“The older I get, the faster I was. There are old bikers and there are bold bikers, but there are no old, bold bikers.” ― Evel Knievel
There are multitudes of quotes about motorcycles, which is probably because to a biker, their motorcycle is more than just their best friend, it’s an extension of themselves. In nearly fifteen years of working in insurance, motorcycles have always been my absolute favorite thing to write, mainly because there are no surprises; their owners know them inside and out. They can tell you where every part was made and some can even tell you where they got them custom-painted.
There are bikers who are perfectly comfortable with polishing the chrome on their stock Harley, and other bikers who’ve customized their chopper so much over the years that even its own VIN number is confused.
So what do they all have in common? They all need to be insured!
It’s a common misconception that motorcycle insurance is the same as car insurance. The two are cousins (or maybe siblings) but are far from identical twins.
You still have to have Bodily Injury liability, and even though you have half the wheels, the risk is still the same, you could still find yourself responsible for an accident and needing legal defense. But what about “Guest Liability?” If you’re riding with a passenger, Guest Liability pays for their medical bills if they get hurt. Cars don’t have this coverage but motorcycles need it. It should be automatically added but check with your agent just in case.
Another coverage that both Motorcycles and Cars share is Medical Payments. While many people just pick whatever number on the auto options and pay this no mind, PLEASE Believe me when I tell you this is THE MOST IMPORTANT coverage on your policy. As unique as your bike is, it can be replaced if needed, you, however cannot. You are a one-of-a-kind, limited edition, top of the line model. Please cover yourself as such. I usually say to customers to “take what you can afford comfortably” but I beg you this one time to max it out. Car drivers have airbags and glass and steel to keep them safe. You have physics and a helmet. Get this one right.
From here the coverages are similar to regular auto, though you should definitely have an appropriate amount of coverage for customizations, you should also add comprehensive and collision coverage. “But my bike is old!” Ok but do you have a box of replacement parts in the garage? If you do, then great, that’s more money for medical payments coverage. Otherwise, even a high deductible is better than no coverage at all.
Finally, if you have the option to add towing, please do. It really doesn’t cost much (in comparison to the rest of your policy), and if you’re riding out to the middle of nowhere to clear your head, do you *really* want to have to attempt to push your bike back to civilization after forgetting to gas up on your way out? (Don’t feel bad, it can happen to anyone!)
Don’t *think* you have enough coverage, *know* for sure you do – give us a call today.
