, then there is no market which in turn means no shops for us older people to shop at.

 

[CG]

all I know is, beening 20 yrs old, i'll be getting raped with either ICBC or private, so it's not gonna change much for me, except with private, i'll have to spend the time to shop around, unlike with ICBC i just walk in and come out sore right away

 

[Flag]

As nice as ICBC's system is for sportbike riders it's flawed (in our favour mind you). I moved here from Ontario 2 years ago and at the time had 2 bikes (2000 R6, 1995 Virago 1100). When I went into ICBC to insure them the R6 was slightly cheaper than the Virago(which I then sold). Make sense, no way. As I'm sure you know the R6 was worth more and I was way more likely to crash the R6 (Heck the Virago wouldn't do 200km/h). The only thing ICBC cared about was what size engine and

Imagine if they were that way with cars. A Honda S2000 with it's little engine and lots of power might be cheaper than a Pontiac Grand Prix or something like that. What would you think if you owned that.

As a last when I moved here my 98 F150 insurance went up about $500 while my R6 went down about $300. So ICBC cost me.

 

[CG]

As nice as ICBC's system is for sportbike riders it's flawed (in our favour mind you). I moved here from Ontario 2 years ago and at the time had 2 bikes (2000 R6, 1995 Virago 1100). When I went into ICBC to insure them the R6 was slightly cheaper than the Virago(which I then sold). Make sense, no way. As I'm sure you know the R6 was worth more and I was way more likely to crash the R6 (Heck the Virago wouldn't do 200km/h). The only thing ICBC cared about was what size engine and

Imagine if they were that way with cars. A Honda S2000 with it's little engine and lots of power might be cheaper than a Pontiac Grand Prix or something like that. What would you think if you owned that.

As a last when I moved here my 98 F150 insurance went up about $500 while my R6 went down about $300. So ICBC cost me.

yup it's flawed in our favour.... it goes by engine size and value of the motorcycle.... so those big ass huge harleys up in the 1.3litre engines etc are probably paying a ton of money, yet barely make half the horsepower of a 600cc motorcycle sure they got boatloads of torque, but it's HP that makes us go 200+

 

[gsxr6racer]

I was not planning insuring my next street bike here anyway. Get my Alberta lic. again ("I just moved here, no I lost my BC lic. really") use my sister's address and voila. Cheap insurance!
Well being an old fart it will be cheap...
Trust me in the long run private insurance will be a benefit to all of us not just older married guys.
I think so anyway...

 

[pixie]

I noticed that most of you comment about your monthly or yearly rates are. What most people in the previous posts fail to realize is what does that premium get you? Will you get coverage of up to $150, 000 if you are in an accident anywhere in North America? Will you have underinsured motorist coverage, if the other party has no insurance? Will they allow your spouse, or family members coverage as well?

Probably not. Most of the other plans cannot compare to ICBC -- they don't provide you with the same benefits.

So yeah, it's great to be paying $300/year, but will that low rate cover your below the knee amputation as a result of a serious collision during your holiday in Florida?

just a thought... (I'm not affiliated with ICBC in any way!)