what vehicle makes sense? | GTAMotorcycle.com

what vehicle makes sense?

highflyer

Active member
I originally asked about a 50cc scooter's rate being too high but now that my circumstances have changed, I thought I'd make a clean thread.

I'm a 23M, planning to get my M1 soon. I've held my G for almost 5 years and I've been insured under another family vehicle since getting my G1 at 16. I thought about getting a two-wheeler to replace my current commute via public transit. It gets annoying sometimes due to the waiting and not having my own vehicle to move around town in. I considered a 50cc scooter, CBR 125 (125cc sports bike), and a Ninja 250 (250cc sports bike).

Some will tell me to wait a year before getting a bike. Using the CBR 125 as a base case, I assumed 7 months of riding + 5 months of public transit, $200/year for maintenance, and $1800 for premiums, I figured it would cost me an extra $1400/year to own a bike (not including the fixed cost of buying a bike). I decided that it was worth the expense. If I can afford it, why not?

Anyway, I think I made my point clear as to why I've decided to go ahead with this. But here's the kicker.

So I talked to SF already and got the following quotes:
$135/mo for a 50cc scooter
$148/mo for a CBR 125
$220/mo for a Ninja 250

I'm still in the middle of contacting other agents, but since I've had difficulty calling in from work, I only emailed them in the past few days. Still waiting on Desjardins, Co-operators, and Jevco via JDS. It's quite a big jump from the 125 to the 250 and I'm rather puzzled. I thought it'd go up by another $10-20/mo and I could live with that. If other insurance providers are going to offer such a big difference between the 125 and 250, I'd rather go with the 125 at the expense of the ability to go on highways (not a big deal for me since I'm 5'10" and weight under 150 lbs) and the ability to carry a <120 lbs passenger at <70 km/h (I guess it's doable but it'll make the engine cry).
 
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Keep in mind that insuring the bike only for the rideable months won't make much difference in your premium. If you register for insurance now and cancel in November you'll probably have to pay a big cancellation fee (not really a fee, just that they weight months based on how much people ride).
 
... I'd rather go with the 125 at the expense of the ability to go on highways (not a big deal for me since I'm 5'10" and weight under 150 lbs) ...

What makes you think you can't ride a 125 on the highway? With your size/weight, a CBR125 should be able to reach a sustainable speed of at least 110. I've clocked much bigger and heavier people 115-125 with my GPS.

As for the insurance, call a few insurance brokers (not insurance companies) to get the right picture. You will be surprised with differences.
 
@jonpurdy: I guess I was not clear in my analysis, but the insurance premiums are for the entire year. The assumption that I ride for 7 months is for the purposes of calculating how much gas I need and how many bus trips I need to take.

@Vlad: thanks, I'm trying to get in touch with a couple brokers right now. Seeing the higher level of support for Avi on this forum, I've decided to get in touch with him and hopefully he'll be able to provide me with a reasonable number. I'm still debating between the 125 and 250 (some practical, some cosmetic), but do you think the CBR125 can still move at 70 km/h carrying under 300 lbs? I have doubts based on comments on the bike.
 
I'm still debating between the 125 and 250 (some practical, some cosmetic), but do you think the CBR125 can still move at 70 km/h carrying under 300 lbs? I have doubts based on comments on the bike.

If you plan on riding two-up often and for longer periods 125 will definitely feel inadequate. It will move, but it won't be fun at all. Also, you will outgrow 125 much faster than a 250. Based on what you said here I'd definitely shoot for 250 or be prepared to cope with 125 limitations.
 
I'm still debating between the 125 and 250 (some practical, some cosmetic), but do you think the CBR125 can still move at 70 km/h carrying under 300 lbs? I have doubts based on comments on the bike.

[video=youtube;QNF8gWSOdUI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNF8gWSOdUI[/video]
 
As for the insurance, call a few insurance brokers (not insurance companies) to get the right picture. You will be surprised with differences.

Not all companies sell through brokers -- some, such as State Farm, Co-operators, Allstate, TD, etc. only sell through agencies. The biggest difference between a broker and an agent is that a broker sells for multiple companies, where as an agent sells for just one.
 
Not all companies sell through brokers -- some, such as State Farm, Co-operators, Allstate, TD, etc. only sell through agencies. The biggest difference between a broker and an agent is that a broker sells for multiple companies, where as an agent sells for just one.
I knew about State Farm, but didn't about the rest, thanks. I was under the impression that they don't insure motorcycles and/or actually sell insurance by "primary" insurers such as Kingsway and Jevco. State Farm has many restrictions that make people impossible to insure with them. I called them once and found out they won't insure me because my bike is over 1000cc (Bandit 1200) and they will drop me as soon as I get more than X number of convictions (don't remember the exact number, I think it was two). They may also decline insurance if you don't already have something else (car, house) insured with them. I don't appreciate their business model so I'm voting with my wallet by not even bothering to call them again.
 
Your quote are quite high compare to my experience. I'm in Guelph and a 250 was costing me $65 a month through StateFarm. Might because I'm in Guelph.
 
A cbr 125 is legal on the highway and I mine did 115 with 220 lbs.Just don't down shift or try to pass with out a lots of room as it can take a while.
 
cbr125 can do highways....but 2 up? It will be tough trying to maintain 100km/h. Wind and uphill/downhill can greatly affect your max speed. 2up in the city will be fine.

If you're going to 2 up often, I would suggest a 250. But it will cost more to maintain/buy than a 125.
 

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