Spring has arrived prematurely here at the Alexander Insurance Agency of St. Charles, as rising temperatures have given two-wheeled warriors more opportunities to get out and enjoy the road. Motorcycle insurance covers you and your bike in case your day takes an unexpected turn, like an accident on the road or other damage. This guide will focus on what motorcycle insurance covers and doesn’t, along with some differences in available policy types.

How Does Motorcycle Insurance Coverage Work?

Most states require motorcycle insurance by law, and it can cover everything from sudden medical bills to the event of your bike’s total loss. What is ultimately covered depends on what type of policy you purchase and the limits in the policy. Most providers offer a choice of minimum liability and full coverage policies along with additional extras that you can choose to enhance your protection.

Minimum-Liability Motorcycle Insurance exists to protect other drivers on the road. This is if they are injured or have their property damaged in an accident. This type of policy won’t cover you if you are injured or if your bike is stolen. One way to think about this type of coverage is that you have enough to meet the legal minimum, but you’re not necessarily off-the-hook for everything that could happen on the road.

Full-Coverage Motorcycle Insurance refers to a policy that includes your required liability, along with collision and comprehensive coverage. This coverage will protect your prized bike if it’s vandalized, stolen, or damaged in an accident that is deemed covered. If you are financing or leasing your bike, your lender will require you to have a full-coverage policy. In the event of an accident, you will have to pay a deductible before your provider steps in to take care of the remaining balance. The higher your deductible is, the lower your monthly premium will be.

What Does Motorcycle Insurance Cover?

Hitting the open road and feeling the wind in your hair on a motorcycle is one of the most thrilling recreational activities out there! With the cost of bike repairs, medical expenses, and lawsuits constantly rising, motorcycle accidents tend to be very costly. Motorcycle insurance is specifically designed to assist you with these unexpected events, so you’re not left with a staggering amount of sudden debt. Here are some of the events that motorcycle insurance thankfully covers:

Injury to Someone Else: most states require bodily injury liability insurance, which protects your losses if someone else is injured during a covered accident. Some states require guest passenger liability coverage to assist with damages for anyone who happens to be along for the ride.

Damage to Someone Else’s Property: Also required in most states, property damage liability insurance offers financial protection if someone else’s property is unexpectedly damaged during a covered accident.

Your Bike: Collision insurance luckily pays for your bike’s repairs if it’s damaged in an accident, while comprehensive insurance protects your bike if it’s stolen or damaged. Threats from weather such as floods, fire, and hail are protected, along with acts of vandalism. This type of insurance may also cover a bike that happens to fall while it’s parked.

Injury to You: Medical payments coverage (MedPay) and Personal injury protection (PIP) will cover your medical bills if you are the one injured during a covered event. Every time you lift the bike off its kickstand and hear the engine roar, this is the type of coverage many riders are most concerned with having.

Damage or Injury Caused by an Uninsured Driver: Underinsured/uninsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage will kick in if you suffer an accident with someone who was irresponsibly uninsured. If they happen to be at fault, this coverage will assist with your immediate loss. This insurance also can pay for the sudden trauma and assistance required from hit-and-run events.

Additional Motorcycle Insurance Coverage

While you are customizing your motorcycle insurance policy, you can start with the minimum levels required in your state and then expand on your specific needs from there. Then you can take a close look at your lifestyle and financial situation to decide what type of approach is best. If your bike has custom parts and add-ons, an option like equipment coverage would be well worth the extra cost.

Here are some additional add-ons that can help with the different types of scenarios you may encounter:

Towing or Roadside Assistance: This will help pay for emergency assistance if you are suddenly stuck on the side of the road in trouble. Many insurance providers also offer trip interruption coverage, which will cover an emergency place to stay and food if you suddenly break down.

Your Safety Gear and Personal Belongings: many insurance providers will offer optional protection to cover your riding gear that could be damaged as the result of a fully covered scenario.

Your Travel Trailer: A hefty trailer is one of the most practical ways to haul a motorcycle to different spectator events or cross country. Travel trailer coverage will help protect that trailer even when it’s not in the act of transporting your most loved item.

Custom Parts, Equipment, or Upgrades on Your Bike: If you have modifications such as custom seats, lighting, and exhaust upgrades, you can include custom parts and equipment coverage. This will help replace or repair these items directly after an accident.

Loss of Income Following an Accident: Motorcycle crashes can affect your ability to work, and they do so quite immediately! Enhanced injury protection will help cover loss of income and even go above and beyond with a death benefit for your beneficiaries in case the unimaginable occurs.

What Doesn’t Motorcycle Insurance Cover?

Here are a few of the events that a standard motorcycle insurance policy won’t cover. They include:

Extreme Competition: If you are in the expert-level tier of riders that enjoy competition, most insurance providers will exclude you from coverage because of your severely heightened risk. If you claim otherwise and evidence shows you were street racing during the accident, your insurer will likely deny the claim.

Commercial Use: Most motorcycle insurance policies will not cover you if the bike is being used for commercial reasons. A courier, messenger, or delivery driver should have a commercial policy to make sure that you have adequate protection.

Regular Wear and Tear: Much like other areas of insurance coverage, regular wear and tear cannot be covered by insurance. A bike simply showing its age after a high number of miles is not fair game for covered damage. Worn tires, loose throttle cables, and other commonplace scratches are costs you unfortunately may have to absorb on your own.

Curveball Coverage: Riding Securely Through the Unexpected

Motorcycle insurance can prove to be very beneficial during tough times, but only if you’ve purchased the right amount. Protecting your investment is the goal, as is securing the best policy for your two-wheeled enjoyment. Here at the Alexander Insurance Agency of St. Charles, we know that the excitement and roar of the engine every weekend is your sacred time, while defining your recreational regimen! Contact us today to secure your ride and cruise with confidence and make 2024 a year of worry-free adventures.