Question for the BC Riders

[Jim]

Do you guys have insurance on your machines when you go riding? If so, where and how do you get insurance? From what I understand we're supposed to have liability insurance to ride on crown land?

[katoranger]

I think you are suppose to have it here too if you ride off private property. Usually it is pretty cheap.

I have insurance on the EZGO golf cart. It covers if anyone gets hurt on it and also if stolen. It was about $50 for a year.

[Jim]

Yeah, I'm pretty certain it's required, but for auto-insurance, our provincial government runs a monopoly on insurance, but I don't think they do atv's. Not sure if that would change if they start registering like they were thinking of doing.

[katoranger]

So insurance is expensive.

[Jim]

So insurance is expensive.

In my opinion yes... Some people disagree... However when I insured my Lifan it was about $400 a year, and I hear common prices in the USA are $40 a year? (if you have a good record).

You have to get basic insurance from them. You can get optional insurance from a 3rd party, but to deal with that, ICBC lowered optional rates and raised basic rates.

You do have a chance to save some money though, you build up a discount, up to 43% I believe, so new drivers are automatically paying 43% more. You can get surcharges on top too, but either way I think it needs competition.

[katoranger]

Liability for my lifan was $75/year. It had its own policy. Some people do better than that. I think full coverage would have been about $150.

[Jim]

The 400 was just basic liability.

[Weldangrind]

I had a good chat with the local insurance agent, and he recommended that we buy liability insurance only as needed, when needed. Libility insurance is only required on Crown land in BC (like Jim says), but not on private property.

Since we're members of the Fraser Valley Dirt Riders Association, we have access to Nickelmine, which is private. I intend to research liability insurance through an alternate supplier, since it isn't ICBC that deals with off-road. Eventually I'd like to do some riding on the ATV trails near Ashcroft, BC.

[katoranger]

Wow, that is expensive. I pay that for liability on my truck for a year.

[Jim]

Oh I didn't realize that Nicklemine was private land. I don't know where to ride ATV's I only ever rode my Sumoto at my parents place. The only off roading I did locally with my Lifan bike was on the logging roads out by Hemlock and Harrison, but the bike had insurance since it was registered for the street.

[suprf1y]

Insurance in Canada can be very expensive.
I think a lot of it has to do with the coverages, and economies of scale in the US.
My KLX 250s is $25/mo full coverage.
I think it should be $25/yr.
We also need insurance for crown land in Ontario, and my RM125 (I have it only for the theft, but liability is included) is $6/mo.

[katoranger]

Those rates are not too bad. It does depending on you coverage too. I had pretty basic coverage.

[phil]

the rates on my 110 was 108 for full coverage, i know its funny but it was the same price for liability 8O

[TurboT]

Hey Jim,

I think the whole ATV insurance thing has been a bit grey area'd and muddled in BC, and they are changing it as of March this year, *I THINK*.

There was a news article in the Province newspaper about changes coming to ATV registration a few months ago. I'd keep an eye out for any updates.

[Jim]

Hey Jim,

I think the whole ATV insurance thing has been a bit grey area'd and muddled in BC, and they are changing it as of March this year, *I THINK*.

There was a news article in the Province newspaper about changes coming to ATV registration a few months ago. I'd keep an eye out for any updates.

That's sort of the impression I got, last time I looked it was confusing... I knew I was supposed to have it on crown land, but had a hard time getting a straight answer on how to get it, since there was no real way to identify one atv from the next and since ICBC didn't deal with it. I figured if they get registered that will sort it out some what.

[TurboT]

Hey Jim,

I think the whole ATV insurance thing has been a bit grey area'd and muddled in BC, and they are changing it as of March this year, *I THINK*.

There was a news article in the Province newspaper about changes coming to ATV registration a few months ago. I'd keep an eye out for any updates.

That's sort of the impression I got, last time I looked it was confusing... I knew I was supposed to have it on crown land, but had a hard time getting a straight answer on how to get it, since there was no real way to identify one atv from the next and since ICBC didn't deal with it. I figured if they get registered that will sort it out some what.

Yes, I believe it is moving to ICBC control, and all ATV's and Dirt Bikes are to be registered before use on crown land..when this is to be implemented I don't recall.

I think currently, if you are to be operating your ATV on Forestry Service Roads, or a similar type 'working road', you are required to have lights and insurance, but as far as in trails on crown land, I don't think it's offered by anyone. (This is current)

That is what I deducted from my reasearch a few months ago.

I think the mass registration requirement will be helpful to ease the confusion, but I also think it'll turn into another 'user fee' tax grab, hidden behind one of our large crown corps.

I wonder how I'll register my used YZ and Chinese Quad, neither of them with any real paperwork since what was the point when I bought them? They were uninsurable anyhow.

Just think of how many ATV's and Dirt BIkes that are out there with no papers or nothing, and suddenly we'll be forced to reg them. What would you say to ICBC if they told you you had to buy a new one in order to register it, otherwise too bad for you, don't ride it on crown land..

..funny thing is, when I was in Williams Lake, I was riding on crown land and forestry roads all day long. My bro in law looked at me like I was nuts when I asked if any Park Ranger or Conservation officer would get upset about no lights or insurance... It looked like it was ATV capital of BC, ran into tons, nobody had regs and the CO's don't care.

[Weldangrind]

I'm hopeful that they'll have a one-time amnesty approach. I bet that they'll run whatever serial number you have against a stolen atv / bike database, and then grant you regi if it comes back clean.

How could they require a bill of sale suddenly if we've never needed one in the past?

[TurboT]

I'm hopeful that they'll have a one-time amnesty approach. I bet that they'll run whatever serial number you have against a stolen atv / bike database, and then grant you regi if it comes back clean.

How could they require a bill of sale suddenly if we've never needed one in the past?

Yes, how could they.. However, this *IS* ICBC we're talking about.

[Jim]

Yeah exactly.

I found out that it is more expensive to reuse an old license plate on a different vehicle then it is to buy a whole new license plate. I'm not the biggest fan of ICBC.

Hopefully though they don't make it too hard to register first time stuff... My sumoto atv I had did have a vin, but I had no paperwork on it.