Motorcycle insurance for chinese bikes??

J

jordanmalmal

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Hey guys!
I am a new member here, and I wanted to introduce myself.
I also have a pretty big problem, so I figured that joining this forum with experienced guys may be my best option to figure out what to do.

I've been an dirtbike guy pretty well my whole life, and I've only ever owned Yamaha dirt bikes.
I recently bought a Chinese made on road off road bike so I can start driving on road... but I may have made a huge mistake.
I've never had an accident, no claims, no tickets, I'm 32 yrs old.. And I was quoted for a Yamaha tw200 for $37/month.

I bought a Lifan 200cc gy because it only cost $1500 and I read online that they are very well made bikes.. and I "FIGURED" that I would get close to the same quote as I got for the TW200... I was wrong.

I figured I would start with something with low power, and not a "sport bike" so I would be able to insure it without breaking the bank since I only have my M1 license as of right now, and I really love the trails, so I want a bike that can handle both the road and the trails.

No insurance company will insure the bike I bought - A Lifan 200cc-gy.. Most of the companies said they have never heard of this bike, and because it's an imported motorcycle (not a BRAND NAME) they don't have a market for me.

I have tried ALL of the big name companies, along with smaller ones in my city and some companies that only deal with motorcycles.
NONE can even give me a quote for it.... Only 2 companies said they can compare with a ZHONGSHEN 250?? because they know that bike for some reason, but in the end that have to make sure that they can insure the LIFAN.. and they got back to me saying they cannot insure it.. even for just OFF ROAD use.

I've talked to people in the U.S. and in the western part of Canada and they have insurance for their Lifan dual sport bikes, and from what I've been told it's pretty cheap to insure.

So I'm left with a dilemma.. Sell this bike and buy a brand name.. Which I should have bought the bike I wanted in the first place, I just figured that I would spend 6k less on a used Chinese bike, than buy a brand new 2017 that I may want to trade or sell for a higher powered bike in a year or two.

And to be honest, I really enjoy the Lifan.. It's a nice smooth ride and has all the power I want for the trails. It might not have enough power for the highway, but I doubt I would even hit the highway...
I'm in Ontario!

Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction! Thanks!
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Check with Macdoc as he seems to be the one that has purchased Chinese bikes recently. He may have a broker that is atuned to the new wave!
 
Cardinal rule for motorcycles: Call for insurance details and prices BEFORE buying. ;)

Have you tried a big broker like Dalton Timmis? Dalton for example has 30+ underwriters and one of them may cover it. The challenge is because it's a really odd make/model if it's not even properly in the Ontario databases as a legit vehicle nobody may want to touch it accordingly because of such.

Does it actually have all the required certifications to be road legal here?
 
But these bike we bought are SHongchen and DOT approved already by CSC ...may not apply
We get them on MOnday
 
I assume you have insurance for your other vehicles, your house etc.
Call your broker. Don't threaten him or her.
Inform them that if they are not prepared to insure this bike, you will be taking your business elsewhere.
You may have to settle for reduced coverage, like just personal liability.
This is one of the reasons you are having trouble.
No one in Ontario has ever heard of this bike, so they don't know what it would cost to repair it.
 
You can try to gather the detail and put it in a package to have your broker/agent send to the underwriter. Something like a photo, specs, what common model it is most like (Suzuki DR200?), etc. And with a request to please consider this bike as equivalent to that for underwriting purpose. Would most likely work with the company that you already have your auto/house policy.
 
Is it actually registered with the MTO? If it's not you won't be able to get insurance.

They should be able to quote based on the VIN. When they start asking for year, make, and model just tell them you have the VIN.
 
statsman said:
Call your broker. Don't threaten him or her.
Inform them that if they are not prepared to insure this bike, you will be taking your business elsewhere.
Click to expand...

So an ultimatum? From a position of weakness? Insurers and brokers expect a certain degree of churn, so it won't spook them.
 
They won't care. I've had to switch because companies wouldn't cover my vehicles.
 
Just report the ad until he lists it as off road only. :)
 
Another example of what happens when you want to do something that you cannot actually afford to do but for whatever reason think cutting some corners will allow you to do the thing you cannot afford to do but then in the end you find out that after cutting corners you really really cannot afford the thing you wanted to do because your corner cutting just made it more expense than it was in the first place. You gotta pay if you wanna play, it is my experience that motorcycles require excess disposable income.
 
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Lifan is a very popular and well respected brand in China. They are everywhere and are on of the top domestic brands. The Japanese brands in China are more expensive, of course. I do not know about registration but this guy and his Lifan GY5 did it in 2009, but he is from the East coast. http://canadamotoguide.com/2009/11/18/buzz-bomb-thrills-for-1500/ Check out: http://www.chinariders.net/ for tips on registration, he says. Good luck. Personally I've ridden about 3 Chinese bikes in China and they are ok. Quality is not great but they can be fixed in China. I'd rather an older Japanese brand.
 
This time last year I remember calling around looking to insure a Grom, and most of the companies I called would not insure it because they had never heard of it. The only one that did at the time was Statefarm. Nevertheless, maybe sit on it for a bit and see what happens, its not like you paid big money for it, keep using it off road.

And that ad is a pretty sh*t thing to do to someone...
 
Ad looks like it's gone.

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48Connor said:
This time last year I remember calling around looking to insure a Grom, and most of the companies I called would not insure it because they had never heard of it. The only one that did at the time was Statefarm. Nevertheless, maybe sit on it for a bit and see what happens, its not like you paid big money for it, keep using it off road.

And that ad is a pretty sh*t thing to do to someone...
Click to expand...

his karma coming back with this bike???

I would contact the MTO in writing and have them verify the bike is registered and legal for on and off road use here in Ontario.
Then forward said email to insurance companies and ask them what is the issue now.
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