Do you need a motorcycle license to drive on the road?

[badboy175]

topic^^ insurance is way too high for a 16 year old who lives in Ontario so im trying to find out ways i can bring the price down.

i was wondering if you dont need a motorcycle license, i can put it under my mom or dads name and ill be an occasional driver but they dont have motorcycle licenses.

insurance for me will be over $3500 a year and that is bullshit

[KWJams]

Hope this helps

http://www.ridertraining.ca/licencing.html

[durangoman]

topic^^ insurance is way too high for a 16 year old who lives in Ontario so im trying to find out ways i can bring the price down.

i was wondering if you dont need a motorcycle license, i can put it under my mom or dads name and ill be an occasional driver but they dont have motorcycle licenses.

insurance for me will be over $3500 a year and that is bullshit

? Thats the way the insurance company says, "we dont want to insure you."

When my son was 16 full coverage on his bmw moto was around $400 a year. Then again he was added to my policy and I have other motos insured also.

[grreatdog]

I think I understand your question. In the USA you don't need a motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license to own and put a license plate on a motorcycle. So your parents could own the bike and put a tag on it as long as they can insure it.

Whether or not the insurance company will go along with it is a different question. But I don't know that it would help you out all that much on cost. The first question on my motorcycle policy is whether or not there are ANY operators under 25 using the motorcycle.

[Ruffus]

If you plan on riding it on the road, you have to have a license, if putting it under your parents name, there's a slim chance it can be done without them being licensed, best to talk to your insurance broker. Different companies have different policies & guidelines

[NCRidgeRunner]

I think I understand your question. In the USA you don't need a motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license to own and put a license plate on a motorcycle. So your parents could own the bike and put a tag on it as long as they can insure it.

Whether or not the insurance company will go along with it is a different question. But I don't know that it would help you out all that much on cost. The first question on my motorcycle policy is whether or not there are ANY operators under 25 using the motorcycle.

You may not need an endorsement to put a plate on a motorcycle, but you definitely need an endorsement to ride one legally. The last thing we need is more unlicensed and uninsured riders on the streets. It's bad enough with the unlicensed cagers. We don't need to be adding to the problem.

To the original poster, go take a motorcycle safety riding course. That should save you some money on insurance fees. Then get the best paying job you can find at your age & experience level and pay your own way. Don't make your parents pick up the tab for your hobby/sport. If you really want to ride bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen legally. The only way insurance rates will go down is years of experience.

[XDragRacer]

You may not need an endorsement to put a plate on a motorcycle, but you definitely need an endorsement to ride one legally. The last thing we need is more unlicensed and uninsured riders on the streets. It's bad enough with the unlicensed cagers. We don't need to be adding to the problem.

badboy175 (hmmm; wonder how an insurance underwriter reacts to this username? ? ), check the rates on MINIMUM LIABILITY ONLY insurance, and--perhaps as an alternative to insurance coverage, the UNINSURED MOTORIST FEE, if you feel "lucky." In my state, a driver can pay an annual fee of, I think, $ 500 per vehicle, and assume "self-insured" responsibility. CATCH: You're then personally liable for any bodily inury or property damage you cause . . .

[grreatdog]

Maybe I am wrong, but it reads to me like the guy is planning to do the responsible thing and get licensed and insured. I think he is just trying to figure out how to afford the insurance rather than how to break the law. Obviously not the best grammar, but my interpretation is that he was asking about whether or not his parents need an endorsment to be on the title as owners.

[beemerwolf]

topic^^ insurance is way too high for a 16 year old who lives in Ontario so im trying to find out ways i can bring the price down.

i was wondering if you dont need a motorcycle license, i can put it under my mom or dads name and ill be an occasional driver but they dont have motorcycle licenses.

insurance for me will be over $3500 a year and that is bullshit

In the States, INSURANCE is regulated by each individual State Insurance Commission, so NOTHING IS STANDARD amongst the 50 individual states:eek:

However, as far as my experience speaks, most states do allow "certain small engine sized motorcycles/motor scooters" to be operated without the driver having a motorcycle endorsement. This all varies by state, and by vehicle, and by the operators age/experience. Some states do require the vehicle to have special insurance, but from what I have seen, most states do require the vehicle to be plated.....plates & insurance are quite cheap too.

Maybe the laws in Canada are similar????

Let us know which way you go.

HappyRiding !!

?

[badboy175]

Ontario's insurance is like 8x higher then the US. i dont know why since there i dont see much of a difference.

i was wondering maybe i can get insurance from a different province like BC or from the US but that isnt going to work is it.

[grreatdog]

Nope. Like Beemerwolf, I am starting to see a scooter in your future.

Second plan: find out what minimum liability only coverage is going to cost on something like a mid 80's XL. I had to buy cheap bikes so I could go with liability only coverage back decades ago when I was a starving night school student.

