Before taking your brand new SportClassic to the Race Track:

[BLACKBIRDXX]

I just found out from my State Farm Insurance agent that my motorcycles, my car and my Motor home are NOT covered if they are used on a race track for ANY reason. I also talked to the folks at PRO DRIVE here in Portland Oregon that run some of the driving schools at Portland International Raceway and they indicated that they know that some insurance companies will deny coverage at a race track facility.

At the Salem Honda-BMW-Ducati dealership here in Salem Oregon a few week ago they had a very wrecked brand new K 1200 S. Word has it the owner was at the track and crashed with the bike going end over end several times. Owner okay, bike totaled. The shop guys at Salem indicated they had just done a estimate by walking around the bike and had already hit $18,500 US which is about the cost new. The really sad part is the owner had insurance BUT his insurance company is NOT paying a dime on repair/replacement. Sounds like an expensive lesson.

I did not have a clue that this was an issue. I participated in Class Motorcycle Shools (Reg Pridmore) many years ago and just found out today that if I had crashed I would have been SOL!

Am I the only person on the planet that doesn't know about this insurance issue. Are there specific insurance companies that will cover your bike when you ride it on a race track as well as on the road? Are there insurance companies that will provided you coverage when you are just at the track (single day coverage)?

This issue also raises an interesting problem when you have your vehicle financed.

Phil

[BLACKBIRDXX]

My original posting was based on information I received from my State Farm Agent's office this morning. I just received a call from my Agent and it turns out that starting two years ago that State Farm WILL cover your vehicles at a Race Track and that if you crash State Farm may ask you to sign a waver/exclusion that would remove any State Farm coverage from that vehicle if it were taken to a race track in the future. There seems to be some discretion here specifically if you are NOT "racing" for profit. If you are racing for profit then you will have to sign the waver for the specific vehicle.

In my case where I was on the race track back in about 1995, had I crashed I would NOT have been covered and could only have been compensated via the courts. Since January of 2004 I am covered by my State Farm Policy. I think State Farm got taken to court on this issue when they refused to pay on someone's claim because the vehicle crashed on a race track. Its a "fine print" issue and now as far as State Farm is concerned the burden is on them and if there are going to be any exclusions then the customer has to sign something stating that the customers knows what is going on......

My Agent reminded me that this is specific to State Farm and may not be the same for other insurance companies. Still worth checking out.

Phil

[Reducs]

My State Farm agent told me that as long as it's not a 'timed' event, it should be covered. This was in regards to my car a few years ago. That was verbal and I don't have/haven't read anything confirming this in my policy. I need to look.

I think this is why PCA (Porsche Club of America) puts on 'driver's ed' events instead of calling them something more exciting; cars on a track going fast, with instructors, without timing laps. It's NOT racing by definition.

[ricky]

Why do think that your insurance company should pay to repair/replace your bike if you were on the "track"?
Is that fair to us folk that never go to the track with any of our motorized whatevers?
Insurance is high enough as it is. Why burden the non-track people with your own wipeouts?

Side note:
I would love to see the insurance companies go after any of the "stunta's" that are stupid enough to post videos of themselves crashing while doing a wheelie on a major roadway and deny any and all insurance they might have coming.

(disclaimer: not trying to start a flame war here )

[zooom]

Originally Posted by ricky

Why do think that your insurance company should pay to repair/replace your bike if you were on the "track"?
Is that fair to us folk that never go to the track with any of our motorized whatevers?
Insurance is high enough as it is. Why burden the non-track people with your own wipeouts?

there ARE courses held at tracks that are rider improvement and advanced skills riding courses that would be under normal circumstances the type of course that would maybe normally dictate some sort of discount like a defensive driving course for cars and things of the like which people attend that should still be covered .....but insurance companies choose not to because motorcycles are once again a pariah or a black eye to the insurance industry....so under those circumstances I think a person SHOULD be covered....now if it was a general track day...I wouldn't expect it....but there are loopholes and ways to deal with the whole thing....like say for instance...taking your bike that was wrecked on the track and dragging it a couple miles down the road in the back of a truck and then dumping it off the back and reporting the incident as having occurred at that point outside of the track because some piece of nature or unpredictable occurance happened and caused you to lose control and damage your vehicle....that was a suggestion made by an insurance representative completely off the record as a way to get covered for such an occurance....but that is apon the individual to deal with and I am in no way suggesting that all folks do this!

[ricky]

Originally Posted by zooom

there ARE courses held at tracks that are rider improvement and advanced skills riding courses that would be under normal circumstances the type of course that would maybe normally dictate some sort of discount like a defensive driving course for cars and things of the like which people attend that should still be covered .....but insurance companies choose not to because motorcycles are once again a pariah or a black eye to the insurance industry....so under those circumstances I think a person SHOULD be covered....now if it was a general track day...I wouldn't expect it....but there are loopholes and ways to deal with the whole thing....like say for instance...taking your bike that was wrecked on the track and dragging it a couple miles down the road in the back of a truck and then dumping it off the back and reporting the incident as having occurred at that point outside of the track because some piece of nature or unpredictable occurance happened and caused you to lose control and damage your vehicle....that was a suggestion made by an insurance representative completely off the record as a way to get covered for such an occurance....but that is apon the individual to deal with and I am in no way suggesting that all folks do this!

I forgot about those training days. With those, I agree with you. But... the insurance company wasn't there watching, soooo.... they might tend to deny coverage.

[SouthsideDuc]

Originally Posted by ricky

Why do think that your insurance company should pay to repair/replace your bike if you were on the "track"?
Is that fair to us folk that never go to the track with any of our motorized whatevers?
Insurance is high enough as it is. Why burden the non-track people with your own wipeouts?

Side note:
I would love to see the insurance companies go after any of the "stunta's" that are stupid enough to post videos of themselves crashing while doing a wheelie on a major roadway and deny any and all insurance they might have coming.

(disclaimer: not trying to start a flame war here )

I've heard this argument before and I don't understand the point. Why? Because I pay my premiums, that's why. It's like asking why should insurance pay for injuries incurred while riding a motorcycle? The higher costs associated with motorcycle injuries are certainly increasing the premiums of the cage drivers.

I'd even argue that a street rider provides greater liability to an insurance agency than a track rider. Forget the bike, that's only a few thousand dollars. Where are you more likely to incur serious injury, on the track or the street?

Tony

[zooom]

Originally Posted by SouthsideDuc

Where are you more likely to incur serious injury, on the track or the street?

Tony

Honestly Tony.....folks are much more likely to a greater degree of harm of certain types of injuries at the track from high sides and impacts with tire walls and so forth.....but the percentage weighs the street in heavier as far as regularity of all types of injury due to frequency of occurence....

[675]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. If everything is relative, their is no way people riding at track days incur greater physical injury in a crash than people on the street. I'll take a tire wall over a guard rail or SUV anyday.

[ducremus]

GOT to agree with 675 on that! The track is a MUCH safer place to ride, and at all track events I've been to, there is a least one ambulance in attendance at all times, so even if you do get hurt, help is nearby.