There are a lot of different anti-theft security devices on the market that you could install on your motorcycle. Can these devices actually reduce your insurance costs? Do all of them reduce your insurance costs or only certain ones? Let’s get right to the answer.
Do Security Devices Lower Motorcycle Insurance? Many different anti-theft or security devices can lower your monthly insurance premium by as much as 10%. Not all security devices will qualify, and some insurance companies may require these systems to be installed by a professional. Your local auto insurance provider can recommend specific devices which can save you money.
There are complex anti-theft systems that you can purchase that will help secure your motorcycle and drop your insurance premium by a considerable amount. I’ll share everything I know about them with you below.
Security Devices That May Lower Motorcycle Insurance Cost
If you are looking to secure your motorcycle and to also save some money on insurance, one of the best systems that you can buy is a tracking system. These are devices that will allow you to use GPS and also radio signals in order to know your motorcycle’s location at any time. These systems may not actually deter thieves from stealing your motorcycle, but you will always know where it is in order to get it back if it is stolen.
It is also important when using these systems that you do not try to get the motorcycle back yourself. It is always best to notify local law enforcement of your motorcycle’s location and to allow them to get it back for you.
Trying to get the motorcycle back yourself puts you in a very dangerous situation. While you may be mad about your motorcycle being stolen and want to get it back immediately, it is best to just law enforcement handle it.
There are also security systems that offer disabling features. These are controls that allow you to completely disable your engine from starting or your wheels from even rolling. This makes it so that no one else can ride it away. Many of these advanced systems even allow for your motorcycle to automatically disable itself when certain conditions are met.
This will allow your motorcycle to detect if someone seems to be trying to take the motorcycle. This will cause it to shut down and prevent it from being ridden. Many systems will combine these features with those of the GPS tracking systems. These are the best systems for securing your motorcycle and also decreasing your insurance premium.
You can also incorporate some sort of chain or motorcycle restraint with these devices to make sure that your motorcycle is nearly impossible to steal.
Although some devices can lower your motorcycle insurance, it is important that you are aware that NOT ALL of these systems will lower your motorcycle insurance. cost The list of approved devices will be different for different insurance companies.
They generally will only offer discounts for certain makes and models of these devices. So, it is important that you talk to your insurance provider before purchasing one of these systems to make sure that the one that you are looking at will decrease your insurance.
Many insurance companies will also require that you have the device installed by a professional in order to ensure that it is properly setup and functional. If you were hoping to do this yourself, you likely will not be able to although you can verify with your insurance provider beforehand.
While less advanced anti-theft devices may not qualify for a discount on your insurance premium, they still offer excellent protection for your motorcycle. If you add any security to your bike at all, regardless of whether your insurance premium drops or not, you will be better off.
Other Ways You Can Lower Motorcycle Insurance
Are there any other things that you can do in order to lower the cost of your motorcycle insurance? There are a couple of different things that you can do to bring the cost down some more. The very first and simplest thing that you can do is to shop around for insurance. Lots of people buy insurance from a particular company based off of a recommendation from a friend or similar exposure to the company.
As every vehicle and personal situation is different, you may be able to get cheaper insurance through an entirely different company than the one that someone you know uses. Lots of companies will offer discounts if you bundle your motorcycle and auto insurance together. Shopping around and getting quotes from different companies is the easiest and best way to bring down your insurance premium.
Another option is choosing a plan with a higher deductible. Your deductible will be the amount that you have to pay out of pocket before your insurance starts to kick in. By increasing your deductible, your premium will also drop.
The downside to this is that if you ever were to need to use your insurance, you will now have to pay more out of pocket before the insurance steps in. This is a way to save some money on your premium but whether you want to go down this road or not is really personal preference. This choice is up for you to make.
It is also important that you shop around for discounts that you may be eligible for. There are thousands of different discounts available for different people in different organizations. If you are a student, certain insurance companies will offer a discount. If you work in a certain position or for certain companies, you will qualify for certain discounts.
If you join certain organizations, you can also qualify for discounts. I recently had an experience with this. While looking through a list of discounts with my insurance provider, a found one that applied to members of a certain engineering organization.
I had joined this group while going to college and was still a member. I made a quick call to my insurance provider and within minutes my insurance premium had dropped $50. There are many discounts that you may qualify for, but you will not know until you check.
The biggest factor in determining how much you pay for insurance is your driving record. When you get into accidents your insurance rate will go up. When you get traffic tickets, your insurance rate will also go up. The best way to keep your rates low is to avoid accidents and tickets. Although, this may be easier said than done, this is the best way to keep your rates as low as possible.
There are many risks that come with owning a motorcycle. The first and most obvious is the risk of being injured while riding. As motorcycles are inherently more dangerous, the chances of you getting seriously injured in an accident are much higher.
On the other hand, the motorcycle itself is generally much cheaper than a car and will result in much smaller repair bills than a car. You are also less likely to do as much damage to another vehicle as your bike is much smaller and lighter than a car.
Will My Insurance Go Up If My Motorcycle Is Stolen?
If your motorcycle were to get stolen, can you expect your insurance rates to climb? To understand this, it is important that you understand the difference between collision and comprehensive insurance.
