Hello fellow travellers,does anyone know an insurance company which will insure a holder of an international license from Barbados,in Canada? I am trying to purchase and register a bike in Ontario but need insurance to register and cannot find an insurance company who is traveller friendly as yet.Have been ridig for 18 years without any incidents.(dont like to tempt fate)so am not a non insurable. thanks, adam.

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Adamo

Re insurance - this can indeed be a problem in Canada, but you should be able to find someone in Ontario to insure you. What does the dealer you are buying from say?

Getting a Canadian drivers licence if that is what is required is no big deal, spend an hour reading the book and I expect you'd pass. You can also try contacting Mike Mandell / Motorcycle Express (on the links page) who may be able to organise insurance for you.

Also:

Maria M. Alessie
Eliotplaats 174
3068 VL Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31-10 - 4 555 946
Fax: +31-10 - 4 555 948
Email: alessie@alessie.com

Good luck! Let us know what you find to make it easier for others.

------------------
Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Adam:

You state in your letter that you plan to purchase and register your motorcycle in Ontario. As long as the bike is registered in Ontario, purchasing insurance for it in Ontario should be very simple. The insurance problems you may have read about elsewhere on this BB all concern people who are trying to obtain insurance in one country, for a motorcycle that is registered in another country.

The fact that you have a Barbados driver's licence does not (directly) affect your ability to purchase insurance in Ontario. There are two different issues you will have to deal with, one is organizing your driver's licence documentation such that you can legally ride the bike in Canada, second is satisfying the insurance company that you are a reasonable risk to insure.

So far as problem number one goes - getting your driver's licence in order - all you need to is to obtain an International Drivers Permit (IDP) in Barbados before you come to Canada. Because Canada is a signatory to the convention that governs IDP's, the combination of your Barbados national driver's licence and a Barbados issued IDP will be sufficient to make you legal in Ontario. If you establish a residence in Ontario, then you will have to get an Ontario driver's licence, but as long as you are a bona fide tourist, you will be legal to drive.

Concerning problem number two, getting insurance, any Ontario insurance company can write coverage for your motorcycle, because it is registered in Ontario. The only problem you will face is that you do not have any history of driving in Canada, therefore, the insurance company may charge you a fairly high premium (same as they would charge a new driver in Ontario) for the insurance coverage.

To avoid this, you might want to check ahead of time with the insurance company you presently use in Barbados, to see if they have any association, liason, or common ownership with a Canadian insurance company. If you are presently insured with a large, multinational company - such as Zurich or Allianz, etc. (there are many more), perhaps you can get a written introduction to the Canadian branch - this will help you benefit from a lower premium based on your past claim history.

Most Canadian insurance companies have websites - you might want to correspond with them ahead of time, to get an idea about what the insurance will cost.

Finally, be aware that in Canada, the insurance companies normally sell bike insurance only for a whole year. Because our riding season is very short (due to weather), if you try to purchase a policy for just the summer months, they will shaft you - by charging you 20% of the annual price per month for the summer months only.

It is possible that the insurance companies may decline to offer you coverage unless you have completed a motorcycle training course. Such courses are obligatory for new riders in Ontario, before they are able to get a driver's licence for a motorcycle. If this is the case, you can find out more about taking one of these courses (in the Toronto area) by visiting either the Humber College or Centennial College websites. The same courses are offered by many other community colleges in other Ontario cities.

Hope this helps you.

Thanks for the advice,i forgot to mention that i am not even going to canada as the bike is being shipped to arizona for collection.We then go to copper canyon in Mexico for a month returning through Baja.
the bike will sleep in california until sept when we return to ride up through the mountains to british columbia.the bike will sleep in bc for the winter and we will run back to keep business in barbados rolling.i probably should have bought and registered the bike in usa but my dealer in canada is really helpful and we do a lot of imports to barbados through them so am confident and happy there.they are also cheaper than usa by a fair amount.just need to get past the paperwork and all will be irie.adam.

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Adamo

Adam:

A different way of solving your problem might be to have your motorcycle registered to and insured by a resident of Ontario - assuming you know someone here well enough to have them do this for you.

Insurance regulations in Ontario are such that the insurance will cover any licenced driver who is operating the motorcycle with the permission of the registered owner.

Be aware that although all insurance issued in Ontario is valid for travel in the United States, it is very rare for an Ontario insurance company to provide insurance that is valid in Mexico. From what I have read in other posts made on this BB, it is possible to purchase liability (only) insurance at the border when you enter Mexico, but not easy to purchase full coverage (fire, theft, collision) insurance for Mexico.

thanks,for the replies,i believe motorcycle express is going to insure me,am just getting the final documents together as i needed to send a copy of passport and license,and the dealer needs to send the bill of sale and we will be away,gailg@motorcycleexpress has been very helpful and horizons unlimited has earned as we say in barbados, "Nuff Respect" keep cool and travel safe,adam.

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Adamo

I agree, Gail is excellent, she arranged insurance for me when I shipped my Canadian registered bike to Europe last summer, no problems and first class service all the way.

Sounds like you have found the best solution. Enjoy your trip!