Horrible MOA experience

PGlaves said:

I carry a 12 volt air pump and tire repair kit. I also have roadside assistance towing service through Allstate RV. If I get a puncture I repair it. If unhappy with the repair I find the nearest decent motorcycle shop to buy a tire. If unable to accomplish a repair I would use my roadside assistance plan to get towed to the nearest qualified service facility; ie, a shop that can sell and mount a new tire. I do not need tire insurance from a company that makes getting paid for a tire difficult. So I am a lifetime BMW MOA member with no need for the premium aggravation plan.

Click to expand...

What Paul said. I have a different insurance carrier and am on an annual membership but other than that, what he does is what I do. I'll probably jinx it now, but I have over 200K on BMWs and have never needed to repair a tire. I did dent a rim on an RT (pothole) and the shop would have replaced it but I didn't have wheel and tire coverage. It held air though, and was still doing so when I sold it 15,000 miles later.

Bad luck on MABDR -- Good Experience with MOA Platinum program

Two times I rode the MABDR and two times I had a flat between the lugs of my rear Michelin Anakee Wild tire (2016 R1200GSA). One nail in VA and one sharp rock off the packed gravel roads in mid-PA. Love the Wilds, bad luck on MABDR. Rode COBDR with Wilds without issue. Never a flat on tarmac-based running either Wilds or Anakee Adventures. Both flats were readily plugged with my repair kit and allowed me to keep my trips going until reaching home. MOA Platinum policy worked very well both times. I had to call the phone number MOA provided, explain what happened, get a case number, and then take it to the dealer for replacement with my case information. This process for me worked perfectly and in both cases the tire was replaced with a new one up to the $250 value. I recommend it if you have my luck with flats...

PGlaves said:

I carry a 12 volt air pump and tire repair kit. I also have roadside assistance towing service through Allstate RV. If I get a puncture I repair it. If unhappy with the repair I find the nearest decent motorcycle shop to buy a tire. If unable to accomplish a repair I would use my roadside assistance plan to get towed to the nearest qualified service facility; ie, a shop that can sell and mount a new tire. I do not need tire insurance from a company that makes getting paid for a tire difficult. So I am a lifetime BMW MOA member with no need for the premium aggravation plan.

Click to expand...

For many, if not most, punctures in tubeless tires the repair is fairly simple. I have made these repairs (then forgotten about them) that lasted the rest of the tire's life (about 7000 miles). Other times the repair was until I could get home and replace with a new tire.

I particularly like the AAA RV towing as it covers all bikes and cars (and the maps from AAA are ok also). As part of my travel kit I like the kit from Best Rest Products. Reliable and fairly compact for motorcycle use.

https://bestrestproducts.com/product-category/cyclepump-ez-gauge/

cjcs said:

AAA reduced their tow limit from 200 to 100 miles some time ago.

Click to expand...

Premier coverage per their website:
Members receive four roadside assistance calls per year (Up to 100 miles per tow). One tow up to 200 miles is provided per household per year.

all in all I think AAA is the superior plan. for us, it is a household membership for not much more than individual- so we have 2 memberships for almost the price of one. Meals and hotels are also covered during the time of a multi-day repair as well. As I said- I'm not a big fan but it does look better . Oh- did I mention the free maps??

marcopolo said:

I would describe this as a "horrible" experience with the tire insurance benefit, not with the MOA writ large, nor a compelling rationale for not renewing MOA membership, but each to his own. Given the relatively few flat tires I've had, I didn't see the upside to paying extra for this coverage (and I will admit I don't recall exactly what the benefit costs). As for the inclusion of trip interruption benefits, in addition to the tire coverage, I'd suggest many (most?) people already have that coverage - and more - through their moto insurance policies.

Click to expand...

I also had AAA/CAA coverage but having the MOA plan, thought I might as well use it. I now pack a spare tire for the trailer. Since last summer and this one, I am basically restricted to day trips in Ontario, I only renewed the MOA package. Next year I'll most likely just go back to CAA/AAA.

MOA is who I paid so in my mind they are responsible for who they contract with. So yes is was a horrible MOA experience. I have never had to jump through these hoops before. It has been several years since the last one. I will look into upgrading AAA.

PGlaves said:

I carry a 12 volt air pump and tire repair kit. I also have roadside assistance towing service through Allstate RV. If I get a puncture I repair it. If unhappy with the repair I find the nearest decent motorcycle shop to buy a tire. If unable to accomplish a repair I would use my roadside assistance plan to get towed to the nearest qualified service facility; ie, a shop that can sell and mount a new tire. I do not need tire insurance from a company that makes getting paid for a tire difficult. So I am a lifetime BMW MOA member with no need for the premium aggravation plan.

