Oct 31, 2009
Oct 30, 2009
And then there was Insurance!
Insurance is a necessary pain. But I always feel like I'm getting taken advantage of in the fine print and backend fees.
So I decided when I got the new Harley I'd shop around. My insurance company is State Farm but when I asked them what kind of deal I could get they told me they didn't give deals for motorcycles even though I have my house, my car, my two bikes with them. Nothing like treating your loyal customers like trash.
So I called around first to Progressive, then to AllState and even an Insurance broker but none could give me a better deal. Now State Farm charges by the size of the engine. My bikes are pretty big, the Honday is 1800cc and the Harley 96 cubes which translates to about 1500cc.
Last on my list was Gieco. They came in just on the bikes a whopping $200 cheaper for the year. Wow! So I decided to move my bikes over. Now on my car I was paying around $150 per month at State Farm. So with the bikes I was at around $275 per month. The concern I had with switching my car was that 3 years ago I had an accident and sadly it was deemed my fault, though personally I don't agree, but I won't get into that. I didn't think I could get a better deal.
State Farm hadn't dropped the accident from my premiums but when asked, Gieco would and so I went from $150 at Statefarm to $103 at Gieco. Total for car and bikes at Gico wound up being $216 per month. Very nice!
I promptly called State Farm and cancelled my insurance for those three vehicles. It happened to be on the day they pull from my account and so they couldn't stop that. When I did get the check back I was short $25. They claim that they weight their motorcycle insurance higher in the summer and so you pay more then, hence the less funds. Sounds shifty to me.
Now State Farm said that if I came back in 39 days, (yeah weird number but they say thats the only way insurance companies can ignore past driving history and treat you as a new customer. State law or something) then the accident would fall off and my premiums would be cheaper but probably couldn't beat Gieco. Days later State Farm calls back and lo and behold they tell me they can get me my insurance down for all three vehicles to $150 per month if I come back in 39 days.
Do I go back? What if they decide to raise it in a year? We'll see in 39 days!
So I decided when I got the new Harley I'd shop around. My insurance company is State Farm but when I asked them what kind of deal I could get they told me they didn't give deals for motorcycles even though I have my house, my car, my two bikes with them. Nothing like treating your loyal customers like trash.
So I called around first to Progressive, then to AllState and even an Insurance broker but none could give me a better deal. Now State Farm charges by the size of the engine. My bikes are pretty big, the Honday is 1800cc and the Harley 96 cubes which translates to about 1500cc.
Last on my list was Gieco. They came in just on the bikes a whopping $200 cheaper for the year. Wow! So I decided to move my bikes over. Now on my car I was paying around $150 per month at State Farm. So with the bikes I was at around $275 per month. The concern I had with switching my car was that 3 years ago I had an accident and sadly it was deemed my fault, though personally I don't agree, but I won't get into that. I didn't think I could get a better deal.
State Farm hadn't dropped the accident from my premiums but when asked, Gieco would and so I went from $150 at Statefarm to $103 at Gieco. Total for car and bikes at Gico wound up being $216 per month. Very nice!
I promptly called State Farm and cancelled my insurance for those three vehicles. It happened to be on the day they pull from my account and so they couldn't stop that. When I did get the check back I was short $25. They claim that they weight their motorcycle insurance higher in the summer and so you pay more then, hence the less funds. Sounds shifty to me.
Now State Farm said that if I came back in 39 days, (yeah weird number but they say thats the only way insurance companies can ignore past driving history and treat you as a new customer. State law or something) then the accident would fall off and my premiums would be cheaper but probably couldn't beat Gieco. Days later State Farm calls back and lo and behold they tell me they can get me my insurance down for all three vehicles to $150 per month if I come back in 39 days.
Do I go back? What if they decide to raise it in a year? We'll see in 39 days!
Oct 28, 2009
Choppers, Choppers, Choppers!
Here are some Chopper sites that I'm impressed with their work:
Red Soul (Seattle Based Chopper House)
http://www.redsoul.com/
Interesting story about this specific Chopper. I was at the gym having ridden my Harley Rocker C. Up pulls this bike next to mine. Neadless to say my bike seemed rather sad compared to this beauty. I am very impressed with the quality of these Choppers. Nice guys too. Check them out!
NYC Choppers
http://www.nycchoppers.com/
I love their Bobbers and Choppers!
