Virginia Motorcycle Insurance Information

Every spring in Virginia, the motorcycles start to hit the road.  It is the time to tune up, gear up, and feel the freedom of the open wind–and also save on some gas money.  If you own or planning to own a motorcycle, it’s important to have the right equipment, safety knowledge, and the right Virginia motorcycle insurance protection.  Riding a motorcycle is a great experience, but potential risks and hazards must be assessed.   So before you fire your bike up for a ride on the road,  or if you are soon to become a new bike owner, contact your Virginia Motorcycle Insurance specialist at Above & Beyond Insurance for a no obligation, free risk assessment and insurance review.  We can provide you with quotes, policy advice, and answers to questions like these:

Is my motorcycle covered under my Virginia auto insurance?
How do I know I have the right Virginia motorcycle insurance coverage for my bike?
What is the most important coverage on my Virginia Motorcycle Insurance policy?
How can I get a discount on my Virginia motorcycle insurance policy?
What about Virginia insurance for mopeds, scooters or ATV’s?
Do I have the best insurance rates for my motorcycle policy coverages?

Is my motorcycle covered under my auto insurance?

It is easy to think that your new motorcycle should be covered under you Virginia auto insurance policy–but is not!  No!  Don’t make the mistake to assume that your car insurance will cover your motorcycle, or provide liability coverage, if you hurt somebody or damage somebody’s property. Your Virginia car insurance will absolutely not extend to your motorcycle.  Also, it will not apply for you, if you cause injury or damage while riding your motorcycle.

Your car insurance and your Virginia motorcycle insurance are completely separate, and will not apply for each other.

That said, some states offer so-called “Motorcycle Endorsements” that can be added to your auto policy. But beware: These endorsements are usually by far not as comprehensive as a stand-alone motorcycle policy, and they often come with a variety of exclusions in the fine print.  It is almost always safer to have a Virginia Motorcycle Insurance policy.  If you own or planning to own a motorcycle, we strongly recommend that you get a stand-alone Virginia motorcycle insurance policy.  Give us a call. We can help.

How do I know I have the right Virginia Motorcycle Insurance coverage for my bike?

The best way to know that you have the right insurance coverage for your motorcycle is to have a licensed Virginia motorcycle insurance specialist assess your risk and determine the proper coverages.   It is a very wise decision to protect your new investment with a comprehensive motorcycle policy. After all, no matter how careful you are, it’s all too easy for a bike to get damaged or stolen, not to mention the possibility of an accident that could cause damage or injury to another party.

Virginia motorcycle insurance is quite similar to a Virginia  auto insurance policy. It includes many of the same coverages such as:

• Bodily Injury / Property Damage Liability Coverage
  This coverage applies if you are considered at-fault in causing damage or injury to a third party, up to the limits you select. This can be very important for you, since this coverage helps you protect your own assets.
• Comprehensive / Collision Coverage
  This coverage pays for repairs to your bike if it is damaged in an accident, if it’s stolen, or, for example, if it’s damaged or destroyed by a fire.
• Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UM/UIM)
  If you are in an accident in which the other party is at fault, this coverage will protect you if they don’t have the insurance or resources to pay for your damages and/or injuries that they are legally liable for. That includes medical payments and loss of wages.
• Medical Payments
  Medical payments cover the cost of any medical treatment you receive, regardless of who is at fault. This coverage is often limited to the first three years after an accident happened.
• Custom Parts and Equipment
  This coverage provides protection for accessories and ‘extras’ to your bike that generally exceed $1,000 in value, other than those originally included by the manufacturer. It also covers sidecars, trailers that are intended to be pulled by a motorcycle, custom paint jobs, safety riding gear and helmets, and trike conversion kits. Custom parts and equipment are covered up to $1,000 under comprehensive coverage.
• Roadside Assistance
  Provides immediate roadside repair services for break-down, dead battery, flat tire, or running out of fuel, and towing.

Even though the odds of being at fault in a multi-vehicle accident are very low for motorcyclists, liability often doesn’t clearly lie with the other party, either. And even though bikers are often the victims when it comes to cycle – car collisions, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need good protection. What if you accidentally hit a bicyclist or a pedestrian? What if you accidentally scratch a car as you back out of your parking spot?

Virginia motorcycle insurance will help protect you and your bike, as well as your assets in case you ever find yourself in a liability lawsuit.  Our licensed Virginia motorcycle insurance specialist at Above & Beyond Insurance,  can help you protect almost any type of motorcycle, whether it’s a Dirt Bike or a Street Cruiser, a Vintage bike or a customized high-performance machine. Give us a call.

What is the most important coverage on my Virginia Motorcycle Insurance policy?

