There is nothing quite like the freedom that one feels while riding a motorcycle on the open road. The wind is in your hair, you can feel the power of the bike beneath you, and the possibilities seem endless. The last thing you want is for that dream to come to an end, especially with the rising number of motorcycle accidents. That is why making sure that your motorcycle has the proper insurance is essential. Ensuring that your own bike has the appropriate coverage is fine, as long as it is the only one that you will be riding. However, what if you decide to ride another bike? Will your motorcycle insurance cover you on another bike? The answer is not a simple yes or no. It depends greatly on the specifics of your insurance policy, whose bike you are riding, and the length of time that you will be riding the bike. There is nothing quite like the freedom that one feels while riding a motorcycle on the open road. The wind is in your hair, you can feel the power of the bike beneath you, and the possibilities seem endless. The last thing you want is for that dream to come to an end, especially with the rising number of motorcycle accidents. That is why making sure that your motorcycle has the proper insurance is essential. Ensuring that your own bike has the appropriate coverage is fine, as long as it is the only one that you will be riding. However, what if you decide to ride another bike? Will your motorcycle insurance cover you on another bike? The answer is not a simple yes or no. It depends greatly on the specifics of your insurance policy, whose bike you are riding, and the length of time that you will be riding the bike.

By looking into the details of when coverage will transfer and when it will not, you can get a good idea of whether your insurance covers you while riding another bike.

 

Your Insurance Policy

 

Truthfully, the most significant factor of whether coverage is transferable or not depends on your insurance company. They set the guidelines for whether coverage will transfer and how it will cover you if it does.  The coverage you have on your personal policy can also make a difference. For instance, some carriers will cover you for liability on motorcycles other than your own, but not physical damage coverage. That means the insurance carrier will cover any damage you cause to other property with the bike, but any damage to the motorcycle itself would have no insurance coverage under your policy.

It is essential to check with your insurance carrier or agent to clarify what their guidelines are. Also, your insurance policy will never transfer more coverage than you have. If you only have state minimum liability limits on your policy, you should not expect for full coverage to apply for another motorcycle that you are riding.

 

The Bike Owners’ Insurance

 

Sometimes your carrier will not transfer coverage to another bike that you are riding simply because someone else is already insuring the motorcycle. If the owner of the motorcycle has insurance, theirs may always be considered primary. In the case that they do have insurance, it may be worth seeing if their policy would provide coverage for when someone else drives the motorcycle.

 

Whose Bike Are You Riding?

 

Another factor that will determine whether your coverage will transfer is the owner of the bike. Borrowing your friend’s cool motorcycle for a one-time spin and riding a bike that you have owned for some time but not yet placed on your insurance, will be evaluated differently by your insurance company. If you’re riding a bike that you recently purchased and the insurance coverage has not been applied yet, carriers will often give a short grace period from the time of purchase, where coverage will extend automatically in case you are not able to put the motorcycle on the policy immediately, and something happens. However, that grace period is not indefinite, and you should expect to add any bike that you own to your policy to receive coverage.

 

How Long Are Will You Be Riding the Bike?

 

One more caveat to whether your motorcycle insurance covers you on another bike is how long or how frequently you are riding the bike. Is it just a one-time spin or is this a motorcycle that you regularly borrow for long periods of time? The answer is going to make all the difference in how the insurance company feels about extending its coverage. If you are riding any bike on a regular basis, even if it is not your own, you would likely need to add the bike to your own policy for it to be covered.
As discussed, whether or not your motorcycle insurance will cover you on another bike depends on a variety of different factors. The smart way to know for sure is to give your insurance company or agent a call and explain the details of your particular situation.