Insurance Difference between K1200 RS and S

[robertwentworth]

WOW, I went to get an insurance quote on my 08 K 1200 S, and they mis quoted me at 87 a month... when I went back to add a discount to it, they verified the bike, and they said that the quote was for an RS, not the S that I have. they wanted 210 a month for the S... why is there such a difference? the specs look the same.

Can someone please help me?

 

[Ridealot]

The RS is probably considered a touring bike by the ins. company. The S is considered a sport bike. As far as insurance companies are concerned sport bikes have a habit of falling down and going boom

Pick a day when you have a couple of hours to burn. Then sit down and get a quote from every insurance company you can find. You will be amazed at the differences in the quotes.

The last time I went thru this I had a list of 9 or 10 insurance companies. The very last one I got a quote from was almost exactly half the price of all the other companies. That company was Safeco.

 

[osbornk]

I agree with Tom. What one company lists as a sport bike, another calls it a touring bike and the other way round. There seems to be no logic with their decisions. A bike one company considers desirable may be uninsurable by another or far more expensive. I worked for an insurance company for 30+ years and never figured it out. They would sometimes do the same thing with cars and houses. I might have been based on their prior claims experience but nobody could ever explain it to me.

 

[gregfeeler]

WOW, I went to get an insurance quote on my 08 K 1200 S, and they mis quoted me at 87 a month... when I went back to add a discount to it, they verified the bike, and they said that the quote was for an RS, not the S that I have. they wanted 210 a month for the S... why is there such a difference? the specs look the same.

Can someone please help me?

The K1200S is a higher performance bike than the K1200RS: 167hp vs 130hp, for one. Price the new K1200GT and see how much less that is than your S - and likely less than the K1200RS.

BMW marketed the K1200RS as a sport bike, but the (original) K1200GT as a touring bike. Now those two are identical but for farkels: power windshield, heated seat, etc. However, my insurance company (Progressive) wanted significantly more money for the RS than the GT, and they don't seem to have an aversion to "sport" bikes, but they have the RS listed as a sport bike and the GT as a touring bike.

About six years ago I bought a K1 and had six other bikes insured with Dairyland. To add the K1 they wanted $1,800+ for the nine months remaining on my policy AND they said they wouldn't renew the policy at it's term date - because the K1 is a "superbike". Progressive wanted like $275 a year for the K1 and was enough cheaper on all the other bikes my net increase was less than $100. Just as a side note, later I was looking at placing all my insurance (house, vehicles) with American Family and they wouldn't even write the K1 - period.

I does pay to shop around. Once an insurance company categorizes a vehicle as higher risk I don't think they will ever change that. Doesn't always make sense (RE: 100hp K1 is a "superbike" - maybe in 1990, but not now), but you can't change their minds. Shop around and save the money.

 

[MLS2GO]

Definitely try Safeco

They are very reasonable and were very fair with me on the price of a totalled bike.

 

[gregfeeler]

They are very reasonable and were very fair with me on the price of a totalled bike.

I had a bike claim with Progressive and they were excellent to me. But, so much depends on the claims adjuster you get. Mine was the "bike specialist" in my area and was very fair and professional.