Ticket for no insurance.

[B-rent]

So i bought a 82 gs550m just 3 days ago and today was the first day I actually drove it around. We couldn't get it to start so I just bought it from the guy and we loaded it on a trailer and pulled it home. I put in a new R/R and it wasn't blowing fuses anymore and I wanted to see if it would hold the charge so I went for a little ride without a license plate. On my way back to my house I got pulled over for no license plate, and he also got me for not having insurance on my bike. I do have insurance on my other bike, but not yet on this one. I figured I would wait till the bike is in running condition before I register and insure it. He gave me a warning on the lack of registration, but got me for no insurance. I looked up the penalty for no insurance and it is a minimum of $400.00

SO I called my insurance company (progressive) and asked them if I was actually covered through my existing insurance and they made it sound like I was, and I officially added my new bike to the policy. I am hoping that I can show the judge my insurance info and get out of paying $400.00.

Has anyone else had a similar experience either with a motorcycle or car? I'm curious to see if there's a chance out of this one. I have to call the courthouse in 5 days to see if they want me to go to court.

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

The fact that you have an existing insurance policy for a motorcycle and just bought the bike Hopefully will get you out of the ticket..Normally there is a grace period to add a vehicle to your policy

 

[steve murdoch]

Consider yourself lucky.
Here in Ontario, if convicted the minimum fine for not having your insurance proof with you is $400.00 and if convicted the minimum fine for not having insurance is $5000.00.
I would think something in writing from Progressive that you were covered would work in your favour.
Did Progressive rap your knuckles for the uninsured test ride?

 

[Steve]

Not sure about the "no insurance" bit, but in oHIo, riding with no license (or the plate from another vehicle) will get your bike impounded and a hefty fine.

.

 

[Nessism]

Not sure about the "no insurance" bit, but in oHIo, riding with no license (or the plate from another vehicle) will get your bike impounded and a hefty fine.

.

They don't mess around in Ohio! I lived there from '94 - '02 and you really need to watch your speed on the Turnpikes and such. 10 over can get you popped for sure. I have no doubt they are similarly strict on things like registration/licensing/insurance.

 

[B-rent]

Not sure about the "no insurance" bit, but in oHIo, riding with no license (or the plate from another vehicle) will get your bike impounded and a hefty fine.

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I thought about putting the plates from my other bike on there before riding, but I thought that would have looked bad like I was trying to cover something up. I'm glad he dropped the charges for no license plate otherwise there would be no way out of that one.

 

[B-rent]

"Did Progressive rap your knuckles for the uninsured test ride?"

They were actually very understanding. I think the "grace period" will be the thing that saves me here.

 

[850 Combat]

In many states, if you have insurance,there it a 30 day grace period on insurance if you change or add vehicles.

 

[chuck hahn]

Some states also have a 24 HR grace period when buying a vehicle so you can drive it home..A bill of sale for that day MAY be some proof that YOU HAD JUST BOUGHT THE BIKE a FEW HRS AGO and was taking it home. Must judges arent gonna hold up their dockets to call the PO. Have someone write you a bill of sale with all the bike info for that day and plead that you were just getting it to your place from the other guys. Buddy got pulled over in a van he had bought for his construction company on his way home with it. Was a craigslist buy. He had the bill of sale and he took the ticket to court and won. This of course was MI laws, so check your states regs.

 

[Guest]

They don't mess around in Ohio! I lived there from '94 - '02 and you really need to watch your speed on the Turnpikes and such. 10 over can get you popped for sure. I have no doubt they are similarly strict on things like registration/licensing/insurance.

I lived in Ohio from 2000 to 2005, the cops are tough. They even have a no tolerance speeding policy in Lancaster, 1 mile over and they'll get you on RT 33. Luckily I never got pulled over.

Most companies will cover a new vehicle for a brief time until you get your insurance for that vehicle, don't much matter here in Florida as your not required to have insurance on your bike as long as you meet other criteria such as medical insurance I believe.

 

[earlfor]

I lived in Ohio from 2000 to 2005, the cops are tough. They even have a no tolerance speeding policy in Lancaster, 1 mile over and they'll get you on RT 33. Luckily I never got pulled over.

Most companies will cover a new vehicle for a brief time until you get your insurance for that vehicle, don't much matter here in Florida as your not required to have insurance on your bike as long as you meet other criteria such as medical insurance I believe.

Florida law is a bit unusual on that point. Insurance is not required for a motorcycle. However, it is against the law to have an accident with any vehicle and not have insurance. So, you can ride without insurance, but if you have an accident, you will be fined for no insurance and most likely have your license suspended.