Red Soul (Seattle Based Chopper House)
http://www.redsoul.com/
Interesting story about this specific Chopper. I was at the gym having ridden my Harley Rocker C. Up pulls this bike next to mine. Neadless to say my bike seemed rather sad compared to this beauty. I am very impressed with the quality of these Choppers. Nice guys too. Check them out!
NYC Choppers
http://www.nycchoppers.com/
I love their Bobbers and Choppers!
Oct 25, 2009
Is the Riding Season Over?
So here in Seattle, Autumn has jumped on the bike and is racing ahead. It's scattered multi-colored leaves everywhere making the roads both beautiful and dangerous. I'm an all seasons rider. Well to be honest this is the second season I'll put that to the test. Last year I road as much as possible even in the rain. I get antsy when I can't ride. And now that I have two bikes it'll be that much harder to not want to take one of them out for a roll.
This year though I'm gonna try and be better prepared for the cold. I was very good last year and dressed accordingly, winter wear and rain gear. However I think I'll be getting some heated items. My fingers get really cold no matter what gloves I wear. They hurt and are numb by the time I get to work in the morning. So I am headed for the heated gloves section of the motorcycle shop. I hear Gerbing gloves are very good but I'll compare.
Because the enjoyable days are numbered for riders during the winter my meetup group went for a ride yesterday. It was sunny but cold. Yet still the colors were amazing. It was a great rider taking us from the Lake Forest area through back roads all the way to Carnation. There were 18 of us, some riding sportsbikes, some cruisers, and some choppers. I rode my new Harley Rocker C.
At one point I was traveling a little too close behind my buddy around a turn. He stopped a little fast and so I put on my brakes. My 240 fat back tire slide to the left, locked up and then it righted itself. Thankfully, I was able to keep control of the bike. The bikers behind me told me once we stopped that they saw smoke come from the tires. Whats funny is one of my friends ask right before our last gas up stop if I had trouble with the bigger 240 tire. i said no, hasn't effected my riding at all. I told him he jinxed me.
Other than that one item the ride was great. So much beauty in the Northwest. It never ceases to amaze me. Hopefully it won't be the last nice weekend ride until Spring.
You can't tell but that's me :)
Oct 21, 2009
Not sure I wanna do this!!
Ok, so I've written blogs before and even have a Twitter account BUT I just don't have a lot to say except internally. I say a lot internally. My mother was an optimist and my father a hardcore gun toting pessimist. So I'm a Pessimistic Optimist. Basically I wanna kill myself but will wait until tomorrow because something good might happen today.
Who am I? I am a 42 year old High Tech Product Manager who happens to be Gay, has an English Bulldog, and has fallen in love with riding motorcycles.
I used to ride while in college at the University of Arizona. I loved it then but I left Tucson and traveled the world and just never felt it was the right time to get a cycle. When I moved to Seattle 11 years ago I thought Well it friggin rains here so no way will I ever get a motorcycle I tend to be a fickle shopaholic who is trying to be financially smart, so I'm at odds with myself. Two years ago I thought I wanted to try Mt. Biking because all my friends do it and I thought I should give it a shot. I had to buy a really nice bike, a Kona Hoff! I used it for a summer and beat myself up falling through wooded tracks. I haven't gotten back on but am being stubborn about selling it, who knows in a Apocalypse I might need to peddle outta here.
Anyway, so about a year ago during the whole gas crunch I was watching the news and they spoke about how many motorists were getting scooters to save money. I thought well why not a motorcycle, I can save oodles of money. So I went and took the class to get reacquainted with riding and to get my riders permit. At the time a friend of mine owned a motorcycle shop. He's actually has my dog's littermate and they used to play all around the motorcycles with their toys. I was always worried they would knock the bikes over like Dominoes. Never happened thankfully.
Once i got done with the class I went to see my friend and he introduced me to a red '03 Honda American Classic Edition 750CC for only $3000 with 12,000 miles on it. I bought it but was really scared to drive it out of his garage. Finally I got it out of there and rode it all through August until March. My friends and coworkers thought I was crazy for riding in the winter and thru the rain. Yeah I agree with them but I couldn't imagine not riding my bike. I would start getting restless when I went more than 2 days without riding. It was cold and wet but I survived.
