The merry month of May comes with some very nice weather. This inspires people to get their motorcycles out of their garages and take them for a nice ride. Before you do that, though, make sure you have the right kind of insurance.
The auto insurance policy that you have on your car or truck is not something that you can use to cover your motorcycle, even though it is, technically, a vehicle. If your state requires drivers to purchase car insurance, then the same law probably applies to people who drive motorcycles. Some people think that they don’t need a motorcycle insurance policy if they only drive their motorcycles once in a while, when the weather is nice. This is a common misconception. In reality, you are going to be required to purchase motorcycle insurance regardless of the frequency that you actually use your motorcycle.
Motorcycle insurance covers the damage that is caused if you get into an accident while driving your motorcycle. In this way, motorcycle insurance works similarly to auto insurance. If the accident you are involved in is your fault, then your motorcycle insurance will cover the cost of fixing the damage that happened to the other driver’s vehicle. It also has a liability portion, that will cover the cost of the medical care that the people in the other vehicle need, due to the accident.
People who ride motorcycles will need a good helmet. In some states, there are laws requiring all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, (no matter if they are the driver or the passenger). Your motorcycle insurance policy will cover the cost of the necessary accessories that go along with your bike. It can cover your helmet, the protective leather that you are wearing, and your saddlebags and backrest. The insurance policy can come with some roadside assistance as well.
Although your motorcycle insurance covers the cost of damages due to an accident, you should not assume it is going to cover other kinds of damages. In other words, your policy won’t cover the cost of repairing damage that was caused by weather. To prevent this, you may want to start parking your motorcycle in the garage, instead of in your driveway, or on the street. It also won’t cover the cost of fixing scratches or other damage to the custom paint job that you spent a lot of money on.
A typical auto insurance policy comes with a portion called “uninsured motorist”. This means if you get into an accident that was caused by the other driver, and that person doesn’t have car insurance, then your policy will cover the damage to your vehicle that were caused by the other driver. Motorcycle insurance doesn’t automatically come with coverage for uninsured motorists. You will need to specifically ask about this, and have it added on.
Image by Daniel Levy on Flickr