What the Law Asks of Riders

The legal position is simple and the practical position is not. Motorcycles are motor vehicles for the purposes of California's financial responsibility law, so the requirement you already know applies here too.

The same floor

The minimum liability limits set by Insurance Code section 11580.1b apply: $30,000 for injury or death of one person, $60,000 for injury or death of more than one person, and $15,000 for property damage. Vehicle Code section 16028 requires you to carry evidence of that coverage and produce it when asked, and section 16029 sets the penalties for failing to.

Where the risk picture differs sharply

Liability limits are about harm you cause to others. On a motorcycle, the more likely serious harm is to you, and that is not what liability coverage is for. In practice this means the coverages that matter most to a rider are often the ones that are optional:

• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. If a driver on a minimum policy causes serious injuries to a rider, $30,000 does not go far, and UM/UIM is the part of your own policy that addresses that gap.
• Medical payments coverage, where a carrier offers it on a motorcycle policy — availability varies by company, so ask.
• Comprehensive, because bikes are stolen at a rate that garages do not fully solve.

Gear, accessories and modifications

Riding gear, custom parts and accessories are handled differently by different carriers, and often only up to a stated limit unless they are specifically scheduled. If your bike carries several thousand dollars of aftermarket parts, that is a conversation to have at purchase rather than at claim time.

Seasonal riding

Riders in some states drop coverage for the winter. In California the temptation is different — a bike ridden a few weekends a month invites the thought of insuring it only in summer. Two problems: the bike can still be stolen while parked, and the gap breaks the continuity of your insurance history. Ask about a lower-mileage rating instead of an on-off approach.

The helmet question

California requires helmet use, and it is enforced. Beyond the citation, riding without one in a state that requires it is the sort of fact that appears in a comparative-fault analysis of your injuries.

Tell us what you ride and how you ride it and we will price the coverages that actually matter for a bike.