I've read many times that a rider goes down and they report it to their insurance. Does your rates go up when you file a claim? Always wondered this.

It depends. Insurance carriers are not in the business of losing money.

If you ask your insurance agent, I bet he/she will tell you "NO." That;s mine told me. She said they go by "the law BIG numbers." Lots of people pay in, few make claims. Riders are protected, people who make claims get paid and the insurance company makes money. Everyone is happy. Right. If you haven't had tickets and you had a simple garage tip over, I would make the claim IF YOU ARE SURE IT'S COVERED (deductible).

I know someone dumped his 14 twice and reported both and got paid for both. No premium hike. He also crashed his ZX-10 and his ZX-6 and I he had a squirrel mishap which lead to dropping his CBR but I don't think he reported those. If you ask me, I think keeping those to himself and paying out of pocket was wise. Insurance definitely watches your driving record, I'm sure they keep tabs on all claims regardless of what kind and whose fault it was. That's why I only carry liability. I don't plan to ever report anything. I just pay the price it takes to ride legally and save the insurance $$ in case I crash. So far, even with three driveway tip-overs, I think I've come out ahead. The deductible would have eaten up a lot of the cost of the damage was anyway.