Is your trike titled as a motorcycle or trike?

[DanDolfn]

I'm having a problem with my GW 1800 conversion. The insurance company only wants to give me an additional $1000 in coverage for the vehicle. What should I do?

With mine (State Farm), all I had to do was to get them a copy of the invoice showing the cost of the trike conversion.

If showing the cost isn't sufficient to prove the additional value for your company, I'd find a different company.

As far as the title goes, all I had to do (since I had the trike painted) was to change the color from Black to Copper.

 

[corvette]

i have progressive i have the bike insur for book value plus 12,000.00 additional coverage it is insur as a motorcycle i pay 30.00 a month it is insur all year long no put up for winter

 

[Ol' Grey]

In Arizona, if the trike is powered by a motorcycle engine, it's considered a motorcycle.........if powered by a car engine, it's considered a car (no m/c endorsement needed).....a little common sense goes a long way ThumbUp

If it's powered by a Briggs & Stratton, it's considered a lawn mower :laugh: (Kiddin' on this one )

 

[saab9k]

Got insurence quote today, $15000 as a trike, $675./year $500 deducable. Medical $ 50000/$100000

in Mississippi

 

[keepinon]

Got insurence quote today, $15000 as a trike, $675./year $500 deducable. Medical $ 50000/$100000

in Mississippi

Good gawd... I took my Valkyrie/MT to my Progressive agent (a rider that knows how to insure bikes). She took a pic with her phone, asked a value, then got my policy for a little under $300 / yr. Includes the additional $10K medical insurance for driver & passenger.

Agents have a lot of lattitude in how they insure vehicles. I looked for years before I found this one, riding in a charity run. Rider / agents seem to know our problems better.

And it is licensed as a motorcycle here in Texas. The law reads any vehicle with three wheels or less is a motorcycle.

 

[trike dud]

My 1500 is titled a motorcycle

 

[IBTRIKED]

Hi, I just bought a '05 wing w/ the CSC kit on it. The PO (who inherited it) titled it in his name and the people at the DMV said he had to change the description of the bike to a Special Construction make and the State assigned a new VIN to it complete with a metal VIN plate attached to the frame. The title now reads 3 wheel. The yr still remains a 2005.

This has played hell with the insurance companies as they all(so far) want to rate it as a special construction bike like something the Teutels would build. The rates are at least twice what it would be if I gave them the Honda VIN and insured the trike kit as an accessory.

Anybody else run into this retitle problem with their state?

Dan Moore
St Charles, MO

In Fl my 2012 Tri Glide is MC. Ray

 

[IBTRIKED]

In Fl my 2012 Tri Glide is MC. Ray

Insurance is almost always higher for custom built and off the charts for Experimental builds.

 

[Ol' Grey]

Insurance is almost always higher for custom built and off the charts for Experimental builds.

Very good point and sorry I missed this in the first post of the thread. I learned years ago that if it isn't written on the Title, then it's best to not even mention words like "chopper", "custom" or "special construction" to the insurance company. It'll raise the rates and some companies won't even insure bikes/trikes with those designations.

We have something similar here to what "insdan" mentioned about the new VIN # and plate attached to the frame. Here it's called a Blue Tag. Sometimes MVD will only Blue Tag the bike/trike and change the VIN # only, which is cool because it allows one to continue paying sane insurance rates.

But sometimes they'll Blue Tag it, then change the info on the Title......."Make" becomes "Special Construction" and the "Year" becomes the same as the year the inspection/change happened. For example, if the bike/trike was originally a 1960's model, it could now read as a 2012 model Special Construction, which unfortunately bumps up the insurance rates ridiculously and for no logical reason as far as I can see.........I hope "insdan" was able to get his paperwork reversed as he mentioned earlier.

Ride Safe........

 

[Memnoch451]

In California... If the trike was made here with a California motorcycle it remains a motorcycle... If you bring one in from out of state... it magically turns into a RV.. Go figure? :Shrug:

 

[gunner7243]

In Indiana it is a motorcycle.

 

[Tango]

In PA., it's a motorcycle. Butt, the insurance co. has it as a trike. That's more important! ThumbUp Tom :GL1800:

 

[whitefatboy]

Michigan its a motorcycle, and the conversion is an accessory.
Not sure of the new HD's they ar titled as a trike, or that is what i have been told

 

[renegade]

In Ohio you still use the orginal Title for the Bike

 

[leo3wheel]

In PA., it's a motorcycle. Butt, the insurance co. has it as a trike. That's more important! ThumbUp Tom :GL1800:

Same in NJ, motorcycle and insured as a trike. Also have $8,000 insurance on assessories, which includes tow-behind trailer.

 

[devo]

in ohio my trike was labled as an assembled vehicle and i had to get a new vin # from state patrol. devo.

 

[Ozarkryder]

Missouri here-

We got the new GL1800 in Iowa. It was titled as a motorcycle, the trike kit is considered an accessory. Brought it into Missouri and the MO title and registration came back with "2WHL" under body style. Had to have it inspected by the state police (the paper work, 551 form cost $27, also had a 4808 form) and he just noted it was a Honda Goldwing GL1800 converted to a trike with a kit. The frame, engine and transmission were not altered, so the VIN didn't change, just the designation from a "motorcycle" to "trike" on the title and "3WHL" under body style on the title and registration.

The 551 form is to get a copy or change the title if there was a mistake, typo, salvage or otherwise change the title. May be too late, but you may be able to get the title changed to reflect the "critical components" are stock, and the original VIN would apply.




My insurance company considers anything that did not come on the bike from the factory as an accessory. anything from the least bit of added chrome to our riding gear, the Bunkhouse camper when it is attached or on a trip and the trike kit is under the accessory coverage, which we pay extra for, bu it seems reasonable. Was well worth it during the last bit of unpleasantness with our former trike, a gl1500.

(The Whole sordid story here: http://www.triketalk.com/forum/gener...tale-tell.html ) If something happens, the accessories are covered at 100%, the original bike is covered at the assessed value. Currently we have accessory coverage to pay for a total loss of the Bunkhouse, trike kit, the $3500 worth of chrome and stuff the PO put on the trike and most of our riding gear. The stock policy comes with $3000 of accessory coverage, but it doesn't take much to max that out even on a stock bike.

Well, since I wrote the above the Department of Revenue of the State of Missouri Sent me a letter that they decided the trike was to be listed as "Special Construction Motortricycle". A DOR ID Number was issued, (essentially a new VIN #) and a tag was sent to the local State Police to be attached to the frame. The inspecting officer was a bit surprised the state bureaucrats went this way, but there it is. The state then sent me a new title, After that another inspection and inspection sticker placed, then off to re-register the trike under the new title. Had to get a new plate, as the old plate was for a motorcycle, and the new plate is assigned to the vehicle that is listed as a trike.

The insurance (Progressive) doesn't do full coverage on a vehicle with a state issued ID #, just liability.

Liability only isn't happening with a ride costing in the upper side of the 20-30 thousand dollar range. Went to the agent that writes our cars and household, she got the same amount of comprehensive, collision, and accessory coverage and so on for the trike, including $17000 for accessories.

Also got comp/collision etc. on the Harley with $5000 accessory coverage (Progressive included $3000) through Shelter and the rate went down $26 per year.

It's good to be finally totally legal and on the up and up

 

[mcridernj]

NJ as stated titles as Motorcycle. Foremost insures it as a Motorcycle w/accessory package for trike conversion.

 

[saab9k]

Miss as stated titles as Motorcycle. Foremost insures it as a Motorcycle w/accessory package for trike conversion.