difference between 300 and 600cc

S

supernova12034

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New rider here guys thinking of starting out, i went down to the dealership and based on my age/marital status/location/record the sales guy said id probably be between $1500-2000$ a year on a 320cc R3

Im having second thoughts on the sportsbike thing, and leaning towards a cruiser, my question is what would be the insurance difference between a 250cc V star cruiser and a 600 cc cruiser? (650 vulcan s?)

And i found it surprising that insurance companies care less if its a sport bike or a cruiser bike, they mostly seem to care about the engine size when it comes to your premium....(I got a higher quote on a vulcan on katenix than i did on the 300 cc ninja which is a "sport bike")


thanks
 
Different insurance companies use different methods of determining premiums - some only care about cc's, some have specific rules about certain models, some won't touch certain brands, etc.
 
Online quotes don't mean squat.
Don't listen to a sales guy. His job is to sell you a bike. He has no idea what your premiums will be.
Call around (yes, with a phone) and get some quotes on prospective bikes.
And to answer the question in the title: 300 cc

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There are different insurance classes between cruisers and SS. Depends on the company.

But in generally cruisers are just that. They cruise and require almost twice as much displacement to have a similar power to weight ratio.

You can get a Suzuki S40 which is a 650 single.

Will it cost more to insure over a R3? Not sure? I suspect they are close to the same.

But a SV650 is a V-twin and decent power and much more than 320 cc Yamaha. Insurance wise the SV would be higher.

So you have to determine what style of bike you prefer and then try and find an entry level machine that doesn't hurt too badly for insurance.

A Bonneville is 865cc and cost less than a 600 cc and have the performance of a SS.

So don't get entirely caught up in displacement. Look more for what manufactures consider entry level for the style of bike you want.







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Joe Bass said:
Online quotes don't mean squat.
Don't listen to a sales guy. His job is to sell you a bike. He has no idea what your premiums will be.
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This, x1000. Some salespeople would tell a kid that a 1000CC RR supersport is a "great learner bike!" if it meant a big fat comission cheque in their pocket at the end of the week. YOU need to settle on a few choices and then call around (to multiple insurers) for quotes on all of them. It's time consuming, but you'll actually get some valid numbers that way.

Typically, but not always (CC's still play a roll, but cruisers get away with dramatically higher numbers for not the same insurance hit), cruisers are much less expensive to insure. For example, because I had a long absence between ownership and riding (*cough*, 20 years) when I came back to riding last year I was lumped into the new rider insurance category, but my 1300CC VTX cruiser is costing me <$700 year for insurance. For a sport bike I'd have been lucky to get that kind of rate for a 250cc Ninja or something similar.

Your age and driving record will play the biggest roll when it comes to motorcycles. If you're serious about riding this year get your M1 NOW and get signed up for a motorcycle safety course as well, ASAP - they fill up fast. Having your M2 and the safety course under your belt before you look for insurance will make a big difference with your quotes.
 
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The R3 is not really a "Sport Bike" it only makes 42 HP. It may look like a Sport Bike but it is not based on HP. Now a 600cc or 1000cc sport bike with over 100+ HP is what insurers are all afraid of.
 
and whatever you do, DO NOT get a 250cc cruiser...

They're all overweight and slow as ****.
 
LoneRonin said:
and whatever you do, DO NOT get a 250cc cruiser...

They're all overweight and slow as ****.
Click to expand...
Low and slow
That is the tempo.
But yeah. Better off getting a 500.

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nakkers said:
But in generally cruisers are just that. They cruise and require almost twice as much displacement to have a similar power to weight ratio.
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Interesting so an 800 cc Cruiser would essentially be producing the same power as a 400CC sport bike and would therefore be insured accordingly? At approx the same level as the 400cc sport bike?
 
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taximan62 said:
The R3 is not really a "Sport Bike" it only makes 42 HP. It may look like a Sport Bike but it is not based on HP. Now a 600cc or 1000cc sport bike with over 100+ HP is what insurers are all afraid of.
Click to expand...