Click to expand...

Agree.
Having three different repair kits and a 12V compressor on the bike is how I travel. Self-reliance goes a long way in leaving worry beads at home.
I fixed my friend's brand new tire in a remote area and he rode on that tire until it was worn out. Having TPMS is a great aid and that is how he knew there was a problem before it became a major issue.

cjcs said:

AAA reduced their tow limit from 200 to 100 miles some time ago.

Click to expand...

You have to go with Premier to get the 200 mile tow, and RV/Moto is now reimbursement rather than distance.

Effective April 1, 2021, the Premier tow will change from one 200 mile tow per cardholder to one 200 mile tow per household, as one of your four allowable calls per membership year. With AAA Premier, you can use one (1) allowable Roadside Assistance service call per household per membership year for a non-RV/Motorcycle tow of up to 200 driving miles, and the remaining allowable service calls in the membership year for non-RV/motorcycle tows of up to 100 driving miles.**

Click to expand...

TOWING SERVICE – RV/MOTORCYCLE
With optional RV/ Motorcycle Roadside Assistance, the Auto Club will pay up to $500 towards services per allowable RV/Motorcycle service call, up to $1,000 total per household per membership year on allowable RV/Motorcycle service calls. Members will be responsible for all other costs of service above that amount. (See REIMBURSEMENT)

Click to expand...

Or at least, that's with the California AAA... I keep forgetting that it's different in other states...

equusferreis2016 said:

....MOA Platinum policy worked very well both times. This process for me worked perfectly and in both cases the tire was replaced with a new one....

Click to expand...

Positive reviews are not allowed in threads where the MOA is being trashed.

I offer one general comment. If an insurance type service works OK when I am safely home in my garage but doesn't work well, or at all, when I am on-the-road and far from home, then it isn't really worth much of anything to me.

Reading all this, it seems like carrying a puncture repair kit and a small compressor is not only the simplest, but also the best and cheapest solution to the problem. And from the enormous loads most guys seem to carry on these bikes, I can't see those two items being much of an additional burden. Then again, I guess you have to be willing to get down on your hands and knees and do the repair. Possibly the rub.

PGlaves said:

I offer one general comment. If an insurance type service works OK when I am safely home in my garage but doesn't work well, or at all, when I am on-the-road and far from home, then it isn't really worth much of anything to me.

Click to expand...

sounds like, for at least one member, it didn't even work OK when he was safely home in his garage.

I'll offer a general comment too...If the insurance you have works for you keep it, if not research one that does- but never assume your good or bad experience is NECESSARILY a reflection of the quality of the company- business is transactional and sometimes a bad experience is really just a bad fit. I trust that MOA had choices in this and chose the company they felt would be the best fit for the most members and not just the low bid or best deal corporately. Having said that, I also trust that if enough members are dissatisfied, MOA would bring that to the vendors attention.

jconway607 said:

Reading all this, it seems like carrying a puncture repair kit and a small compressor is not only the simplest, but also the best and cheapest solution to the problem. And from the enormous loads most guys seem to carry on these bikes, I can't see those two items being much of an additional burden. Then again, I guess you have to be willing to get down on your hands and knees and do the repair. Possibly the rub.

Click to expand...

I don't even bother with towing insurance. I figure with the money I have saved over the years not paying for the towing insurance I can pay out of my own pocket, self insured. I have ridden over 200,000 miles in the last 15 years and never needed towing. Also I buy motorcycles with cast wheels and carry a plug kit and compressor, and I wonder about the need for it, but it doesn't take up much room. I have plugged one tire in that time, and it was flat in my garage!

PoorUB said:

I don't even bother with towing insurance. I figure with the money I have saved over the years not paying for the towing insurance I can pay out of my own pocket, self insured.

Click to expand...

The Allstate RV coverage we have covers all of our vehicles: car, truck, camper van, motorcycles. When an axle on my all wheel drive Ford Explorer shot craps while towing a trailer on I-35 between Des Moines and Kansas City the tow bill was over $500. A few years ago a 40 mile tow was $415.

So far I have only had to use it for a motorcycle once. Voni's R1100RSL got a short in the main wiring harness in South Dakota on SD 63 south of Midland. I had them tow it to a motel in Murdo and I rewired the damaged harness in the parking lot.

Which Allstate coverage do you get? The cheaper one is $80 a year. $80 x 15 years is $1200 and I have not needed it yet! I figure I have an extra $1200 in my pocket to pay for a tow if I need one.