In March I was cruising through my local Honda/Harley dealer. They of course hit me up and asked if I was looking for bike. I said no BUT IF I was then it would have to be under $8000. They brought me into the back and presented me with a '02 Honda VTX 1800s with so much chrome I had to shield my eyes from the glare. It also had Vance & Hines pipes that when you launched the bike it had a deep loud rumble which set off car alarms and made neighbors call the police on you. I took it for a ride. It was a big bike, like an SUV of bikes. For those who don't know 1800 CCs is one of the highest engines you can go to and the higher the CCs the larger the bike. So I had a lot of respect for this bike going from a 750CC to an 1800CC is a large, crazy jump. I got on the bike and it felt like sliding into a glove, just right for me. But very difficult to handle when you don't know how to. It takes a lot of experience maneuvering such a large bike. I left the dealership after haggling them down and trading in my bike for a good price.
As soon as I left the dealership it was pouring rain outside and very windy. Just my luck I was in a squall without the proper gear on a bike I knew very little about. I couldn't make lefts or rights for fear of dumping it. From where I was it took me an hour to get home, soaked to the bone and cursing my stupidity. Since then in 4 months I put 7000 miles on it and love it to death. I can handle it like a pro. I get tons of comments about how huge and shiny it is. Everyone loves my pipes and their sound.
I joined a Motorcycle Meet-up group here in Seattle and ride almost every weekend. I commute to work daily on it. So why did I then buy a Harley?
I've heard a lot of great things about Harleys. You go to any motorcycle meeting and there are Harleys everywhere. They are kinda like their own club. Who doesn't want to belong? One thing I could never understand was how all of these people who looked like they couldn't afford their apartment or have a good job or even eat that day, they all had Harleys? Ok I know, I know total stuck-up judgment call, I should be ashamed of myself! Ok so Harleys are NOT cheap. I asked around, politely how so many could afford an expensive vehicle? Here is what I was told. Harley owners really care more about their motorcycles then their cars. What most people would spend on their car Harley owners get cheap cars and spend all on their cycles. This made total sense to me. My car is paid off and I make a very good living. So I started looking.
None of the Harleys did much for me. Compared to my massive Honda VTX everything else looked small or felt cramped. There were a few with style that I liked but nothing screamed I had to have it until I saw the Rocker C. I have this big hard on for Choppers. I think they look way hot! Nice bike fat tire, sweet handle bars and stretch out fork. I love them. The Rocker C is Harley's version of one. Fat 240 back tire, single seat (with a trick passenger seat that flips out), beautiful tank, stylish handle bars and a stretched out front fork. I saw it, I wanted it, I couldn't/shouldn't afford it.
So I decided I couldn't get it but before going to bed one night I put out into the Universe that somehow I was going to get that bike someday. The next day I was surfing Craigslist. The first search for Rocker C brought up an '08 Black Rocker C in mint condition with less than 900 miles on it for $13,900. Now Rocker C's go for $19,000 - $20,000 new and used $18,000. I compared prices and couldn't find anything that cheap. The catch was that it was an hour away in Mt.Vernon at a Honda dealership. So I called the salesman's number in the ad It was a Monday and usually they aren't open. He agreed to meet me. I went up with a buddy of mine and test drove it. Now compared to my bike it was very small, like a scooter. I had lots of doubts so I turned it down. If I was gonna buy a bike it had to be the one, I figured.
After days of looking and test riding other Harleys I didn't find any model I liked. The Rocker C kept screaming the back of my mind. So yes I got it. Got them down to $13,500 which is pretty much wholesale. So needless to say I have two motorcycles in my garage now. One for touring (my VTX) and one for cruising and looking cool, My Harley Rocker C). I'm soooo happy!!
Who am I? I am a 42 year old High Tech Product Manager who happens to be Gay, has an English Bulldog, and has fallen in love with riding motorcycles.
I used to ride while in college at the University of Arizona. I loved it then but I left Tucson and traveled the world and just never felt it was the right time to get a cycle. When I moved to Seattle 11 years ago I thought Well it friggin rains here so no way will I ever get a motorcycle I tend to be a fickle shopaholic who is trying to be financially smart, so I'm at odds with myself. Two years ago I thought I wanted to try Mt. Biking because all my friends do it and I thought I should give it a shot. I had to buy a really nice bike, a Kona Hoff! I used it for a summer and beat myself up falling through wooded tracks. I haven't gotten back on but am being stubborn about selling it, who knows in a Apocalypse I might need to peddle outta here.
