What Optional Coverages Should You Consider for Your Motorcycle Insurance Policy?

There are 3 coverages every motorcycle insurance policy should have: liability, uninsured motorist, and medical coverage.

• Motorcycle Liability insurance is the only coverage that Washington state requires you to carry (effective July 2019). Liability coverage protects you if you’re found at fault for an accident where another person is injured or their property is damaged. It does not cover injuries to you or damage to your cycle.
• Motorcycle Uninsured/UnderInsured Motorist (UM/UIM) is, arguably, the most important insurance coverage and is listed second only because you cannot purchase it without purchasing liability. In their October 2017 report, the Insurance Research Council reported that 17.4% of Washington drivers are uninsured.
  UM/UIM pays for damages to you and/or your property caused by another driver who either doesn’t have insurance (uninsured) or doesn’t have adequate insurance (underinsured). UM/UIM coverage typically pays for you and your passenger’s medical treatment, lost wages, and property damage.
  With uninsured motorist, your insurance company covers you and any passengers as if they are the uninsured driver’s insurance company.
• Motorcycle Medical Payments (MedPay) coverage is optional in Washington. It pays for any necessary medical treatment for you and any passengers up to the coverage limit you chose to purchase. This can be important if you don’t have health insurance to cover your medical expenses or you have a high-deductible health plan.

You may be surprised that comprehensive & collision (aka full coverage) is not on this list. These coverages are often required by lenders if you take out a loan to purchase your motorcycle. So yes, this coverage is very important to the bank but the three coverages above are much more likely to keep you from bankruptcy in the event of an accident.

Let’s face it. All motorcyclists are at the mercy of other drivers. This is not a video game where you can reset the game and start over. If you get hit, you may be hospitalized for months. Riding safe means wearing the right protective gear. If you take your safety and the financial safety of your family seriously, then motorcycle rider insurance should be viewed like protective gear.

If it is designed for off-road or licensed for street use, the answer is YES! We partner with a number of cyle insurance companies in order to provide you the best price. Companies we represent that can insure your bike include Progressive, Safeco, Dairyland, and Foremost.

We can insure your:

• Moped, scooter, dirt bike, and enduro
• Custom, vintage, classic, collector, and antique
• Cruiser, touring, sport-touring, trike, and even an autocycle
• ATV or UTV with 3 wheels, 4 wheels, or even 8
• What did we forget?

Broadform Motorcycle Insurance is designed to provide the policy owner with liability insurance just like broad form auto insurance except that it only covers 2-wheeled vehicles. Insurance for any motorcycle you may ride.

Comprehensive and collision coverages (aka “full coverage”) that would pay to fix the bike in case of an accident, theft, or vandalism cannot be added to a motorcycle broadform policy but Uninsured Motorist and Medical can be added.

If you answer Yes to these 3 questions, then Broad Form Motorcycle Insurance might just be right for you.
1. Do you own or ride multiple motorcycles?
2. Are you the only one who ever rides them?
3. Don’t need “full coverage” on any of them?

Yes, SR22 insurance for motorcycles is available in Washington. To reinstate your motorcycle license because of a DUI or other serious tickets, Washington state requires an SR22 be filed with the Department of Licensing (DOL).

You can have the SR-22 added to your motorcycle policy so that you can drive legally. The motorcycle insurance company will file the SR22 on your behalf with the DMV so you can get your license back.

Mid-Columbia Insurance makes it as easy for you to get motorcycle insurance and an SR22 after a DUI. We partner with a number of motorcycle insurance companies so you can get a great rate on your motorcycle insurance no matter your driving history and even if you don’t have a motorcycle endorsement!

A Motorcycle insurance policy can cost you less than $200 annually or be greater than $2000 per year depending on 6 significant factors: your age, your driving record, your bike, your hometown, your selected coverages, and the discounts for which you qualify.

Like your car insurance, motorcycle premiums are based on a number of rating factors that reflect the likelihood of a caim. Since each company weights these factors differently, expect a wide range of quotes.

• Your Age: Statistics inform the insurance provider that if you are under 25 you are more likely to be involved in a wreck than if you happen to be 30+.
• Your Driving History: If you have accumulated speeding tickets or have already had a crash in the last few years, then your chances of having another crash are statistically higher than someone without tickets or accidents.
• Your Bike: Particular motorbikes appear to entice careless cyclists.
• Your Garaging Address: Crowded, urban areas also raise your odds of being in an accident.
• Your Coverages: Of course, if you add more coverages your rate is going to be more. However, just like when you buy the bigger package at the food store, you likewise wind up paying less per $1,000 of insurance coverage when you buy more. Doubling your liability insurance coverage from $25,000 per person to $50,000 per person will probably only raise your rate 20%, not double the price.
• Your Discounts: Every company offers a different combination of discounts, the discounts that line up with your situation will probably end up being your best choice. Discounts available include: Multiple motorcycle, Multiple policy, Claim-free, Safety course, Paid-in-full discount, Motorcycle association membership, and more.

Motorcycle insurance is not “One Size Fits All”. The best motorcycle insurance rates for you will come from a  company that offers a policy which aligns with your specific needs.

One call to us will get you all the quotes you need. As an independent agent, we quote you with multiple motorcycle insurance companies to find the best match for you. Whether that’s coverage for a custom motorcycle or just the minimum Washington state requirements so you are legal.

If you call one of the ‘name brand’ companies such as State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Geico, or Markel, you only get one quote from their brand.

Each company we carry, Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, Safeco Motorcycle Insurance, Dairyland Motorcycle Insurance, and Foremost Motorcycle Insurance, has different specialties giving you options when you are shopping.

Some of our motorcycle insurance companies even offer a car & motorcycle insurance bundle, discounting both policies. This is a great way to save money on your motorcycle insurance policy.

Insuring your bike through Mid-Columbia Insurance means you will get the insurance you want at a price you can afford.

Buying your first motorcycle can be a dream come true.

Whether you are looking for motorcycle insurance for 18 year old or finally have saved up enough to buy your first motorcycle or ATV/UTV, we can get you cheap motorcycle insurance rates.

As a new rider, you have less experience so insurers figure you will are more likely to be involved in an accident and therefore will need to pay more.

Keep your record clean and avoid accidents and you should see your rate drop as you gain experience.