What Are Your Available Insurance Options as a New Motorcycle Rider?

Motorcycle insurance allows you to enjoy a drive down an open road with some financial protection if something happens.

Even experienced riders have accidents while on their motorcycles, so being prepared with a high-quality policy is an essential investment. When you have the coverage you need, it’s easier to transition if something unexpected happens financially.

As a new biker, keeping the big picture in mind while shopping for motorcycle insurance is essential. You’ll need to meet minimum liability coverage requirements, consider comprehensive and collision, and protect expensive gear or custom parts.

Motorcycle Insurance Coverage Options to Review

Motorcycle insurance policies help protect bikes, trikes, scooters, mopeds, and more. This security helps to protect you if an accident occurs, but how it works can take several forms. Here’s an overview of the options that you have today.

1. Liability Coverage

This option gets broken into property damage and bodily injury categories. The first helps to cover the costs of repairing or replacing another person’s property if you’re at fault in an accident. Imagine crashing into a fence – your policy helps to make the owner of it whole.

The second option covers lost wages, medical expenses, and other costs associated with the death or injury of another rider or driver when an accident is your fault. Some states allow this coverage to extend to passengers.

2. Medical Payments Coverage

This insurance option for motorcycles covers necessary and reasonable expenses, including X-rays and ambulance rides, due to an accident or injury-causing incident.

3. Personal Injury Protection

When you have this coverage, the insurance helps reimburse lost income, medical bills, childcare costs, and other expenses if you get hurt in an accident. This protection option is not available in every state.

4. Collision Coverage

With this insurance policy for motorcycles, you have coverage for damage to your bike from a collision with other objects. It includes other vehicles, bikes, or even buildings and trees. You can typically select your own deductible for this protection.

5. Comprehensive Coverage

When damage occurs to your bike from something other than another object (such as a vehicle), you have the coverage needed to repair or replace it. This policy addition often covers things like vandalism, theft, and flooding. It typically covers repair costs up to the current actual value of the motorcycle.

6. Towing and Labor Coverage

This option provides reimbursement for towing costs and the work it takes to haul your motorcycle to a repair facility or an address of your choice. It might be included as roadside assistance for some insurance carriers.

7. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Should you be in an accident with another biker or driver and they’re at fault without insurance, you’ll have the medical expenses covered for you and your passenger.

Loan gaps, off-road trailer policies, rental reimbursements, and added equipment coverage are possibilities for new bikers. If you purchase a new motorcycle with a loan, you’ll likely be required to have comprehensive, collision, and liability insurance before riding.