Trust me on this, I didn't ride a KE125 in the 70's because I thought it was a cool bike. It was the cheap throwaway Chinabike of its day. But I paid cash for it and could therefore buy the most minimum insurance coverage the law would allow.

The only good thing about turning 30 was seeing my insurance drop to nothing. Now I am wondering if AARP offers motorcycle insurance discounts.

[William1]

One other point to ponder. If your parents have the insurance in their name, then they have to be on the title. If a horrific accident occurs, after the insurance is exhausted, they will come after the owner of record..... your parents. If during trial, it is discovered your parents do not ride, do not have a license to ride and the reason the insurance was under their name was to save you a few bucks, the insurance company can claim fraud, no have to pay out a dime and prosecute you and your parents.

Bottom line is, if you can not afford to pay, you cannot afford to play.

Sorry to be so negative, but I too, investigated this when I was younger.

[Layton]

One other point to ponder. If your parents have the insurance in their name, then they have to be on the title. If a horrific accident occurs, after the insurance is exhausted, they will come after the owner of record..... your parents. If during trial, it is discovered your parents do not ride, do not have a license to ride and the reason the insurance was under their name was to save you a few bucks, the insurance company can claim fraud, no have to pay out a dime and prosecute you and your parents.

Bottom line is, if you can not afford to pay, you cannot afford to play.

Sorry to be so negative, but I too, investigated this when I was younger.

Exactly! All insurance companies have you list the household members. If you say you are not going to ride the bike and then do ride it you are committing fraud which will let the insurance company off the hook.

As far as carrying the bare minimum insurance allowed, that is not such a hot idea either. A friend of mine was in a bad accident and the other driver , who caused the accident, only had the minimum required. They blew through that in two days for my friends hospital costs. Once that insurance money is gone that doesn't mean you are off the hook. You can, and most likely will, be sued for the remaining money.

[grreatdog]

His health care costs are most likely not an issue in Canada since it is a public system. The minimum insurance amount is for liability. And face it, the odds of causing major liability damage to someone else with an offroad bike are pretty slim.

I carry pretty hefty insurance on my cars, boat and house and I pay dearly for it. But I carry minimum liability insurance and no comprehensive or collision on my bike. Do you really think you are going to smash up another car with your bike badly enough to need extra liability coverage?

If you hit a car hard enough with a dirt bike to cause several hundred thousand dollars worth of liability then your life insurance coverage is what you need to be concerned about.

[pops62]

The only good thing about turning 30 was seeing my insurance drop to nothing. Now I am wondering if AARP offers motorcycle insurance discounts.

AARP actually does offer MC insurance. ? I haven't checked the price because I've had Allstate since 1958.

[badboy175]

since 1958? jeez how old r u?

[XDragRacer]

since 1958? jeez how old r u?

Clearly, old enough to qualify for AARP insurance, badboy175!

Maybe (like me) of a generation somewhat unfamiliar with the chat-room/text-messaging shorthand (e.g., "r u"). No criticism implied.

And, like others posting on this thread, old enough to have gathered some knowledge and experience about insurance, shared to address your interests.

For example, the AARP discount mentioned may apply to your parents (you're 22 years old?) if they must buy the insurance for you as a household member.

Don't know about in Canada, but some US companies offer discounts for good driving records, driving/safety courses completed, even good school grades. How do you stand in these categories?

Regardless, congratulations to you for your approach to responsible motorcycling, obtaining proper insurance and licensing before you ride the streets and highways. Good luck in finding coverage.

(Oh, and--to me, 1958 was only YESTERDAY! ? )

[grreatdog]

With age comes displacement. Every bike I have owned since '76 has gotten progessively larger and faster.

Perhaps I am compensating for declining physical ability. Sports and fire fighting have left me pretty battered. ?

But maybe I just enjoy smoking past inexperienced kids on little bikes.

[Layton]

His health care costs are most likely not an issue in Canada since it is a public system. The minimum insurance amount is for liability. And face it, the odds of causing major liability damage to someone else with an offroad bike are pretty slim.

I carry pretty hefty insurance on my cars, boat and house and I pay dearly for it. But I carry minimum liability insurance and no comprehensive or collision on my bike. Do you really think you are going to smash up another car with your bike badly enough to need extra liability coverage?

If you hit a car hard enough with a dirt bike to cause several hundred thousand dollars worth of liability then your life insurance coverage is what you need to be concerned about.

I wasn't concerned about the car. What if you hit a person and killed them? Like a 30 old man with 3 kids, a wife and a mortgage? You could be paying a lot of money for the rest of your life to support them.

[pops62]

since 1958? jeez how old r u?

Born in '42, drivers license in '58, you do the math. ? I'm with GGreatdog, I still get a big grin when I pass some young whippersnapper whether I'm riding my R1100RT, my Husky TE610 or my Ducati Hypermotard!