Indiana Motorcycle Insurance

In addition to liability motorcycle insurance, the State of Indiana requires motorcycle owner/operators to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Whether you are getting ready to register and insure your first bike or your 20th bike, check different insurance companies for premium pricing, as each company varies in how much it charges. You may also want to ask questions about the company’s policy to ensure that you have the insurance coverage you are willing to pay for or that you need.

How Does Indiana Define a Two-Wheeled Vehicle?

A motorcycle must have a seat or saddle and can have up to three wheels, but doesn’t include tractors or motorized bikes. Motorcycles must be titled, registered and insured in the State of Indiana, and are considered the same as passenger vehicles.

If your bike is a motorized vehicle with no more than three wheels and it runs on a motor, which is powered by a battery, it is a motorized bicycle. The motorized bike must have less than 2 horsepower and less than 50 cc displacement to be considered a motorized bicycle. It also cannot go over 25 mph.

If you are not sure whether your motorized bike requires insurance, be sure to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles with your bike’s specifications.

Minimum Insurance Requirements for Motorcycles

A motorcycle owner/operator must provide minimum liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance to register and drive the bike in the state. Indiana requires the owner/operator to have the following minimums:

• $10,000 for property damage
• Uninsured motorist coverage:
• $25,000 for the injury of one person in one accident
• $50,000 for the injury of two or more people in a single accident
• Underinsured motorist coverage:
• $50,000 for the injury of one or more people in a single accident

Depending on your bike and its costs, and depending on your riding ability, you may want to obtain coverage for higher amounts.

Financial Responsibility

If for any reason you cannot get insurance coverage or would rather not get insurance coverage, you can join the Indiana Auto Insurance Plan to cover yourself financially. The Indiana Auto Insurance Plan helps you get and maintain financial responsibility. You must deposit $40,000 with the state treasurer, have a trust fund with a market value of $40,000 or obtain a bond from a surety company.

If your insurance has lapsed or you canceled it, you will face severe penalties if caught driving without insurance. For first-time offenders, you will receive a 90-day suspension and fines. After that, during the three-year period after your first offense, you could get your license suspended for up to a year and additional fines.

If you have been stopped, you must be able to show your proof of coverage, whether you have insurance or are part of the Indiana Auto Insurance Plan. Indiana now has an electronic insurance forms submission program that allows insurers to submit your paperwork to the Department of Motor Vehicles, including information on lapsed or canceled policies.

If you need to cancel your insurance because you are doing extensive repairs on the bike and will not be driving it, notify your insurance company that you are canceling your policy and why you are canceling it.

Safety Requirements

The State of Indiana has safety requirements that must be met. If you are in an accident, and are found to be the cause of the accident because you were not abiding by the safety laws, your insurance company could decline to pay the claim, or it could completely drop your coverage.

The State of Indiana requires that anyone under the age of 18 wear a helmet. If you have an instructional permit, you must also wear a helmet. If you are under 18 years of age, you must also wear eye protection, though it is recommended that you wear eye protection no matter what age. If you want to carry passengers, you must have a passenger seat and foot pegs for the passenger. There are no restrictions on helmet speakers. The law requires your bike to have at least one mirror.