bike insurance

Hey all- I have been racing Pro MX and HS(offroad) for about two years, riding dirt all my life. I am 19 and in s. florida. I am in the market for a bike to ride back home from college on the weekends, and i want something to look awesome and be functional on my 70 minute backroad trip, without buying a *** crotch rocket( not that there is ANYTHING WRONG with them, its just not my style). The bike i found to fit exactly that description was the buell lightning XBR9 version. any advice on that model bike?

    But getting to the point, i will be handed the 5 or 6 grand to buy a used bike, but i have no idea what the insurance would be like per month. I heard that you do not need insurance as long as you are not financing, and anything extra might not be a necessity considering the bike will be in a very secure area at all times when im not on it.

    what do you guys think?

btw: this WILL be my first bike, but i hope that 18 years of motocross experience will carry onto the pavement, if for any reason because the controlls and principles are identicle.  

Can you find one of those that cheep already?  I thought the XB9 just came out in '04...  Maybe '03...  I'd think that Buells would hold their value a little better.

Your best bet on how much insurance would be, would be to call an insurance company.  I am not 100% sure, but I think if you live in Florida and own the bike outright, you might not need insurance.  Or maybe just liability...  Maybe Bill will chime in.  He lives somewhere in Florida.


Chris  

[quote

btw: this WILL be my first bike, but i hope that 18 years of motocross experience will carry onto the pavement, if for any reason because the controlls and principles are identicle.

I dont plan on being in any kind of competition with my bike, not even trying to keep up with whomever. What I was trying to refer to was not speed, it was more an emergency situation, or that kind of thing. I was saying that because i am already familiar with the controls and principles ( such as which brake gives you the stopping power and things like that), i will be more inclined to be aware of what is around me, instead of focusing on how to ride correctly. i guess it sounded differently than i meant it.  But for clarification, YES i do plan on this calming my need to be on an mx track, but in no way do i plan to do any racing on the bike, unless that time comes (when i am more experienced of course) to take it to a track and have a blast.  

The Buell is a good choice, comfort and torque/power are plenty for your described use! I'm not from FL. so of course I can't speak about the insurance laws, but PLEASE  get some kind of coverage. Even if your careful and have years of experiance riding you still have to worry about all the "real careful" retired folks down in Florida that can't see to the end of their hood!! This I know from experiance, my grandmother is one of those great drivers!  

I'm S. Florida too. You're right, no insurance is neccesary unless the finance company requires it. I haven't had insurance on a bike in almost 8 years.

The only advise I'd like to pass on to you regarding the transition from dirt to street is that there are two concepts you will have to alter completely from what you do in dirt. Steering and braking. On the street, the front brake is your best friend. Maximum braking is aquired from using both, but somthing like 80% comes from the front. If you rely on your back brake, which many dirt guys do, you'll get yourself into trouble. Many street riders only use the rear brake in low traction situations such as dirt/sand and in the wet.

Steering is different because the concept of counter-steering comes into play. That is that when you want to turn right, you turn the bars to the left. It's a difficult thing to get your head around at first, but once you convince yourself that it is true, it opens up a whole new world of the bikes capabilities. My suggestion, even though I'm sure you don't think you need it, take the MSF course. It's the smartest thing you can do transitioning to the street. Unlearning some dirt habits is going to be the hardest thing for you, they will help you a great deal.

http://www.msf-usa.org/  

Also, if you don't have insurance. Make sure you have regular medical coverage through your job, or coverd by your parents. Also, make sure the policy covers motorcycle accidents. Some companys wont' cover waht the call "risky behavior" such as riding a bike, or skydiving.  

At least get liability...it was $75 a month for my '04 gsxr 1000...the reason i say that is because if you somehow hit someone or deemed at fault for an accident and you don't have insurance they can sue you or your parents or you might have to file for bankruptcy and neither will work out for you in the long run. And like bill said take the MSF course that will drop insurance rates as well  

thankyou for the advice all!  With MX it is a learning curve with braking. Riders rely on their rear brakes 100 percent, untill they reach the expert riding level. Any A or AA/pro rider has learned that it is the front that do give the most stopping power. Hitting the rear will only cause the bike to slide, and it requires both to stand you up and get you stopped!  

Hey everyone, i think i made up my mind!!  Considering how close i am with the honda shop here, and my expert knowledge of off road bikes and motors. I have decided to buy a used XR 650 and super-motard it out!! this is gonna be awesome!