With the current gas prices and the slowed economy more and more people are turning to motorcycles as their mode of transportation. There no longer is a specific group that are considered bikers. You might see grandma on a motorcycle if the prices continue to rise.

What seems to be bothering most people is insurance. Finding motorcycle insurance is tougher than you might think. For those who have recently bought a motorcycle and were told by their automobile insurance company they could not be covered they understand the troubles. For those of you who are thinking of buying a motorcycle it may be news to you that not all insurance companies will provide motorcycle insurance.

You may feel like you current insurance company has slapped you in the face when they turned you down. You might have a perfect driving record and have never allowed your policy to lapse. So why won’t they insure you? We all know that combining insurance policies is the easiest way to get a good rate. The fact is you may have to find a new insurance company for your motorcycle coverage. If you are locked in your other policy or have just renewed it this may mean that you will not be able to get the best rate since you will have to look elsewhere for coverage.

Insurance companies are not trying to snub you or make you feel as though you are reckless. The main reason they will not provide motorcycle insurance is due to other drivers, not you. People tend to overlook bikers and motorcycle accidents are common and usually not the riders fault. The visibility of the bike and its rider makes them at a higher risk to be in an accident.

Now if you factor in the risk of injury you may get a better idea of the insurance companies reasoning. With a car or even a truck a simple fender bender might result in a few dollars for paint touch up and maybe a new fender. A motorcycle accident, even a small one could result in total damage to the bike as well as serious injury to the rider.

There is not much protecting the rider from the pavement when they are hit and knocked off their bike. This creates a larger possibility to serious injury and therefore a greater cost to the insurance company. Helmet laws are different in each state and this can affect the reasoning as well. Some states will not require a helmet at all and other will only make a new biker wear one. With the ability to travel without a helmet a factor in the insurance coverage it can scare most into not providing a policy at all.

So, when you are shopping for motorcycle insurance you will find that many places will not provide it. It is available and the rates are not extremely high but they are more expensive than you would think as well as harder to find. Insurance companies are in the business of protection but also to make money and a motorcycle just looks like a bad risk due to the little amount of protection the bike provides for the rider and the amount of money that would be needed to repair a bike or a rider after an accident.