I did abandon a motorcycle 700 miles from home, rent a car to get home and went back to get it later, but towing insurance would not have helped as I was able to "limp" it into a dealer that wouldn't fix it in my time frame.

I needed a tow for my car about ten years back. We had an accident 60 miles from home. We got the car loaded up and I asked about just running us home. After all, I needed to get home whether the car needed to or not. That was $400. I suppose Allstate would have covered part of it, but certainly just to the closest shop, not all the way home.

PoorUB said:

Which Allstate coverage do you get? The cheaper one is $80 a year. $80 x 15 years is $1200 and I have not needed it yet! I figure I have an extra $1200 in my pocket to pay for a tow if I need one.

Click to expand...

I am not saying your self-insurance is wrong. It is part of any risk tolerance scheme. In our case they may be a little ahead but riding BMWs in the Great Plains and Mountain west brings on a lot more risk than riding a Harley Davidson simply because of dealership spacing. AllstateRV does not have a mileage limit. They tow to the nearest qualified service facility. So for a BMW specific repair that needs to be done by a dealer that easily could be a 400 mile or longer tow. Even from where I live it is over 400 miles to a dealer. It looks like at least 200 miles for you from Fargo to Moon Motors.

With typical rates of $2 to $4 per mile things can add up really fast.

But most, if not all towing insurance limits the distance they will tow, so after the first 100 or 200 miles you are on you dime anyway so the distance has little to do with it. Would Allstate pay a tow from out west to Moon Motors, or roughly 900 miles? Trouble is with that is the nearest BMW dealer is probably 500 miles in the wrong direction!

Also, sure I was on a Harley, but I got the bike to a large city and could have left it there in rental storage, or some other brands dealership and then rented a car. I sure wasn't going to pay a tow company to run it 700 miles home!

Progressive (Ohio) offers roadside assistance @ $15/year that provides towing to the nearest qualified repair facility (dealer), no mileage limit. The disablement must occur more than 100 miles from home. The included trip interruption coverage provides up to $100 per day for lodging, up to $50 per day for meals, and up to $50 per day for alternate transportation, with a $500 per disablement limit. Coverage might vary in other states. I've never needed assistance, but it seems like a pretty good deal.

PoorUB said:

I don't even bother with towing insurance. I figure with the money I have saved over the years not paying for the towing insurance I can pay out of my own pocket, self insured. I have ridden over 200,000 miles in the last 15 years and never needed towing. Also I buy motorcycles with cast wheels and carry a plug kit and compressor, and I wonder about the need for it, but it doesn't take up much room. I have plugged one tire in that time, and it was flat in my garage!

Click to expand...

Paying out of my own pocket isn't so much the issue (for me), it's getting a qualified tow operator. I joined the AMA several years ago because they included roadside assistance in their membership. A couple of years ago, I hit a deer. The bike was certainly rideable to get home, but it wouldn't restart - turned out the fuel pump spigot snapped off. AMA roadside assistance refused to dispatch a tow - said they don't provide a tow due to collision. I begged, told them I would pay for the tow, but they refused. Sunday morning, the middle of nowhere, they wouldn't send a tow. I eventually got someone to give me a number to call; I ended up having to make multiple calls until I could get someone with a flatbed that would get me. I cancelled my AMA membership right after that, and I now have AAA RV Plus coverage.

Now that this thread has morphed into towing services, and Allstate RV Roadhelp has come up, I'll add my experience with them. Last summer, I had a flat (car, not motorcycle), on I-95 in Maryland. There was so little space on the shoulder, I could not have changed my own tire, even if I had wanted to. While I got RV Roadhelp when my BMW coverage expired on my bike, it covers the car too. I "summoned" help on the phone app, and it never got very far in the process. When I tried phoning, I had difficulty getting through. When I finally did, the person who answered was having a difficult time finding a service provider. Bear in mind, I was on one of the busiest highways in the U.S., not some place in the middle of nowhere. After waiting an inordinate amount of time, I remembered that I also had towing coverage through my GEICO insurance policies (covering car and bike), so I called them. I got a real person on the line almost immediately, and she arranged a service provider very quickly, and I got the tire changed. While this was happening, I called RV Roadhelp back, and cancelled my request. They never did arrange service. This, of course, left me wondering what would have happened, had I been on my bike. I got RV Roadhelp for the same reason others have, the no-limit towing. Their coverage costs me $115/year. The GEICO coverage costs me $9/year. In this particular instance, RV Roadhelp was useless.