[matchu67]

Hello fellow TWers... Just wanted to give you a heads-up the Snapshot program that Progressive Insurance is running is for REAL!



My wife and I switched over to Progressive 3 months ago, we went from paying $258 a month for full coverage on 2 cars with our old company to paying $146 with Progressive. We then enrolled in their Snapshot program and qualified for 30% off our rates... down to $103 a month for 2 cars with full coverage.



The money we are saving in gas by me using my bike as a 'commuter' and insurance savings is paying off the note on my brand new 2012 TW 100% and actually enabling us to bank the leftovers.



Let the good times roll!

 

[-Jake-]

have fun with that

 

[Larry]

Dont get too excited if you live in California, I have been asking for a few months about snapshot and California insurance regulators wont allow it for some reason. I hope that changes soon.



Its gets better with Progressive with age. Just wait till you have been with them for about 10 years. I get at least 30% off for longevity. Every time I price new insurance nobody even comes close. I asked why once and they told me its because I have been a customer for so long.



I recently had a Farmers customer hit me in my car. It took them 4 weeks to get me taken care of and at day 2 Progressive was offering to fix my car and go after Farmers for payment. Even called me on Saturday after the accident. Farmers called me 4 days after. I cant recommend Progressive enough and I have 2 claims they have settled for me.

Hello fellow TWers... Just wanted to give you a heads-up the Snapshot program that Progressive Insurance is running is for REAL!



My wife and I switched over to Progressive 3 months ago, we went from paying $258 a month for full coverage on 2 cars with our old company to paying $146 with Progressive. We then enrolled in their Snapshot program and qualified for 30% off our rates... down to $103 a month for 2 cars with full coverage.



The money we are saving in gas by me using my bike as a 'commuter' and insurance savings is paying off the note on my brand new 2012 TW 100% and actually enabling us to bank the leftovers.



Let the good times roll!

 

[DonBenito]

What kind of rate do you get for insuring your TW200 with Progressive (assuming you are), if you don't mind me asking?



Currently the Gecko is supplying me with full coverage plus all of the bells and whistles for about $120 a year. I almost couldn't believe it when I got the quote, but I guess they value that MSF certification pretty highly.

 

[matchu67]

DonBenito: I've only rode dirt in the past and have never had to insure. I am insuring the TW. I am paying higher than you. ($285) Not sure I need ALL the coverage but my agent and wife talked me in to it. Here in Florida MANY people drive uninsured

So I went with my agent's advice and have plenty of coverage. Going to monitor it and may adjust it down the road...

 

[DonBenito]

DonBenito: I've only rode dirt in the past and have never had to insure. I am insuring the TW. I am paying higher than you. ($285) Not sure I need ALL the coverage but my agent and wife talked me in to it. Here in Florida MANY people drive uninsured

So I went with my agent's advice and have plenty of coverage. Going to monitor it and may adjust it down the road...

Ouch! Still, compared to what you're paying for your cars the TW is still pretty cheap. Of course, comparing insurance rates across states or even between individuals in the same town is an apples and oranges kind of game.



Maybe there's some money to be saved by listing the TW200 as your primary vehicle and listing your car as a secondary or recreational vehicle?

 

[Phantom99]

I do have Progressive as a carrier for my 3 bikes. Not for my cars. Even if I did have them for my cars there is no way I'd let an insurance company put an automatic photo device in any vehicle of mine. I'm glad that California has kept them out so far.



Think about it. Why would the insurance company want to have pictures of you and your family? Do they like you? Think you are cute? You know the answer to that. They think that those devices will save them MONEY. How could they do that? By taking pictures of you at unknown times and building a file on you for the time you may be involved in an accident.



You may say, "I'm a safe driver, don't ever drive drunk, and am usually courteous." Well, I CAN say that. My last ticket in a car was in 1992 for 10mph over on a freeway, and my last collision was a minor fender bender in the 80s. I have never had a citation on a motorcycle in 66 years, and the only bike loss paid on a bike of mine was when an experienced friend was riding it.



Thus, I'm not at all worried about them catching me reckless driving. I AM worried about all of the harmless everyday things which occur on an every day basis and can be taken out of context.



