You would think that defining motorcycle insurance costs would be a fairly straightforward event, and the cost would be relatively low when compared to car insurance, After all the cost for buying (or replacing) a motorcycle in the event of an accident should be much less than most private cars. Unfortunately, in practice, insurance costs for motorcycles can be proportionately very expensive.

As it may sound, motorcycle insurance is covering a motorcycle and its owner/ driver against the typical events that can occur. These events fall into two basic events; accident and theft. Third party insurance for motor cycles is compulsory despite the fact that most claims against accident involving motorcycles are usually “solo events”. The driver is usually on their own when they have an accident, rarely with a passenger on board, or involving any other serious damage to third parties or other vehicles.

For that reason, compulsory insurance for motor bikes is generally pretty low. However when it comes to comprehensive policies, including these that take in fire and theft, that is when the prices begin to rise and can reach some fairly dramatic proportions. One of the main reasons that the theft of motor cycles is fairly commonplace, especially some of the more exotic spare parts that are in open display.

However the majority of claims those insurance companies have to deal with when it comes to motorcycle insurance are accidents, and that includes injury claims, mostly to the driver but sometimes to the pillion passenger. The very fact that a motorcycle driver passenger cannot be protected by the vehicle, wears no seat belts and is totally exposed, means that their injuries in the event of an accident are usually pretty severe and sometimes fatal, means that the insurance premiums are high.

Insurance companies, however never jump to foregone conclusions when it comes to calculating the costs and risks of issuing an insurance policy, and judge every case individually and according to its circumstances. The factors that they will take into account are the age of the driver, how many years they have been riding motorcycles, and the size of the motorcycle and the power of its engine.

These are factors that are significant when calculating insurance premiums. They fade into insignificance however when compared to the statistics gathered when comparing a driver’s riding history. The number of tickets for speeding and other driving offences, as well as the number of accidents that the driver has been involved in will play a major part in assessing the premium costs.

One factor that will act very much in the favour of a motorcycle owner is when the own another vehicle and not necessarily a motor bike. Many people own and use motorcycles as a hobby and restrict their use to weekends and holidays. This fact alone will help to reduce their premiums as well as how their overall profile as a motor car driver pans out before the insurance company who they decide to work with.