Although you may have an expensive bike, and a total loss would be very bad, many other losses could be worst.  Bodily injury can be a much larger claim than property damage.  This could be you injured by an at fault driver of a car or it could be a pedestrian that you hit.  The bodily injury liability damages could easily go into the many hundreds of thousands of dollar range.   Coverage for your motorcycle is important, but liability coverage is most important.

As you shop for your Virginia motorcycle insurance policy, keep in mind that cheaper isn’t always better when it comes to insurance.  And especially with motorcycle insurance, the cheaper policies aren’t always worth the money you pay for them. What you want is a policy that protects you when you need it. Cheap coverage usually provides you only with low liability limits, and, what’s worse, with the most important coverage completely missing…

For example, too many policies out there do not include Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM/ UIM) coverage. Yet, this is probably one of the single most important coverages of a motorcycle policy. It pays your cost for when injured by an at fault party who has no insurance or minimum limits. Not having UM/UIM coverage can hurt you quite badly. Here’s why:  As a biker, your risk of being at-fault in an accident is comparatively low. But, your risk of getting hit is relatively high. That’s where your UM/UIM coverage applies.

Your UM/UIM coverage kicks in if you are hit by a driver who doesn’t have the insurance or resources to pay for your injuries, medical payments, loss of wages, and damage to your bike. If the person who hit you doesn’t have the money to pay for the damages they caused you, your own insurance will protect you. But only if you have the right insurance. This is what your UM/UIM coverage does for you.

You cannot buy stand-alone UM/UIM Virginia Motorcycle Insurance coverage. UM/UIM can only be obtained in combination with liability coverage, and it can only be purchased up to the limits of your liability coverage. You cannot carry low liability limits, but high UM/UIM limits in Virginia.

Now, that being said, keep in mind that it is also very important to have adequate liability limits to protect yourself and your assets, if you are at fault in an accident and cause damage to another party.

To sum it all up: You need GOOD Motorcycle Insurance so you can protect yourself! Whether there is a liability lawsuit, or an irresponsible driver who hits you. Because a driver who isn’t responsible enough to look for motorcycles on the road might not be responsible enough to carry adequate insurance limits.

Give us a call today. We can help you find a Virginia motorcycle Insurance policy that provides you with the protection you need, while giving you the best value for your dollar.

How can I get a discount on my motorcycle policy?

Now, you’ve heard that one can get money-saving discounts on auto insurance (hey, and you even qualify for some!) so that makes you wonder…shouldn’t you be able to get a discount on your motorcycle policy, as well?

Yes you should! And you can! Depending on the company, a variety of discounts are available:

• Claims-Free Discount: If you didn’t have any claims or accidents during the previous policy period, you qualify for this discount when your policy renews.
• Homeowner Discount: If you own your home, you qualify for this discount. Why? Because insurance companies assume that if you own a home, you are a responsible person. Responsible people are responsible drivers (or riders) and deserve a discount.
• Multi-Policy Discount: If you have more than one policy with one company, you may qualify for a multi-policy discount.
• Safe Driver Discount: If you’ve been cruising without accidents or violations for 3 years, you qualify for this discount.
• Safety Course Discount: Completing a Safety Course can save your life. And offer you a discount on your motorcycle policy. Sign up for a class today. (To keep the insurance discount active, you have to complete a safety course every three years.)
• Some companies might give you a discount if you store your bike in a garage or out of sight, or if you use chains or other Anti-Theft devices to lock it down.

Keep in mind that your insurance rates depend on your bike’s type and brand, its engine size, the level of customization, and the miles driven. A customized street race machine that you use to commute to work will bring you much higher insurance bills than a vintage cruiser that you only use every now and then. As you search for your perfect bike, keep these factors in mind to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call for more information, even before you purchase your bike.

What about insurance for mopeds, scooters or ATV’s?

Now that you’ve found the bike of your dreams, you got your wife hooked: She’d like to do her smaller, around-the-town errands on a little scooter, rather than in the car. Not only does it save gas, but it also gives her this lifestyle feeling as if she were living in a small town in Italy.

Well, you can’t blame her. You knew all along what riding on two wheels can do for your soul.

Question is, how do you insure the little scooter? Does it qualify as a motorcycle at all?

Yes it does! Mopeds and scooters (electric and gasoline-powered) can be insured on a Motorcycle policy. All the same discounts and options apply for big bikes as well as smaller mopeds and scooters.

ATV’s (and snowmobiles, too), on the other hand, take a special place. An ATV may be covered under your homeowner’s policy, but only if it’s driven exclusively on your own property. There is absolutely no coverage if you take the ATV off your property and drive it on public roads…even if it’s only across the street. If there is any chance at all that you might take your ATV to a dirt track, into the mountains, or elsewhere, you should get specific ATV (or Snowmobile, etc) insurance.

The good news is…we can help with any of it! Just give us a call or visit the Insurance Quotes section of our website on the menu above and we’ll work to get you the best protection at the best possible price.