hooper

Hello all, I am asking this question for my husband, he lives in the UK and is back and forth over here to New York state visiting me, his wife until I make the move over to the UK in a year or so.......
He wants to get a motorcycle to ride while he is here on his visits, he has the motorcycle endorsement on his license.
He actually is arriving next monday and wants to start the hunt for a bike when he arrives, so before we start the quest for the perfect motorcycle, the question(s) are;
I have a bike already, can he ride my bike with his UK motorcycle endorsed license and can we get a second bike for him and have it registered/insured under my name (as I would also be riding it too) and can he be listed as a second driver of the motorcycle(s) on the insurance policy? We want to be able to ride together, legally!

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE.

Check your insurance policy as most insurances here cover the vehicle and any driver you authorise.

hooper

Thank you jersey girl, I will do that, but what about driving with a UK license, will that be a problem?

Guindalf

As long as he can show a motorcycle endorsement, he should be fine. I'd check with your local DMV to be absolutely sure.

It's important to remember that there is no restriction to size on bike here, so something too powerful could be too much to handle. There are several riders on this forum (including myself), so there's lots of advice available to you - and occasionally, we may even agree with each other!!!

Jerseygirl

If he's only visiting the US it should be OK...I would check the DMV website.

hooper

Thank you Guindalf, he is well used to riding all sizes of bikes, besides I won't let him be the boy racer that he was in his youth, though he is still thinks he is living in those days! Silly boy! I am about to pull out my insurance policy and look through it, as I understand it, in the UK its the driver who is insured, but here its the vehicle that is insured? He has to call up and get me added to his insurance whenever I am in the UK for a length of time, though I am quite happy to be a passenger, I HATE driving over there!

hooper

Yes, he is just a visitor for a few weeks at a time, I am the one that will be making the move in a year or so..... Now I am off to find that insurance policy, though now I have started using my brain and thinking......since he is a visitor and UK citizens rent cars and I am sure motorcycles over here all the time, he should be alright, just have to check the policy!

hooper

Who is covered
Section I applies to the following as insureds with regard to an owned motorcycle
1. you and your relatives
2. any other person using the motorcycle with your permission. The actual use must be with permission

So based on this, as long as I give him permission, he is allowed to ride over here, I do realize that section 1, states "relatives", which he is one by being my spouse, but I will tell him as per insurance he needs my permission, I like that much better!

Thank you both for your help!

TimNiceBut

You might want to talk to your insurance anyway as some haven't figured out yet that people can have foreign relatives or friends.

At least with our insurance (State Farm) allowing a relative with an EU license to use the car or bike isn't a big deal, but insurance companies vary and have got some funny ideas. For example, Geico would only cover me on my USC wife's car for a maximum of two years' visits before they required a US license.

Riding a bike in the US on a UK license with m/c endorsement is not a problem if you are a visitor, I've done it a few times before I moved over here.

hooper

Ohhhh hmmm, interesting Tim, I actually am with Geico, so that is good to know, he has been driving my car when he is over for the past three years, never even thought about insurance, etc..... until the motorcycle thing came up, just assumed that since he is a licensed driver, albeit from the UK, it was okay for him to drive, because he was a visitor and had a license.
Thats why I was surprised when I was in the UK and he would have to call his insurance company to get me covered so I could drive over there.

King Gimp

I used to rent motorcycles when I came to the US 'On vacation'

When I first moved here I bought a car outright and Geico took my UK license details without any hassle.

A USC friend has kindly lent me his bike and added me onto his insurance with my UK licence. I believe you can only use a foreign issued licence for 12 months once you enter the US on an immigrant visa, though this sounds like you won't be affected by this.

md95065

How long you can drive in the US on a foreign license depends entirely on the laws of the particular state where you are resident (and note that, in this context, the state also gets to define whether or not they consider you to be "resident" and that this definition likely has little or nothing to do with your immigration status)

hooper

MD, I don't think he will be affected by the 12 month status either, he is only here for a couple of weeks at a time

King, lucky you to have a friend like that!