Anyway, so about a year ago during the whole gas crunch I was watching the news and they spoke about how many motorists were getting scooters to save money. I thought well why not a motorcycle, I can save oodles of money. So I went and took the class to get reacquainted with riding and to get my riders permit. At the time a friend of mine owned a motorcycle shop. He's actually has my dog's littermate and they used to play all around the motorcycles with their toys. I was always worried they would knock the bikes over like Dominoes. Never happened thankfully.
Once i got done with the class I went to see my friend and he introduced me to a red '03 Honda American Classic Edition 750CC for only $3000 with 12,000 miles on it. I bought it but was really scared to drive it out of his garage. Finally I got it out of there and rode it all through August until March. My friends and coworkers thought I was crazy for riding in the winter and thru the rain. Yeah I agree with them but I couldn't imagine not riding my bike. I would start getting restless when I went more than 2 days without riding. It was cold and wet but I survived.
In March I was cruising through my local Honda/Harley dealer. They of course hit me up and asked if I was looking for bike. I said no BUT IF I was then it would have to be under $8000. They brought me into the back and presented me with a '02 Honda VTX 1800s with so much chrome I had to shield my eyes from the glare. It also had Vance & Hines pipes that when you launched the bike it had a deep loud rumble which set off car alarms and made neighbors call the police on you. I took it for a ride. It was a big bike, like an SUV of bikes. For those who don't know 1800 CCs is one of the highest engines you can go to and the higher the CCs the larger the bike. So I had a lot of respect for this bike going from a 750CC to an 1800CC is a large, crazy jump. I got on the bike and it felt like sliding into a glove, just right for me. But very difficult to handle when you don't know how to. It takes a lot of experience maneuvering such a large bike. I left the dealership after haggling them down and trading in my bike for a good price.
As soon as I left the dealership it was pouring rain outside and very windy. Just my luck I was in a squall without the proper gear on a bike I knew very little about. I couldn't make lefts or rights for fear of dumping it. From where I was it took me an hour to get home, soaked to the bone and cursing my stupidity. Since then in 4 months I put 7000 miles on it and love it to death. I can handle it like a pro. I get tons of comments about how huge and shiny it is. Everyone loves my pipes and their sound.
I joined a Motorcycle Meet-up group here in Seattle and ride almost every weekend. I commute to work daily on it. So why did I then buy a Harley?
I've heard a lot of great things about Harleys. You go to any motorcycle meeting and there are Harleys everywhere. They are kinda like their own club. Who doesn't want to belong? One thing I could never understand was how all of these people who looked like they couldn't afford their apartment or have a good job or even eat that day, they all had Harleys? Ok I know, I know total stuck-up judgment call, I should be ashamed of myself! Ok so Harleys are NOT cheap. I asked around, politely how so many could afford an expensive vehicle? Here is what I was told. Harley owners really care more about their motorcycles then their cars. What most people would spend on their car Harley owners get cheap cars and spend all on their cycles. This made total sense to me. My car is paid off and I make a very good living. So I started looking.
None of the Harleys did much for me. Compared to my massive Honda VTX everything else looked small or felt cramped. There were a few with style that I liked but nothing screamed I had to have it until I saw the Rocker C. I have this big hard on for Choppers. I think they look way hot! Nice bike fat tire, sweet handle bars and stretch out fork. I love them. The Rocker C is Harley's version of one. Fat 240 back tire, single seat (with a trick passenger seat that flips out), beautiful tank, stylish handle bars and a stretched out front fork. I saw it, I wanted it, I couldn't/shouldn't afford it.
So I decided I couldn't get it but before going to bed one night I put out into the Universe that somehow I was going to get that bike someday. The next day I was surfing Craigslist. The first search for Rocker C brought up an '08 Black Rocker C in mint condition with less than 900 miles on it for $13,900. Now Rocker C's go for $19,000 - $20,000 new and used $18,000. I compared prices and couldn't find anything that cheap. The catch was that it was an hour away in Mt.Vernon at a Honda dealership. So I called the salesman's number in the ad It was a Monday and usually they aren't open. He agreed to meet me. I went up with a buddy of mine and test drove it. Now compared to my bike it was very small, like a scooter. I had lots of doubts so I turned it down. If I was gonna buy a bike it had to be the one, I figured.
After days of looking and test riding other Harleys I didn't find any model I liked. The Rocker C kept screaming the back of my mind. So yes I got it. Got them down to $13,500 which is pretty much wholesale. So needless to say I have two motorcycles in my garage now. One for touring (my VTX) and one for cruising and looking cool, My Harley Rocker C). I'm soooo happy!!
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