All state Insurance company disagrees with you, i called them last week and they dont even look at 'sport bikes' even though i told them the r3 was just a 300, that is unless you have an M license for atleast 3 years, have been previously insured before(therefore are not a 'new' rider)and can juggle bowling balls while being attacked by a horde of pit bulls

PrivatePilot said:
This, x1000. Some salespeople would tell a kid that a 1000CC RR supersport is a "great learner bike!" if it meant a big fat comission cheque in their pocket at the end of the week. YOU need to settle on a few choices and then call around (to multiple insurers) for quotes on all of them. It's time consuming, but you'll actually get some valid numbers that way.

Typically, but not always (CC's still play a roll, but cruisers get away with dramatically higher numbers for not the same insurance hit), cruisers are much less expensive to insure. For example, because I had a long absence between ownership and riding (*cough*, 20 years) when I came back to riding last year I was lumped into the new rider insurance category, but my 1300CC VTX cruiser is costing me <$700 year for insurance. For a sport bike I'd have been lucky to get that kind of rate for a 250cc Ninja or something similar.

Your age and driving record will play the biggest roll when it comes to motorcycles. If you're serious about riding this year get your M1 NOW and get signed up for a motorcycle safety course as well, ASAP - they fill up fast. Having your M2 and the safety course under your belt before you look for insurance will make a big difference with your quotes.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
so to sum it up.. in essence an entry level cruiser say...the vulcan S or something around the 600-800cc range cruiser will be about the same in insurance as an entry level sport bike? (R3, 300 ninja etc?)
 
Even though it seems logical, you can't assume that just be cause "Cruiser X" makes same horsepower as "Sportbike Y" that they will be lumped into same insurance bracket. I started on a 650cc cruiser from 1980, insurance was close to three grand (minimal shopping around). The best bet for you will be to go on cc's. Even better bet will be to call around, opinions on here about insurance don't mean anything. Spend some time, get quotes, period. I regret not doing that before commiting even though i was told by multiple people "650 cruisers are super cheap on insurance" Thats the only way for you get to real info.

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supernova12034 said:
Interesting so an 800 cc Cruiser would essentially be producing the same power as a 400CC sport bike and would therefore be insured accordingly? At approx the same level as the 400cc sport bike?
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Kinda. Cruisers are heavier so, larger machines can be difficult manage.

It's best to consult with a broker that specializes in motorcycle insurance.

But yes, it's along that line of thinking.




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supernova12034 said:
Interesting so an 800 cc Cruiser would essentially be producing the same power as a 400CC sport bike and would therefore be insured accordingly? At approx the same level as the 400cc sport bike?
Click to expand...

When it comes to insurance, assume nothing – settle on a few choices of bikes and call around as has been suggested, insurance companies are very fickle and for a variety of often undetermined reasons quotes across very similar bikes seem to sometimes swing wildly. As also mentioned, your driving record, age, even your address will effect the quotes you receive.

Something to keep in mind with the big displacement cruisers is that despite making less horsepower, the torque category is much different – I can roll through a town quietly in fifth gear on my VTX and when I come out the other side simply roll back into the throttle and get squished back into my seat by the acceleration while still in 5th gear. A sport bike would need to downshift and bring the rev's up. Simply comparing horsepower is missing a big part of the picture.
 
PrivatePilot said:
When it comes to insurance, assume nothing – settle on a few choices of bikes and call around as has been suggested, insurance companies are very fickle and for a variety of often undetermined reasons quotes across very similar bikes seem to sometimes swing wildly. As also mentioned, your driving record, age, even your address will effect the quotes you receive.

Something to keep in mind with the big displacement cruisers is that despite making less horsepower, the torque category is much different – I can roll through a town quietly in fifth gear on my VTX and when I come out the other side simply roll back into the throttle and get squished back into my seat by the acceleration while still in 5th gear. A sport bike would need to downshift and bring the rev's up. Simply comparing horsepower is missing a big part of the picture.
Click to expand...

