[Ducati] Insuring a Ducati

[Dan Bockmier]

Hello Desmo Riders,

I have mostly nineteen sixties and seventies Euro bikes in my garage 
including a beloved bevelhead 900 SS but recently I got the itch for a more 
modern Ducati after riding an ST4 for a week. I chose a 96 SS SP as the bike 
that would most match my aesthetic, then went out and acquired one. Shortly 
thereafter I had to shop for an insurer since my classic bike insurer would 
not cover the newer bike.

I went to three national companies, Geico, 21st Century and Progressive. I 
was stunned to find all of them wanted over $800 a year for a full coverage 
policy with $100k limits. I had a brand new Moto Guzzi Rosso Corsa for a 
while a couple of years ago and it was half that cost to insure, even though 
it had a replacement value more than three times the 96 SS.

I asked about rates for a lower $30k limit policy and no collision coverage 
but that only lowered it to about $640. I am a middle aged married male with 
a good traffic record, no insurance claims and I live in the suburbs of the 
San Francisco Bay Area. I also told each insurance carrier that I would 
likely ride this bike only 3k a year as I had six others to take for rides 
as well, yet none of this low risk profile seemed to make any difference.

Is this typical with your experiences and has anyone discovered a reasonable 
insurance carrier for their Ducati?

Dan Bockmier