Motorcycle Insurance discounts and questions
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.
Discounts carriers commonly offer
- Safety course
- A completed rider course from a recognized program. It also earns the license endorsement in some states.
- Multi-bike and multi-policy
- More than one motorcycle, or a bike alongside an auto or home policy with the same carrier.
- Experienced rider
- A set number of years licensed for motorcycles with a clean record.
- Anti-theft and garaging
- A tracking device, an alarm or a locked garage, priced against the theft exposure.
- Association membership
- Membership in a riders' association recognized by the carrier.
- Lay-up
- Not a discount on the schedule but the same effect: a reduced premium for the months the bike is stored.
Questions people ask
Do I need coverage on a bike I only ride a few months a year?
The bike still needs liability while it is registered and on the road, and it still needs comprehensive while it sits, because theft and garage fires do not follow the season. The lay-up endorsement is built for this: liability and collision are suspended during the stored months, comprehensive continues, and the premium reflects the split. Riding during the lay-up period voids the suspended coverages, so the dates have to be honest.
Is my helmet and gear covered?
It depends on the carrier. Some include riding apparel under custom parts and equipment, some sell a separate apparel endorsement, and some pay nothing for it. A good helmet, jacket, boots and gloves add up, and after a crash they are almost always destroyed, so ask the question when the policy is placed rather than when the claim is filed.
What does a customized bike get in a total loss?
On a standard policy, the actual cash value of the factory bike plus the built-in custom parts limit, which rarely reflects what was spent. Scheduling the parts with receipts raises that limit to what you paid, and an agreed value policy fixes the total the carrier pays at a number you and the carrier set in advance. For a build worth more than the base bike, agreed value with scheduled parts is the only settlement that comes out right.
Does my auto policy cover a motorcycle?
No. An auto policy excludes vehicles with fewer than four wheels, and its uninsured motorist coverage will not follow you onto a motorcycle you own but have not insured. A bike needs its own policy, and once it has one the uninsured motorist limit on that policy is what pays when a car hits you.
What happens if a driver pulls out in front of me and has no insurance?
Your uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries up to your limit, and your collision coverage repairs the bike less the deductible. A share of the drivers in Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Idaho carry no insurance at all, and a share of the rest carry the state floor, which does not go far on a helicopter flight and a surgery. This is the limit we least want a rider to skimp on.
Is my passenger covered?
Only if the policy carries guest passenger liability. Without it, a passenger injured in a crash you caused has no claim against your policy and would have to sue you personally. Medical payments, where carried, pays a passenger's bills regardless of fault. If you regularly ride two-up, both parts should be on the declarations page.