04-14-2014, 07:13 AM
I'm an insurance agent in Illinois. I like Progressive here, but Safeco is domiciled in Washington so they may be a bit more competitive there than they are here. You are going to have to do some shopping and, frankly, no one on this forum, including myself, is in a position to give you very specific advise on a particular carrier. In general, I have found that Progressive, GEICO, Safeco, and Dairyland (and there's a couple more that will probably be posted by others) have a good policy and usually have reasonable pricing. State Farm and Allstate can be good, too, if you have your home and auto with them, but they seem to be not quite as good with a stand-alone motorcycle policy. I don't know why, because I am an independent agent and those companies' agents are employees -- they only represent their one company. Speaking of which, finding an independent agent could be a good idea because they can help you shop a little. Finding an independent agent who also rides should be a BIG help to you. He/she will know the right coverage levels and will probably have access to several companies. Obviously, I am going to recommend a fellow independent agent rather than a direct writer (State Farm, Allstate, American Family), BUT if you have a relation ship with one of those companies, you should pursue that first.
Key thing: there is (usually) no reason to have 2 or more agents for your personal insurance needs. You should be able to find one person who is knowledgeable about auto, home, boats, motorcycles, and even life insurance. It makes your life much easier and if your person can't help you with those things, maybe you should look for someone who can.
Key thing: there is (usually) no reason to have 2 or more agents for your personal insurance needs. You should be able to find one person who is knowledgeable about auto, home, boats, motorcycles, and even life insurance. It makes your life much easier and if your person can't help you with those things, maybe you should look for someone who can.