Liability, collision and comprehensive for the bike — plus the gear, custom parts and passenger coverage that are easy to miss.
The structure resembles an auto policy — liability for injuries and damage you cause, collision for your own bike, comprehensive for theft, fire, vandalism and weather, plus uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. What differs is everything around the edges, and the edges are where riders get caught short.
Custom parts and equipment. Exhaust, bags, seats, chrome, audio and paint are typically covered only up to a small built-in limit unless you schedule them. Riders who have spent real money on a bike often carry far less coverage on those parts than they assume.
Riding gear. Helmet, jacket, boots and gloves are not automatically covered by the bike policy. Some carriers offer a gear endorsement, which is inexpensive relative to replacing a full kit.
Passenger liability. Coverage for an injured passenger is not universal across carriers and forms; if you ride two-up, confirm it rather than assume it.
Roadside assistance and trip interruption. A breakdown on a bike two hundred miles from home is a different problem than one in a car.
Many riders park the bike for winter and consider cancelling coverage to save money. Dropping comprehensive leaves the bike uninsured against theft and fire in the garage, which is exactly where stored bikes are stolen. The usual approach is to reduce to comprehensive-only for the off-season rather than cancel, and a lapse in coverage can also raise your rate when you restart.
Engine displacement and bike type, your riding history and license endorsement, whether you have completed a rider safety course, where the bike is stored, and annual mileage. A safety course discount is one of the more reliable ways to lower the number.
Two things worth reading before you renew: why uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters more on a bike, and what a motorcycle injury actually costs.
We write motorcycle coverage through Progressive, GEICO, Dairyland and Traders, and we quote across all of them rather than sending you to whichever one comes up first.
Discounts worth asking about: multi-policy or bundling, safe and steady rider, carrying a motorcycle endorsement on your license, an approved rider safety course, membership in riding associations and affiliations, paying in full, mature rider, renewal or loyalty credit, anti-theft and safety equipment, homeownership, and where the bike is garaged. Several of these stack, and riders rarely have all the ones they qualify for.
No. Motorcycles are written on their own policy. An auto policy does not extend to a bike you own, though some carriers will bundle the two for a multi-policy discount.
Not automatically. Riding gear generally needs a specific endorsement, which most carriers offer at modest cost.
Reducing to comprehensive-only is usually the better move. Cancelling entirely leaves the bike exposed to theft and fire in storage, and a coverage lapse can raise your rate next season.
Only up to a small default limit unless you schedule them. If you have invested in exhaust, paint or accessories, list them and insure them for what they cost.
Tell us what you need covered and we will shop it across dozens of carriers.