1Did this site help you? If so, share some Love!

Kansas Motorcycle Insurance

The State of Kansas has several safety requirements that a motorcycle rider must abide by; and the state requires a rider to provide financial responsibility in the form of insurance or self insurance. If you elect to self insure, you must have 25 motor vehicles registered in your name.

Motorcycle Registration

To register your motorcycle for the first time in the State of Kansas, you will need to bring several things with you to the county treasurer’s office:

  • Signed and notarized manufacturer’s statement of origin, also known as an MSO, or the vehicle title. If the motorcycle is new, you need the MSO. If the bike was previously owned, you need the title.
  • The odometer disclosure statement.
  • Proof of motorcycle insurance.
  • The sales tax receipt if you bought the bike from a dealer. If you bought the bike from a private party, you must pay for the sales tax when you apply for the title.
  • Proof of payment of personal property taxes.

The title application fee in the State of Kansas is $10. The registration fee is based on the value of the vehicle and the county where you live. If the dealer put a lien on the bike, you will not receive the title until the lien has been paid, but if you paid for the bike in full, it takes about four weeks to get the title.

If you do not apply for the title within 30 days of purchasing the bike, you will have to pay late fees and penalties. Also, if you bought the bike in another state, you will have to get the bike’s VIN inspected at any one of the inspection stations located throughout the state.

Safety Requirements

Kansas requires those under 18 years of age to wear helmets. The state does not have restrictions on helmet speakers. Eye protection is required for riders and passengers of any age, unless the bike has a windscreen. It is recommended that all riders and passengers wear eye protection, even with a windscreen. If you move in the right direction or the wind happens to hit you just right over the top of the windscreen, dust, dirt, a pebble or a bug could get into your eye. This could cause you to lose control of the bike and crash.

If you carry a passenger, you must have a passenger seat and foot pegs for the passenger. There are no age restrictions for passengers. Additionally, there are no handlebar restrictions, so you can have ape hangers on your bike if you like them.

Off Road Safety Requirements

When riding off road in the State of Kansas, you do not need to wear a helmet or eye protection, no matter what your age. However, depending on what you are doing off road — especially competitive sports, such as racing or jumping, you should always take safety precautions. Also, there is no operator age limit and a license is not required to ride off road. Registration is not required, but the bike must be titled.

Minimum Insurance Requirements

The State of Kansas requires that you self insure (usually dealers) or provide liability insurance. The minimum requirements are low, so depending on the type of bike you ride and your financial position, you may want to increase the limits.

You must carry a minimum of $25,000 for the injury of one person in any one accident, $50,000 for the injury of two or more people in any one accident, and, you must also carry $10,000 for property damage. Personal injury protection, while required for cars and trucks is can be rejected in writing by motorcycle owners.

Uninsured / Underinsured motorist coverage is required in Kansas at $25,000/$50,000 limit.
Penalties for Operating Without Insurance

If you cannot provide insurance when stopped or when in an accident, you may be charged with a Class B misdemeanor. For the first offense, you could face a fine of up to $1,000. If you don’t pay the fine, you may go to jail for six months.

If you have a second offense within three years of your first offense, you may be fined up to $2,500. You could also get your license suspended and registration revoked.