Many people put a lot of money into their motorcycle. They likely use their motorcycle insurance as a cushion against costly accidents. However, at times, certain equipment you place on your bike might not have coverage. For these items, you might need to buy additional coverage. Here’s how to do so.

How Does Motorcycle Insurance Cover Damage?

There are a couple of types of motorcycle insurance that will cover damage to the bike:

• Collision insurance pays for damage resulting from wrecks.
• Comprehensive damage insurance pays for damage caused by hazards other than wrecks. Coverage might pay for damage from storms, fire, theft, vandalism or related losses.

By adding these two types of coverage to your motorcycle insurance policy, you can ensure that your coverage will pay for qualifying damage costs. However, policy limits, deductibles and exclusions will still apply. They will outline rules on when and how much your insurer will pay for your damage. It is up to you to have the appropriate coverage long before you must make a claim.

One limit many bikers face is that a standard policy might not pay for damage to items that are not part of the original bike. Still, many people add custom features to their bikes. These might include chrome plating, saddle bags and other unique items. Any of these items can help you show off your bike and optimize your ride. However, they also merit special insurance considerations.

Insuring Special Accessories

By adding custom parts to your bike, you add extra value to the vehicle. Thus, you’ll want to check your motorcycle insurance to see how it covers these items.

In some cases, your motorcycle policy will only pay a certain amount (such as $500 - $1,000) for all damage to custom parts. In other cases, your policy will not cover these items at all. Either way, you might not have the appropriate protection for valuable accessories.

To insure these items, you might be able to buy more specific protection called custom parts and equipment coverage. It will provide extended protection for the unique items that you have added to your bike.

Usually the policy might only pay you the value of a used item (its actual cash value) at the time of the loss. However, it can still reduce your personal losses when accessories sustain damage. Plus, this coverage usually will not have a separate deductible. Instead, you will only have to pay the deductible within your standard policy limits.

When you want to insure the value of one-of-a-kind accessories, your agent can usually work with you to help you choose the right type of coverage. That way, you can get behind the handlebars knowing that all parts of the bike have coverage.

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