Sunday we broke a 60 year record when the official recorded temperature went up to a blistering 20.7°c but that was at YVR. We were only a few miles East of the airport in Richmond where it reached 23°c, and in the middle of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford it went up to the high 20's where it is normally 5°c higher than in the City
I had been planning my cross country motorcycle trip for the past year and in an effort to save insurance expenses I let my Vstrom insurance lapse during mid July as I knew that I wouldn't be riding it for most of the year. I bought my BMW last September but I hardly had time to get familiar or bond with it. I was merely just riding it to here and there to get all the neglected maintenance performed. Not wanting to ride a bike across the Continent without some riding practice I decided to insure my R1200R late May and then I rode it more or less, exclusively until I left on my 6 week tour on July 10th, 2013. This gave me a bit over a month to get used to it. I have probably mentioned it before that insurance is expensive here in British Columbia because we have compulsory Government Insurance and you have to pay the full rate for each vehicle even though you cannot drive/ride all of them at one time. To give you an example, I am in the lowest risk class with 44% discount and I still have to pay over $1,700 for my Beemer, and then another $1200. for my Vstrom. I still have my commuter car (another $1,800.) and then I have my Corvette Roadster which is around $140. per month. I wasn't going to insure it at all this year, but I did . . .
I drove it a couple of times but I parked it in June and didn't use it again until the last week of August when I returned home. I have not even used a tank of gas this year so on Sunday, which is a non-riding day I dusted it off and away we went. How nice it was to not have to wear a helmet nor riding gear
We went down to Richmond to have brunch with friends, then we went for a ride around UBC and ended up at Spanish Banks (a large beach area)
It was a day to enjoy. The sun was shining and our torrential rains stopped
Of course I brought my camera, the larger dSLR Canon and snapped a family portrait with Vancouver in the background
I saw all the logs and couldn't resist jumping over some of them
Then it was back to serious business . . . another family photo
It was warm in the sun but you could feel the chill in the air if you were in the shade. You probably didn't notice that I had to slip into my jeans instead of wearing my trademark shorts. I know, soon I may even have to wear a jacket and (gasp!) shoes instead of sandals
I am even wearing my new long-sleeved T-shirt which gives me fond memories of my trip this summer and all the friends I met along the way.
Looks like a fun day out!
ReplyDeleteI like how there are logs conveniently placed on the beach to provide some seating up off the sand.
Lucky:
DeleteThe logs are probably from downed trees across the street from the beach. There are cliffs which are being eroded away and the trees are the first to fall, or break away from the earth due to soft or shifting soil. They take them over to the beach to cut up and haul away. It is usually done at the end of the Summer/beach season as it is generally to busy during the warmer weather
Look at all the money you'd save while retired. No commuter car, no commuter bike and just travelling around Vancouver with your bus pass and bicycle.
ReplyDeleteNice family photos on the beach!
Richard:
DeleteIn anticipation of that day when I no longer have to work I started to reduce my fleet of scooters/bikes/cars a few years ago. It was part of my big plan to cut insurance costs. The first to go was my Muscle car. I had a '67 Firebird Convertible, 1st gen which I restored. I was very lucky to get out with most of my investment just before the market crash of 2008. If I sold it today it would have been less than half of what I sold it for.
I also had a few scooters. I sold my Lambretta GP200 SIL at a $2K loss just to get rid of it. Then I had a Kymco X500Ri maxi-scoot and Mrs Skoot's Vino Super Vino. All gone now. The plan was to only have one bike but somehow I didn't sell my Vstrom yet.
When I no longer have an income I hope to only have my "vette and one bike, perhaps I will sell both my Beemer and Vstrom , when I take my next trip and ride on my last new one. It may be the new 2014 Vstrom or a new GS1200 LC. I went to sit on one a couple of weeks ago but didn't blog about it yet.
Sunday is a non-riding day for me. I am slowing down and relaxing more. I just thought it would be nice to walk on the beach before it got too cold.
I thought I'd never say that but Germany is dirt-cheap comparted to BC with regards to insurance (provided you have the accident free discount). We have our car and the two scooters insured on full coverage for less than 2,000 bucks...
ReplyDeleteYou guys look great on the beach. Hope Yvonne is doing well.
Sonja:
DeleteI am spending nearly $5k a year just on vehicle insurance, was closer to $5,200, plus maintenance. This year it was new brakes for my Honda, transmission service for my Vette, plus new tires and stuff for my BMW. Also don't forget that when my bikes are in storage I still need storage insurance which I get from Beacon. Without our 44% discount from ICBC it is thousands more
Y's hip is getting stronger by the day but we still have to take it easy. She likes to carry her cane as it works wonders when people notice it. She can actually sit in the "vette without using the cushion.
Great to see a picture of you and Yvonne together.
ReplyDeleteRemind me to think of your car insurance prices the next time I complain about our monthly health care premiums. Even with that we still come out ahead because of our low vehicle insurance rates.
