 TITLE: What Kind of Insurance Does a Motorcycle Need? CONTENT: What Do Motorcycle Insurers Look at to Determine Costs?\n-------------------------------------------------------\nCompanies consider various factors when you're deciding whether to cover your motorcycle, and the premium to charge if they do. Among them are:\n*   **Age**: For the most part, your premium will go down as you get older and more experienced as a rider.\n*   **Driving record**: Do you have speeding tickets, traffic violations or accidents in your driving history? If so, you might be charged a higher rate. Your driving record can be an indication of future behavior, and insurers like to see a spotless record.\n*   **Location**: You might pay more for coverage if you live in a warm climate with a longer motorcycle-riding season than in a cold climate with a shorter motorcycle-riding season.\n*   **Type and style of the motorcycle**: You might pay more for coverage if you've got a high-performance sportbike versus a lumbering cruiser.\n*   **Age of the motorcycle**: A new motorcycle normally costs more to insure than an older motorcycle. Why? One of the reasons is that if your bike is damaged, parts for a new motorcycle typically are more expensive than parts for an older motorcycle.\n*   **Annual mileage**: The more miles you log, the more your policy might cost. If you use your motorcycle for commuting to and from work, you're likely to pay more for coverage. If you're more of a weekend road warrior, however, you might pay less. END