Mar 7 2014
Motorcycles offer a great deal of joy and freedom for their riders. However, riding a motorcycle carries 
with it risks, so most serious riders desire good insurance coverage. For convenience and the best policy rates, many riders go online for quotes on motorcycle insurance. There is plenty of competition out there among websites offering these types of quotes. If your company provides motorcycle insurance quotes, you need a way to stand out from the crowd.
Decoding motorcycle VINs is a great way to provide more accurate quotes and speed up the insurance underwriting process, thus giving your leads and customers a more positive experience on your website.
When someone comes to your website for a quote, you simply ask them to provide the VIN to their motorcycle through an online form. Once you obtain the VIN, you decode on the back end using a Motorcycle VIN Decoder web service or using a Motorcycle VIN file hosted locally. The VIN Decoder will provide the year, make, model, and trim. This can be displayed to the customer to verify along with any additional questions that you may need to complete the quote. After that, you can provide a highly accurate insurance quote tied directly to that vehicle identification number.
Since 1981, American motorcycles have been assigned standardized 17-digit VIN codes. Both alpha and numeric characters can be used. The resulting VIN encodes information for identifying the vehicle. The VIN itself is often located on the frame or dash of the motorcycle, although the exact location on the motorcycle may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The first three digits of the vehicle identification number indicate the country or origin, manufacturer, and make of the motorcycle. The fourth through eighth digit is the VDS, which manufacturers use to identify the make, model, trim, and engine of the motorcycle. Each manufacturer has its own format for this section. In North America, the ninth position is known as the check digit and is used, along with an algorithm, to determine if the VIN is valid. The tenth digit indicates the year of manufacture, the 11th identifies the manufacturing plant, and the 12th through 17th digit is the motorcycle's serial number.
As someone in the industry, you know there is risk associated with any insurance quotes, including those for motorcycles. However, accuracy can be difficult because there are so many factors involved. If you are quoting a 2012 Harley Davidson without the use of a VIN decoder, you would depend on the visitor to provide accurate details.
The difference between a 2012 Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide Street Bob and a Fat Bob is enough to significantly impact the quote. The MSRP for a Street Bob was $12,999. The MSRP for a Fat Bob was $15,349. That MSRP difference alone shows why accuracy is so important in the quoting process.
Using a VIN Decoder reduces the risk of an inaccurate valuation. The information you get from a VIN is not subjective and if using a professional VIN decoding product, you can be certain of its accuracy. This can reduce the chance of a mistake by the insurance company or the motorcycle owner, as well as save both parties time.
A VIN decoder can be easily integrated into your insurance lead generation and quoting processes. Both VIN decoding web services and delivered database products are available to fit almost any business's needs, and solutions are available that can cover everything from Vespa scooters to Mack trucks. Adding VIN decoding functionality will save you and your customers time and will help you provide more accurate and profitable quotes.