YOU CAN BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT, YOUR FAULT OR NOT, THE INSURANCE COMPANY'S LEGAL DIVISION WILL BE PORING OVER YOUR SNAPSHOT FILE LOOKING FOR ANYTHING AT ALL WHICH COULD BE TWISTED TO MAKE YOU LOOK BAD, and possibly allow the company to avoid paying.



You have been driving for a couple of hours and stop at a red light. You lean back in the seat, close your eyes for a few seconds, then straighten back up before the light turns green. The snapshot taken with your eyes closed will be evidence against you when another driver runs you off the road five minutes later. Driving while sleepy or over-tired.



You stop for gas and just before starting the car you decide to take a Tylenol for the mild headache which started half an hour earlier. All the snapshot will show is you popping pills. If anything happens after that you will have some explaining to do.



I can think of dozens of scenarios, some completely innocent, which could cause an insurance company to try to get out of paying.



I can't tell you what I think of that underhanded program without violating our profanity rules. Just remember, your insurance company is NOT YOUR FRIEND WHERE MONEY IS INVOLVED.



You may save a pittance on premiums and lose thousands of dollars in lost coverage without being at all at fault. Think about it.

 

[matchu67]

Phantom: Wow, that was long winded and very very wrong. Snapshot DOES NOT take pictures, LOL. They simply monitor the time of day you drive, distance and amount of hard breaks... THATS IT! If you aint got nothing to hide, why not do it? I was awarded 30% off my policy because both my wife and I are awesome drivers. You keep being paranoid, let me keep saving my $

 

[matchu67]

Phantom: I repeat they DO NOT take actual pictures of you!!!! It is simply the name of their program. LMAO

 

[Phantom99]

Mat, a group of us on another more sportbike oriented forum have been watching the development of these and similar devices for a couple of years. In California we have not yet examined one, but similar devices are being used all over the world. Some of them record the date, time, location, route traveled and types of maneuvers. There is no limit to the type of surveillance they can perform.



It sounds like your device is relatively harmless compared to some. That is to be expected since it will pave the way for more intrusive devices to follow.



It is the camel's nose inside the tent. If you are happy having Big Brother in the car with you, no problem.



Don't believe me? Just wait a year or two.

 

[matchu67]

Phantom, I agree it is a lil freaky having 'big brother' watch us but that is the society we have evolved into. The device offered to me was only put in my vehicles temporarily, then I removed it. It is just a basis for Progressive to go by to qualify a driver to save up to 30%.

 

[matchu67]

Phantom, Perhaps look at it in a different perspective... (due to the fact our 'big brother' effect is here and it is not going away) Why not have modern technology work in your favor? Why not save money on your annual insurance premiums? They way I see it is: It is a brilliant marketing tool Progressive came up with. It gives drivers an incentive to switch their insurance provider and save additionally by enrolling in their Snapshot program of which is totally voluntarily. As I stated in my intial post. I have dropped from $258 a month to $103 a month for identical coverage. I feel Progressive will force other companies to come up with a type of savings incentive or at the very least adjust their premiums to compete with Progressive. So you see, in a roundabout way 'big brother' technology will some day filter down to you and you too will be saving money. Unless of course you stay with an insurance provider that over charges for their coverage. Last but not least... as I have also stated, with the money I am saving in insurance cost and using less gasoline overall by using my bike as a 'commuter'. I virtually have received my 2012 TW for free! My savings are paying it off in full with some leftover... That is a win win situation for me.

 

[[email protected]]

These monitoring devices are perhaps inevidable in some states, less so in others. In alaska I pay about $100 / year for basic liability insurance on my bikes. After I rode my DR650 to arizona (I leave it @ my Moms' place ) my yearly insurance more than doubled over the price for Alaska, mostly for un-insured motorist coverage. I use GEICO for bikes and cages.



As pointed out above, the monitoring device may have limited capability now admitted to, but rest assured that is merely to get the toe into the door. In general, the devices can be reset to different capabilities remotely w/o you being aware of it. rw

 

[Phantom99]

It would be very easy for this to veer off into more serious politics, and that is not my intent.Maybe one needs to have a lot of gray in the beard to be uneasy with the trend of our civil and social liberties. If I have given a "heads up" to anyone, that's all I intended.

 

[matchu67]

''Smile you are on candid camera!'' LOL