Pays other people after a crash you cause, repairs or replaces the bike after a collision or theft, and, with the right endorsement, covers the helmet, the bags and the custom parts. Rider experience, engine size and where the bike sleeps set the premium.
Liability pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others and defends you if you are sued. The limits are yours to choose, and the floor each state sets is written for the other driver's benefit rather than yours. One clause to read closely: guest passenger liability, which covers injuries to the person on the seat behind you, is not automatic with every carrier and is excluded outright by some unless the policy is endorsed.
Collision pays to repair or replace the bike after a crash regardless of fault, and that includes a single-vehicle lowside on a gravel corner with no one else involved. Comprehensive pays for theft, vandalism, fire, hail, flood and animal strikes, with its own deductible. A total loss is settled at actual cash value unless the policy is written on an agreed value basis, and for a vintage, restored or heavily customized bike the agreed value option is the only way the settlement reflects what was actually lost.
The policy covers the bike as it left the factory. Aftermarket exhaust, bags, seats, chrome, paint, lighting and performance parts are covered only up to a small built-in limit unless they are scheduled with receipts, and on a bike that has been built up over several years the difference is often thousands. Safety apparel, meaning the helmet, jacket, gloves and boots destroyed in a crash, is covered under this part or a separate apparel endorsement with some carriers and not at all with others.
When a driver turns left across your lane and carries no insurance or too little, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries up to your own limits. On a motorcycle the injuries in that crash are yours, not the driver's, which is why matching this limit to your liability limit is the standing recommendation. Medical payments pays your medical bills and a passenger's regardless of fault with no deductible. Utah's no-fault personal injury protection treats motorcycles differently from cars, and a rider there should not assume those benefits follow them onto the bike.
A motorcycle needs a flatbed, so roadside coverage written for bikes pays for the right truck. Trip interruption pays lodging and meals when the bike breaks down far from home on a covered loss. A lay-up endorsement suspends collision and liability during the months the bike is stored and keeps comprehensive running, so a theft from the garage in January is still covered while the winter premium drops.
