For multiple motorcycles: how about insuring by plate?

vrus

vrus

Well-known member
Could this be a solution? I understand insurance companies are scared of multiple motorcycles being insured. How about insurance companies insuring your motorcycle plate with the premium being calculated on the highest risk vehicle?

I don't think it would be too hard to work with MTO on this? Maybe put a limit on the # of vehicles per plate to decrease abuse, and assign a totally new plate if one is lost to make sure nobody puts two plates on two bikes.
 
Not a bad idea, but that would require to the government to do something that makes sense. I can't imagine there ever being enough political will to allow one plate on multiple vehicles.

Probably the most likely idea would be GPS loggers on each bike. They would upload periodically and show the insurance company that only one was used at a time. No goverment intervention would be required. This would allow the insurance company to check that the bikes were being stored at the registered address as well. Whether or not the insurance companies used the trackers to check for driving infractions is a sticky matter. Maybe if the logger updates your position once an hour that would use minimal battery and not record any incriminating evidence. I am envisioning upload either via wifi or by sticking usb keys in a computer once a month or so. If you don't upload as per the approved schedule, you go back to full rate for each bike.

My solution does have problems (such as parking garages). Without a continous access to satellites, it would be hard to tell if the GPS system was defeated for portions of time.
 
There's also the issue of just because more then one bike can't be ridden at once, doesn't mean they don't all need insurance at once.

ie. one your out riding one bike the second bike could be stolen.. or say you are trailering both bikes at the same time and your in a vehicle accident.. I suppose they could charge full pop for fire, theft, and collision and discount the liability portion based on use..
 
yep that is what I am thinking.

gps non issue because there is only one plate! The other bike would have no plates or stolen plates and that is already an issue today.
charge comprehensive on all bikes but leave full to highest risk. I think that would be 'okay' for the trailer issue.

I honestly think the only hassle is changing Ontario's registration system for motorcycles.
 
There is no way I want GPS locator on my bike. Are you nuts?
Once it's on they will slowly start collecting more and more data.
And then you get a phone call one day saying your insurance is cancelled because you travelled from one place to another in such and such time and were obviously exceeding the speed limit.
No thanks
 
^^^

No tracker for me please.

I can't see this working anyway, all the MTO databases, police access terminals etc. would have to be updated to allow for multiple vehicle descriptions under the same plate. Major coin for that change to an already antique system.
 
IMO I don't think changing the database would be that hard, unless the software is ancient...
I think costs can be offset by:
increase of registrations by the "new" bikes into the system and
adding a fee of some sort.

added profit for insurance
and mto
and we get to ride all our other bikes?
 
I don't get how insuring multiple bikes is a problem for insurance companies; what am I missing?

Each bike has a VIN so only one bike is insured no matter how you swap the plates around. And insuring a multiple bikes with one rider means each bike would be ridden less, so less risk to the insurance company, no?
 
the risk comes from letting somebody else ride the bike while it's insured. They are not banking on the risk that the owner and his buddy are riding the owner's a + b bikes all the time.

This way, with one plate, it's "insured" that only one bike is used, the other stays unplated.

now who's to say you can get another plate for the other bike? well since both vins are registered on one plate, that other plate has to be stolen or unregistered, etc. This problem already exists today, but imo I think this would decrease that issue, and ultimately make it a non-issue.
 
vrus said:
Could this be a solution? I understand insurance companies are scared of multiple motorcycles being insured. How about insurance companies insuring your motorcycle plate with the premium being calculated on the highest risk vehicle?

I don't think it would be too hard to work with MTO on this? Maybe put a limit on the # of vehicles per plate to decrease abuse, and assign a totally new plate if one is lost to make sure nobody puts two plates on two bikes.
Click to expand...

I looked into this over 5 years ago and it was completely possible. No idea who the insurance company was but in ontario we insure the driver more so then the vehicle. Basically it consisted of charging you for the most expensive vehicle, and making you sign a piece of paper saying you were the only person insured to drive said multiple vehicles, and they would add a small charge on for having to do the extra paperwork.

dont need the government to step in for that one. As soon as anyone else is operating it theres no insurance on the vehicle.
 
FriendlyFoe said:
I looked into this over 5 years ago and it was completely possible. No idea who the insurance company was but in ontario we insure the driver more so then the vehicle. Basically it consisted of charging you for the most expensive vehicle, and making you sign a piece of paper saying you were the only person insured to drive said multiple vehicles, and they would add a small charge on for having to do the extra paperwork.

dont need the government to step in for that one. As soon as anyone else is operating it theres no insurance on the vehicle.
Click to expand...

Are you sure about this? There is paperwork that can be signed to prevent someone from operating a vehicle (OFPC 28a), but the reverse (only 1 eligible operator) is not available in Ontario. Was this research for Ontario or somewhere else?
 
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