Tips To Win Big At the Motorcycle Insurance Game

If you’re considering the purchase of a motorcycle, we’ll offer you this set of tips to help you limit the cost of buying motorcycle insurance.

Free of charge to you, riding brothers and sisters:

1. Use the Internet. The competition among insurance companies is much higher online and thus rates are lower. You can always use the online quotes as a negotiating ploy with the local agent.
2. Consider combining your insurance policies. Insurance companies provide major discounts when you combine bike insurance with car insurance, homeowners insurance, life insurance and so forth.
3. Consider limiting your overall costs by getting just the insurance that the law requires. You can also limit costs considerably by raising the deductibles as much as possible.
4. Just because an insurance company offers insurance for motorcycles does not mean they offer insurance for bikes considered “classic” or “vintage.” Many companies charge considerably higher rates for classic bikes.
5. There are discounts available for vintage bikes because of the lower risk associated with this type of driving. So you should seek out an insurance company that offers this kind of discount.
6. Many classic bike owners do not ride their bike often. There are weekend warrior discounts available. These discounts are getting quite good now that there are ways to track usage.
7. Understand the concept of agreed value. This is the compromised between your perception of the bike’s value and the insurance company’s perception of the bike’s value. The agreed value can make a big difference in the long-term cost of the policy and the total coverage that is available.
8. Shop for the insurance first. Insurance is a major expense, so you need to know the full story of what kind of expenses will be associated with ownership. Depending on the make, model and year of the bike you have in mind, you might be in for a nasty shock when it comes time to pay the tab to insure your purchase…
9. If you are buying insurance for a motorcycle or classic motorcycle for the first time, speak to an experienced rider in your area. They can help you avoid many of the most common pitfalls.
10. Comparison-shop. Insurance rates for motorcycles fluctuate greatly, much more so than it does for standard cars. The worst thing you can do is settle on the first seemingly low rate you come across.
11. If you opt to protect your investment with insurance, consider custom parts and equipment (CPE) insurance. It can increase the overall cost of the insurance dramatically, but you’ll be glad you bought it if you ever have to replace or repair a vintage or custom motorcycle which includes custom and hard-to-find (read expensive) equipment.