Riding again after a long break

[Phelge]

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First time on forum...hi to all
I'm a 51 year old male living in Toronto. I have been licensed since 1981, but have not ridden in the past ten years. Looking to buy a cruiser or touring bike. Any advice on what I would expect on insurance premiums would be greatly appreciated. I have auto insurance for the same amount of time. I have no traffic violations or claims on my transcript.
Thanks in advance

 

[hedo2002]

I have a friend that did the same thing, (had a 10 year plus layoff), as long as you maintained your M then you should get a reasonable premium. Of course reasonable is subjective especially given you live IN Toronto.

The question the agent will ask is actually somewhat "flawed" IMHO. They ask when were you first licenced to ride.. Your truthful answer is 1981. For all tey know you have been riding consistently since then "perhaps you borrowed a friends bike a couple of times each year to keep your skills up" But wouldn't be a bad idea to take a course to refresh your skills and update yourself on all the new laws.

 

[TorontoBoy]

...as long as you maintained your M then you should get a reasonable premium. Of course reasonable is subjective especially given you live IN Toronto.

... But wouldn't be a bad idea to take a course to refresh your skills and update yourself on all the new laws.

You are an old geezer and will be rewarded as such. If you get a ~500cc used cruiser I'd guess your premium, no comprehensive, will be ~$300/yr. To put this into perspective, many of the young ones here are paying $300/mo for a 300cc learner bike. Life is certainly not fair, but this time you are on the upside. To all the young riders reading this, "Get off my lawn...".

That being said, you are rusty and should approach with caution. I like "Proficient Motorcycling" by Hough. A course, as hedo has recommended, would be good. Drivers are stupid here in Toronto, and specifically Scarborough, so assume they are all out to kill you. I recommend early morning weekend rides to start. I'd consider you a high risk rider but if you don't get cocky you'll be fine.

Cruisers from the mid-80s are still on the road so consider them. Winter fast approacheth. If you have space you might be able to buy a used bike for an excellent price from riders who want to sell and have no space to store for the winter. Buy cheap, ride for a couple of weeks, winterize, then break it out in the spring. Insurance for the winter months, when we do not usually ride, is near free. Premiums are biased towards the months we do ride, which makes complete sense.

 

[Phelge]

You are an old geezer and will be rewarded as such. If you get a ~500cc used cruiser I'd guess your premium, no comprehensive, will be ~$300/yr. To put this into perspective, many of the young ones here are paying $300/mo for a 300cc learner bike. Life is certainly not fair, but this time you are on the upside. To all the young riders reading this, "Get off my lawn...".

That being said, you are rusty and should approach with caution. I like "Proficient Motorcycling" by Hough. A course, as hedo has recommended, would be good. Drivers are stupid here in Toronto, and specifically Scarborough, so assume they are all out to kill you. I recommend early morning weekend rides to start. I'd consider you a high risk rider but if you don't get cocky you'll be fine.

Cruisers from the mid-80s are still on the road so consider them. Winter fast approacheth. If you have space you might be able to buy a used bike for an excellent price from riders who want to sell and have no space to store for the winter. Buy cheap, ride for a couple of weeks, winterize, then break it out in the spring. Insurance for the winter months, when we do not usually ride, is near free. Premiums are biased towards the months we do ride, which makes complete sense.

LOL.... Thanks for the advice, I am going to enroll in a course as a refresher.... any advice on a good one in the GTA?

 

[Phelge]

I have a friend that did the same thing, (had a 10 year plus layoff), as long as you maintained your M then you should get a reasonable premium. Of course reasonable is subjective especially given you live IN Toronto.

The question the agent will ask is actually somewhat "flawed" IMHO. They ask when were you first licenced to ride.. Your truthful answer is 1981. For all tey know you have been riding consistently since then "perhaps you borrowed a friends bike a couple of times each year to keep your skills up" But wouldn't be a bad idea to take a course to refresh your skills and update yourself on all the new laws.

Thanks for the advice and not calling me an old geezer....... any courses you could recommend??
great forum going on here.

 

[Joe Bass]

Thanks for the advice and not calling me an old geezer....... any courses you could recommend??
great forum going on here.

That's because I think you may be younger than he is. He may call you son, though. Lol

There are a few places that offer refresher courses. @Motorsoul is here on the forum. You can also look into rti and learning curves, or @mtohp among others. Most may be closing up shop soon for the season, though. I think Ginny from Motorsoul offers private instruction as well.
Btw, welcome to the forum!

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy far, far away using Tapatalk

 

[Phelge]

That's because I think you may be younger than he is. He may call you son, though. Lol

There are a few places that offer refresher courses. @Motorsoul is here on the forum. You can also look into rti and learning curves, or @mtohp among others. Most may be closing up shop soon for the season, though. I think Ginny from Motorsoul offers private instruction as well.
Btw, welcome to the forum!

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy far, far away using Tapatalk

JB, Thanks.

So... picked up the phone and called an insurance company to feel them out, and see where I stand with Mob.
Lowest quote for full coverage, 2 mil. liability, was 975.00/ year. 2015 Honda NC750s.
Calling around will probably land me a better deal when the time comes... I hope
At least I now know its affordable(crazy what is now considered a deal,)but that's how it goes when you're dealing with the devil.
Looking forward to seeing new models at this years bike show.

10-4

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