Collision is what covers the cost of damage to your motorcycle and another vehicle in the case of an accident. This is what is generally thought of when thinking of auto insurance. Comprehensive insurance covers damage to or a loss of your motorcycle. This could be things like damage to your motorcycle from natural disasters or reimbursement if it is stolen or vandalized.
So, if your motorcycle were stolen, comprehensive coverage would be what would step in. Comprehensive coverage is not required. To register and drive a vehicle the state you live in will require you to have collision up to a certain amount and some medical injury coverage.
Comprehensive is optional and is selected by personal preference. By adding comprehensive to your plan, your premium will increase. Whether you think that this is worth it or not is up to you.
If you do not have comprehensive insurance and your motorcycle is stolen, the insurance company will not step in at all. You eat the cost of the lost bike. Your rate will not increase in this case as your insurance isn’t paying for anything. If you do have comprehensive, you are able to file a claim and receive compensation for the stolen motorcycle. Generally, filing claims will lead to an increase in your insurance premium.
Determining whether your premium will increase or not is very hard to do. It largely depends on your insurance provider. Some providers will offer different types of claim forgiveness and price guarantees. To know whether your insurance will increase or not, you will want to talk to your insurance provider about this.
It may depend on the specific scenario. If the insurance company can tell that your own negligence led to the motorcycle being stolen, you may even find that they won’t reimburse you for the stolen motorcycle.
Tips On How To Keep Your Motorcycle From Getting Stolen
The next biggest concern with owning a motorcycle is having it stolen. When you leave your car parked somewhere, you can easily lock the car and walk away. This will result in any robber having to either smash a window or to pry a door open in order to get in.
Then once they are in, they have to get the car to start without the key if they want to drive it off. Motorcycles are much simpler to steal. Anyone can easily get onto your motorcycle. From here, a thief can easily walk your motorcycle away somewhere else, load it onto a trailer or in a vehicle, or try to get it started without the key. As a result, motorcycle theft is a big concern with insurance companies.
Many different security devices have now become available to counter this problem. These systems are available directly from the motorcycle manufacturer and from a variety of aftermarket companies. Very simple devices can be used to better secure your motorcycle.
One example of this is chaining your rear motorcycle wheel. This prevents the motorcycle from being easily stolen but unfortunately, this will not reduce your insurance premium. I recommend chaining your rear wheel and not your front wheel because the front wheel is really easy to remove.
There is a lot that you can do to help prevent your motorcycle from getting stolen. The anti-theft systems that we have discussed so far are great ways to help prevent theft. These are excellent tools that you can use. Although, there are many different physical and electronic devices that you can use to prevent your motorcycle from getting stolen.
Perhaps you want to secure your motorcycle but do not want to deal with the hassle of an alarm system draining your battery. What can you do? There are quite a few different types of motorcycle security devices out there that you can use instead of an alarm system. These will make sure that no one takes your motorcycle without the possibility of killing your battery.
The first of these is a ground anchor. This is a strong thick strap that goes through the wheel of your bike and anchors to various surfaces. They make anchors that connect to walls, into concrete, and that bolt into various surfaces. This system can be installed to make sure that no one ever steals your motorcycle from your house. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use these systems anywhere else that you go.
Something similar that you can use out in public is a chain with a padlock. You can use this exactly the same, but you can chain the motorcycle wheel to the swingarm. Since motorcycles are so heavy you don’t have to chain it to another object, just chain it so the wheels can’t spin.
Another cool invention is a disk lock. This is probably my favorite of all the anti-theft devices. These are locks that connect to the brake disk on your motorcycle. This will prevent the wheel from turning. These are convenient because they are very small and simple to install and remove. They are very easy to store when not being used and don’t cost very much.
As you have seen, there are lots of different ways that you can keep your motorcycle safe when you are not around. It is up to you to decide what you want to use and how you want to implement it. The motorcycle market is so big that there are lots of options available to you.
Where you park your motorcycle is also equally important. Try to leave your motorcycle parked in well lit and secured areas. Doing this makes it much harder for someone to steal your motorcycle as it becomes much more obvious to bystanders.
Also know the area where you are parking your motorcycle. Certain areas will be much more well known for theft than others. Avoiding areas like these when possible will save you a lot of trouble down the road.
How To Avoid Increasing Your Insurance Premiums
How can you avoid increasing your insurance premiums? When you get into an accident and file a claim, your insurance provider will often increase your rate on you. This rate will remain higher for a period of time before it comes back down to where it was.
The absolute best way to avoid your rates going up on you is to avoid getting into accidents. This is obviously easier said than done as no one intentionally gets into an accident. If you do get into an accident is there anything that you can do to prevent your rates from increasing?
Many insurance providers offer what is known as accident forgiveness. This means that you if you were to get into an accident, your rates would remain the same. Be aware that there are limits to this forgiveness. They could be single time accident forgiveness in which they forgive one accident, or you could receive accident forgiveness every so often.
Some insurance companies may require you to hold insurance with them for a period of time before you qualify for accident forgiveness. Reach out to your insurance provider to see if they offer this service and how it works in your specific case.
Another way to keep your premium as low as possible, is to avoid getting tickets. By keeping your driving record clean, insurance companies will offer you discounts and lower rates on your premium. These tickets will generally affect your rates for a period of a couple years before they are no longer present on your record. By keeping your record as clean as possible, you can make sure that your rates do not climb as a result of your driving record.