I've had my share of experiences with State Farm, too. I used to have my car and homeowner's insurance with them. After two claims in 20 years on my homeowner's policy they dropped me. I returned the favor and switched car insurance and ended up saving hundreds of dollars a year. All that was over 7-8 years ago.

When I bought a bike last month I discovered that State Farm's rates beat anyone else I checked with by a mile. $470/yr full coverage with State Farm on an 08 CBR1000RR versus Geico at $1,600/yr for the same coverage. I have managed to put the homeowner incident behind me as long as I get great rates from them on the bike. I still have my homeowner's and car insurance elsewhere.

 

i just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance, by outrunning the police....j/k

 

I have progressive for my car and my bike. im 23, live in phx and my driving record isnt the cleanest. my premium is 32/mo. i dont have
the top shelf type insurance but more that liability also, kinda midline so to say... (bike is 16 years old, dont need 100% coverage.)

cant speak about the others because ive never dealt with them but progressive has free 24-7 roadside assistance. came in handy when i stopped for gas one day and my battery left me stranded. called them up and a tow truck was there in 30 min. free ride home or to the shop of your choice. (i think after 20 or 25 miles they have a small fee from the tow service...) well worth it in my opinion.

when i got rear ended in my car the claims dept was super friendly. helpful and fast. had my car back in no time.

i would highly recommend them. i switched from geico and i had more problems with them i was tired of it.

hope it helps, GL

-fearless-

 

When getting insurance quotes, make sure that the coverage amounts for collision, comprehensive, medical, etc. are the same between companies. One might quote you a cheaper price, but then you'll find out the coverage amounts on some things are lower or not even in the quote. There are a few guys around here that got State Farm because it was cheaper, but found out later that they didn't include any medical coverage. The best deal I could find for identical coverages was with Drive Insurance by Progressive.

 

Since I cannot sleep tonight I went online to Progressive just now and did their instant quote. For the EXACT same coverage that I have with State Farm (no medical on either policy - my health insurance covers it) Progressive wants $673/yr. My State Farm policy is $470.72/yr. A difference of $202.28/yr.

 

Dairyland will be your cheapest bet.

I just insured myself for another year, liability only, for 96 dollars and one cent.

http://www.sentry.com/DairylandInsurance/Default.aspx

 

well i am 23, 2nd year rider and my full coverage on my f3 is $497 for 12 months. pretty much $45 a month

 

Big +1. if you're going to compare rates, you have to compare apples to apples...not apples to oranges. ;-) I have no dog in this hunt, as they say. I'm not trying to promote any insurance co over another. Just wanted to help out w/ my experience. If you get a cheaper rate w/ the *same* coverages, then by all means, have at it. However, its like my grandfather used to say, "hear me know, believe me later." Its your choice. Just make sure you're getting the exact coverage you think you are paying for.

Good luck on your insurance shopping.

 

Oh yeah, one other thing:
Check if they have seasonal based insurance as well. I believe Progressive does adjust your rates if you live in an area with obvious seasonal motorcycle conditions. People in Fargo, North Dakota for example obviously aren't riding in their sub-zero winter temps.

 

Check with a local Progressive agent. When I got my insurance, there was "Progressive Insurance" and "Drive Insurance by Progressive". The Drive Insurance was less expensive. Don't have the slightest idea why or if it's still offered.

But then, to ask people about where to get the cheapest insurance on a forum like this is really not much help. You're going to get different answers according to where the people who reply live. Insurance rates vary from company to company, state to state, and even county to county. It's all based on statistics like how many accidents happen in your state and county, amounts of repair bill costs, whether you're area has mostly just fender benders, if a lot of people total their vehicles, and even the number of accident deaths in your area. For example, I used to live in Lawrence County Ohio. My car insurance was $576/yr. I moved to Wayne County WV and my insurance raised to $1080/yr. Then, I moved to Cabell County WV and it dropped to $800/yr. Same insurance company, same vehicles, just different rates according to where I lived. When I moved from Wayne County WV to Cabell County WV, I asked my insurance agent what the deal was with the varying rates. She told me it was the accident statistics for the areas and put it bluntly and said, "We just have fender benders in Cabell County. Over in Wayne county when they wreck, they kill people."

The only sure way to find out is to get quotes in the area that you live in. Still, the point is to be sure you get adequate coverage, to compare like coverage to like coverage, and to not let an agent lowball you with shabby coverage. If you were to be at fault in an accident and the damage/medical bills for the other party were more than your coverage limits, whatever it costs over those limits will be coming out of your pocket. In other words, you'll probably get sued for the rest.

Everyone.....wear your gear, be safe, be alert, and be prepared for the unexpected. I hope, wish, and pray for all of you to be accident free.