Earl

 

[Billy Ricks]

You'll probably see a mediator before going before the judge to try to work out a deal. They'll usually offer to cut the fine in half and give you deferred adjudication. In your case I'd show them the bill of sale, the old insurance certificate, and the new one showing you added it to your insurance ASAP. If you go in with a well thought out excuse they usually drop the ticket.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

Why would you risk driving an unregistered un-insured vehicle?
They would have impounded the bike here and fined you heavily.

I mean what if you had caused damage in an accident?
Did you really intend to register and insure the bike? If so why not do it prior to the test ride?

 

[rustybronco]

B-rent, our government likes to play this little game called revenue enhancement. their plan is to gain as many $$ as they can and yours is to pay as little $$ or points as you can. I suggest you pay a lawyer to improve your odds of winning, or at the very least learn all you can on how the game is played before your day in court.

do NOT give up any dollars you don't have to! by this I mean going ahead and paying the fine without a fight.

 

[Guest]

Not sure if they still do it but it used to be, in Ga if you let your insurance lapse they suspend your drivers license without notice.

 

[B-rent]

Why would you risk driving an unregistered un-insured vehicle?
They would have impounded the bike here and fined you heavily.

I mean what if you had caused damage in an accident?
Did you really intend to register and insure the bike? If so why not do it prior to the test ride?

I had bike on the brain. I was working all day on it to get it running and couldn't resist. If I get in an accident it will most likely be the other person not paying attention and the damage will be done to me. I fully intend to register and insure the bike, but not until it is completely road worthy, hence the test drive. It still needs a stator to keep the battery charged.

My insurance on the bike has been added and dated to the day of purchase. This will probably be a great help in court since the whole reason is that I was not insured.

 

[TheCafeKid]

Actually, Steve has it partially correct.
In Ohio, the following is true: (And I know these things from "young and dumb" experience)

Driving a vehicle without registration is a ticket, if you're pulled over by locals. If a statie gets you, though, you're screwed. He has the right to impound the vehicle. Same is true for expired tags.

Driving a vehicle with plates from another vehicle is a misdemeanor, and you'll pay a hefty fine and could serve jail time depending on who got you. "falsified and or fraudulent registration/tags"

Driving a vehicle without insurance, as in you have none, can result in impound, a trip to the department via black and white taxi, and WILL result in suspension of license for 90 days (first offense) and up to one year each subsequent offense up to the third, and then it's yanked for good. Not to mention points on your license.

Driving under suspension or revoked license is worse than driving with no license at all.

Violating leathers permit: ie driving after dark, w/o helmet or on the interstate is....get this (it's the one I know from experience) a CLASS 4 FELONY. (that's worse than a DUI). Imagine my surprise showing up to court thinking I'm gonna have to pay a hefty fine for a traffic violation, to have my judge as me where my attorney is, as I'm facing up to $6000 in fines and 6 months in jail.
I nearly died.

But as most have said, it's a revenue scam. I got an attorney, (a regular at work, did me a favor for $300 instead of $1500) and paid $90 in court costs.
No points, no suspension, etc.

Lesson learned. Btw, having your bike impounded is a very sad thing. Usually they'll call a wrecker, and have it swinging off the back. That was worse than the $$ IMO.

 

[Eli69]

when i was a punk kid i got busted w/ no insurance on a bike. the trooper was reasonable and let me ride home BUT the state of NY sent me a letter a couple months later and wanted my license, which they kept until i paid a $500 fee. i tried getting insurance the day after the ticket but the insurance company recorded the DATE and TIME that i purchased the coverage.

at the time i looked up the actual law at the library and found an interesting loophole. there was a form one could send to the state if you weren't informed that you would be loosing your license if you plead guilty to having no insurance. i remember mentioning that form to a judge at a later court appearance (i had a few back then) and he basically laughed at me which i took to mean i was not rich enough or well connected enough to use such loopholes.

anyway, your state may be different but you should probably use caution on this since it could be serious.

i suggest you look up the law and see what the details are. nowadays you should be able to do it online.

good luck.

 

[hampshirehog]

No messing over here. If you ain't insured your vehicle is seized and crushed. Sorry if it sounds harsh but I support that approach.

 

[skreemer]

Progressive only puts the day and month on their policies.
Ask Nerobro, he got pulled over for doing 122 in a 55 zone, no insurance, and he forgot to get a new license as his was expired a few weeks before... He got a nice stack of tickets for that mess.

He got out of the insurance fine by immediately going home and purchasing insurance for his bike and printing off the forms.

Another trick is to simply add the new bike to your policy. Depending on the insurance company the date on the documentation is from when the original policy was instated not when it was last changed.