True of some but definitely false as a generalization.
 
supernova12034 said:
New rider here guys thinking of starting out, i went down to the dealership and based on my age/marital status/location/record the sales guy said id probably be between $1500-2000$ a year on a 320cc R3

Im having second thoughts on the sportsbike thing, and leaning towards a cruiser, my question is what would be the insurance difference between a 250cc V star cruiser and a 600 cc cruiser? (650 vulcan s?)

And i found it surprising that insurance companies care less if its a sport bike or a cruiser bike, they mostly seem to care about the engine size when it comes to your premium....(I got a higher quote on a vulcan on katenix than i did on the 300 cc ninja which is a "sport bike")


thanks
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I wouldn't pay attention to online quotes, they are pretty inaccurate. When it comes to shopping around, I agree with Private Pilot some people just don't care and would give you a rate and hope you can pay it for the commission. As an agent I would say that steering clear of SS's is a good idea because they are harder to insure for new riders as they don't have the insurance history. A cruiser would be better, as you can probably do it stand alone but may have to pay a stand alone fee, and to waive the fee you would need to bring something over. As far CC's go, I know that Allstate doesn't rate based on that, we rate based on the price of the bike and the rider, other people insurers not sure. Get the a cruiser, something old and something that you don't mind dropping and just put liability on it no comp or collision, that way you can save yourself from paying over 2 grand in premiums, assuming you are a G2 rider. Oh.. And I know people say that you should start on a 250 (Ex - CBR250), but for example we still rate that as a sport bike. When you get the experience and an M go for the sport bike, it'll sdave you money doing it that way.

If you have any questions, feel free to email and I'll be glad to answer them.
vnarace@allstate.ca or 519-471-1900 Ext 5011.
 
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supernova12034 said:
taximan62 said:
The R3 is not really a "Sport Bike" it only makes 42 HP. It may look like a Sport Bike but it is not based on HP. Now a 600cc or 1000cc sport bike with over 100+ HP is what insurers are all afraid of.
Click to expand...
All state Insurance company disagrees with you, i called them last week and they dont even look at 'sport bikes' even though i told them the r3 was just a 300, that is unless you have an M license for atleast 3 years, have been previously insured before(therefore are not a 'new' rider)and can juggle bowling balls while being attacked by a horde of pit bulls
Click to expand...

I'm just going to throw this out there because I still find All State's definition of "Sport Bike" funny.

Even though this was about 5-6 years ago, when I went in to get a quote for a 2007 CBR125r, they said "No, it's a sport bike, it's too much for us." - I walked into the AllState branch for a rate and back out laughing.
FWIW, I had my full G and M license.

Seems like the only way to get to AllState Insurance for a sport bike is if you bundle with car, house, or be over 30 years old.
 
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Most of the talk is focused on bike classification and insurance, and I agree there, just call around with different models you're interested in.

As for what kind of bike to get, do your M2 Entry course first. Any proper course will have 250cc cruisers and 125cc sportbikes for you to try, as well as probably an enduro and a standard maybe. I was going to get a cruiser before doing my course, after the course I bought a Ninja 500 and am very grateful and have only ridden sportbikes since.
 
My ninja 250r was 2 grand a year, my fz6 (600cc sport tourer) is $2800 a year, I got a quote from my insurance company for $3000 a year for the vstar 650.

It seems like, for me anyways, with my insuramce company, cc's matters above all else (until you get into SS territory, then all bets are off).

Hope that helps some.
 
catzo said:
My ninja 250r was 2 grand a year, my fz6 (600cc sport tourer) is $2800 a year, I got a quote from my insurance company for $3000 a year for the vstar 650.

It seems like, for me anyways, with my insuramce company, cc's matters above all else (until you get into SS territory, then all bets are off).

Hope that helps some.
Click to expand...


Wow....who are you with? that seems insane..(in a bad way)
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