We pay $200/month and that includes full insurance on 3 bikes, 1 car, and both life insurance policies.
Trobairitz:
DeleteIt makes me cry when I see how low your rates are. That's why I can't afford to insure all my vehicles for the whole year. I need my Honda for commuting ($150. per month), and then my Vette for half a year during the summer only ($140.p/mo). Then my Beemer is in the highest insurance rate class because it is over 1200cc (another $150/mo) so I only insured it for the summer, and then there's my Vstrom which is just sitting there parked (another $100/mo) but only insured half of this year to save money and we're not counting Life Ins yet.
Nothing I can do about it as it's Government insurance and their rates are what they are
I thought my insurance costs were outrageous at $1100/yr for the Harley. Nothing compared to yours. And some people here in Ontario are claiming we should have government insurance because it would be cheaper. No thanks!
ReplyDeleteCanajun:
DeleteIt doesn't make sense to base insurance rates on engine size. It should be based on HP or power to weight ratio. A Harley would be in the highest insurance class based on engine size even though a 600cc sports bike pays half, but can run circles around the Harley.
Government insurance is supposed to be non-profit to keep rates low but the Government has been short of funds lately so millions are being diverted from ICBC and put into general revenue to run the Government when they should be reducing premiums. They made an announcement recently that they had to increase our insurance rates for next year.
Look what happened in Saskatchewan last year with excessive premiums . . . Yep, don't get sucked in. At least here in BC we can buy less than a years insurance
I only get third party coverage as I figure I'll replace my own damages. However if you choose to ride bigger capacity bikes I guess you choose to pay. An 800 GTS might look better if you insist on staying Bavarian, no?
ReplyDeleteMr Conchscooter:
Deleteamazingly while you have to buy basic insurance and Liability from the Government, you can go to a 2nd party for Collision coverage & storage insurance which isn't that much. The Government portion is the expensive part as they have no competition and charge what they charge. No discounts for multiple bikes, you pay full rate for everything you own
You would appreciate a larger engine when heading on the interstate of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana.
Better come to Vancouver while I still have a spare bike for you to ride
Wow! Thats a lot of $$ for insurance. Your plan sounds like a good one. I sold a couple of mine too just cause I found myself not riding them. Now with my back all messed up I am considering selling my softail. Things happen and age is one of them, but that doesn't mean we have to give up entirely. I like your plan :)
ReplyDeleteKathy:
DeleteIt costs more to live in Canada. Cars are more, gas is more, everything we buy is more. It's the way it is. Gas just dropped to $5.00 per/ US Gal ($1.32 / litre) Check out the price of a Harley here in Vancouver vs across the border in Mt Vernon, WA Only about an hour south of the USA border to save thousands $$. Most people don't buy bikes or cars here anymore, they buy them in the USA and import them. No riding gear here too. Dealers hardly stock anything as people go to try them on for size and then go home and buy on-line. Nearly all the Suzuki dealers in Vancouver have closed.
I was going to buy a new car when I retired, but last year I bought my BMW and now I'm thinking of buying another new bike for my next trip and just forget about the car.
Have you every thought of having a Pillion who can give you back massages while you are riding ? that may solve your problem
As you can imagine, things would be very different in our garage if the insurance burden was like yours.
ReplyDeleteYes, so nice to see Mrs. Skoot out and about; all the best for her continued healing.
Coop:
DeleteNow you know why I am trying to cut down expenses so I can stop working. I'm trying to get down to one bike and one car, but that's still going to be around $3,500./ yr. A small 250 cc dual sport will add another $900./ yr. That's why I haven't bought one. Purchasing it is not a problem but the insurance is.
With a convertible it's nice to not have to wear all the gear, nor the helmet
I liked that first photo Bob, and I still find it maddening the cost of insurance in Canada.....
ReplyDeleteDom:
DeleteEverything is more up here, and the Government is not your friend. We don't make any more money up here, it's just that we have to pay more for everything. That's why the border lines are so long. Everybody is going to Bellingham to buy things. Hard to find stuff here as no one stocks it
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely Corvette .... You only see the odd one , perhaps once a year over here in England ,
Great pics of a great day,
Onto the insurance premiums WOW that a lot of insurance costs.
My GTS300 is insured fully comp and costs me £96 per year .... One year I even managed £25 cash-back!
My VFR750 was on classic policy ...but again under £100
But if the question was would I pay more to continue riding the scoot , hell yeah .
Kindest regards
Len
Len:
DeleteHard to believe that I was paying nearly $500. per month just for insurance and I could only drive one car at a time while the rest were parked. and don't get me started on HiDef TV, internet and cell phone costs which are another $200 per month.
You are lucky to have low insurance rates. I'm envious . . .
Bob: not all 800's are created equal. I spent an afternoon riding my brothers new Triumph 800 triple. The performance and handling of my DL1000 is lame in comparison. It's not even close. I've always been a Strom fan since I rode Murray's hot-rod DL back in 02. You really should take the triple for a test ride before you spend the bucks.
ReplyDelete