The answer to this question may depend on how often and how far you ride and how comfortable you are with uncertainty. Some states don’t require insurance for motorcycles at all but roadside assistance may be appropriate for riders of all stripes.
It seems self-evident that if you ride on trips that are hundreds of miles, the possibility of getting a flat, losing your keys, running out of gas or having a breakdown more than justifies paying for the peace of mind that roadside coverage provides. This means you’re covered for towing to the nearest qualified repair facility, and you probably won’t have out-of-pocket expenditures for any required labor at the location of the breakdown.
Does that mean you don’t need roadside assistance coverage if you only ride locally? Not necessarily. For some riders, this coverage really is about peace of mind. If you ride an expensive motorcycle, having to leave it on the side of a busy highway for any length of time should give you shivers.
For most urban dwellers, getting to the twisties means getting out on two-lane highways away from town, even if just for an hour. A flat tire or a mechanical breakdown an hour from home is a big deal when it’s late in the day and you don’t know much about the area where you might have to leave your bike.
If your bike weighs 700 to 900 pounds, are you really going to try to muscle it into your brother-in-law’s pickup, not to mention getting it properly tied down?
To evaluate whether you need roadside assistance coverage for your motorcycle, ask yourself these questions:
- How frequently do I ride?
- How far from home are my typical rides?
- How old is my bike and how reliable do I really feel it is?
- How would I feel about leaving my bike along the highway?
- Do I ride off-road?*
*If you’re an adventure rider and go way off the main roads, you can’t expect a service provider to leave the pavement to rescue you.
If leaving your old workhorse by the side of the road for awhile won’t keep you awake at night, you might be fine skipping roadside assistance coverage. If you want assurance, get the coverage.
As with any policy, read the fine print and be familiar with the particulars of roadside assistance offered by your carrier. Call us at 888-279-9701 for more information about Colorado motorcycle insurance.