When I bought my bike, I had insurance for a month before I finally got the bike registered in my name. Was waiting for a lien release from the previous owner. Also the insurance agent just asked if I had a cycle endorsment. Never actually wanted to see it

 

At some point with the amount of drivers on the road, proper training and proof of competency was needed. Unfortunately, the US still doesn't have this.

 

Although insurance not required by some states it still makes me shake my head. First off folks will steal your ****. Secondly, you really have to have given up on life because if you get in a wreck with no insurance you are liable. You may not have any assets now but you'd basically have to be a street person or plan to be one forever because any judgment will carry forward, even after bankruptcy. Any future wages or assets can be attached until paid in full going forward. I have known of this to happen. Insurance isn't for me, it's to keep some ******* from suing me for my future(which is arguably a lot shorter than it used to be). Liability ain't that much. If you can't afford that you should be sitting somewhere trying to identify exactly where the **** your life went wrong. Motorcycle endorsements are kind of the same thing. Insurance to make sure your bike doesn't get towed away and auctioned off. You have to keep your **** tight or it will all fall out of the bag.

 

In California, it seems the insurance companies are on the DMV network. If I drop insurance on a vehicle, for instance, one I'm not driving, I get a notice from the DMV that the registration is suspended.

My motorcycle insurance dropped to about half of what I was paying when I was only permitted, then got my M endorsement. The difference in a single months insurance payment was more than enough to cover the DMV fee for the endorsement.

I reckon, for some people, it's worth the risk to ride unlicensed. But I don't understand it. Personally, I have too much to lose to ride unlicensed or uninsured.

Everyone's situation is different. What have YOU got to lose?

 

In Il, an buddy of mine had an "L" license (only motorcycles 175 cc or under). We were in WI at a biker party. They had their own property and had pot growing out in the back. So this guy filled his sleeping bag with it. On the way home, we were pulling out of a gas station and were kind of spread out. He gets pulled over on his Shovelhead. I pulled over to wait for him, but was further up the road. It turns out his sleeping bag was covering part of the plate. They made him tuck it in, never said a word about the missing "M" endorsement, and had no idea how much pot he had in there.

I dunno about insurance, but something was on his side that day.

 

The funny part is that Motorcycle Safety Class is "FREE" in Illinois. And your 20 dollar registration is actually a donation and you can write that off in your taxes. Also the people that teach those classes are great instructors and if you dont even own a bike, they have nice little Honda's to put around also. Most if not all community colleges have MSF courses there. How do I know, I have taken the Advance riders course which is basically a re-hash of the BRC.

But anyways, It boggles my mind too, but you are required to have insurance if you finance the vehicle. That could be the sole reason why they have it insured.

 

Didn't have an MC endorsement and never had to prove it for a long time. Insurance wasn't a big deal until the corporate cartels paid off some lawmakers to pass some public requirements for their personal profit.
Got an endorsement when I got a new HD because I didn't want to lose it to impound in this state.
WA still does not have a mandatory MC insurance law.
I carry full coverage + extra on my bike.

 

Up here the state sends me a notice everytime someone checks my license info. I get one every 2-3 years saying the ins co was looking. It was every 6 months when I was driving for a living...

 

There are differences in different jurisdictions, (never mind countries), I'm sure. Here, generally, they insure the vehicle not the rider, with broad reaching caveats exempting "illegal activities" and "improper operation" from coverage. With one exception I know of, the Insurance trifecta involves the insuring company, the sales agent, and the adjuster, each being a separate legal entity. Sales agents will sell policies all day long with full knowledge the buyer, in the event of a claim, will have little if any chance of collecting under a legally flawed policy. If an owner insures a machine he cannot legally ride, if a smoker lies on an application to get non-smoker premiums, if a heart attack victim fails to disclose this, the salesman still gets his commission and the company collects premiums indefinitely, until something happens, at which point the company legally and rightfully denies the claim.

It takes a really stupid person to pay money for a piece of paper they've made worthless themselves through fraud. Salesmen know, however, there's a sucker born every minute. If nothing ever happens for the next 20 years, the sucker will ride along in risk exposed ignorance the entire time, as people smarter than him get paid by him, for nothing.

 

I'm an MSF rider coach in Nebraska. I had someone come through the class a few years ago. He said that him and his buddy had been riding for over 20 years without licenses. They didn't figure it was that big of a deal, if they got pulled over they would just pay the fine. Then his buddy had a crash, he owed the hospital over $25,000 and his insurance company said they wouldn't pay any of it because he didn't have a license.