New York requires motorcycle riders to carry liability insurance at 25/50/10, the same minimum structure as a car, plus mandatory Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage. Unlike car insurance, though, motorcycles are excluded from New York’s no-fault Personal Injury Protection system entirely, which changes how a rider recovers costs after an accident.
The Minimum Coverage, and What It Pays
The 25/50/10 structure breaks down the same way it does for a car: $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 in property damage. This is the floor required before you can register a motorcycle in New York.
Coverage has to stay active for as long as your registration is valid, and the name on the policy has to match the name on the registration. Unlike a car, though, New York doesn’t require you to surrender your plates during a lapse in motorcycle coverage. You just can’t legally operate the bike on public roads during that lapse.
Why Motorcycles Skip New York’s No-Fault System
Car drivers in New York use their own no-fault PIP coverage to pay medical bills after an accident, regardless of who caused it. Motorcyclists don’t have that option. If you’re injured in a crash, you generally have to pursue the at-fault driver directly for your medical costs and other damages, rather than drawing on your own policy the way a car driver would.
This is why Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage, or SUM, matters so much more for motorcyclists than for typical drivers. If the at-fault driver carries only the state minimum, or no insurance at all, SUM is often the only thing standing between you and paying your own medical bills out of pocket. We recommend carrying $250,000 in SUM coverage for riders.
Coverage Worth Adding Beyond the Minimum
Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your motorcycle after an accident regardless of fault, and comprehensive coverage protects against theft, vandalism, and weather-related damage. Neither is required by New York, but both matter more for a motorcycle than people expect, since a bike’s repair or replacement cost can run high relative to its value. Coverage for custom parts and accessories is also worth knowing about, typically up to around $3,000 included automatically alongside comprehensive and collision, with the option to purchase up to around $30,000 more if your bike is heavily customized.
Given that motorcyclists carry more of their own risk than car drivers do under New York’s system, building real liability and SUM limits from the start is critical here, more so than in almost any other line of coverage we write.
Common Questions About Motorcycle Insurance in New York
Can I cancel my motorcycle insurance during the winter when I’m not riding? Yes. Many riders pause or reduce coverage seasonally, since New York doesn’t require year-round coverage the way it does for a car that stays registered and in use. The real risk shows up in spring: riders who reduce their limits or cancel entirely sometimes forget to bring their coverage back up to where it was before getting back on the road, and an accident during that gap can leave them with far less protection than they thought they had.
Does my motorcycle policy include PIP the way a car policy does? No. Motorcycles are excluded from New York’s no-fault PIP system entirely, which is why SUM coverage carries so much more weight for riders than it does for typical drivers.
What happens if I’m hit by a driver with only the state minimum coverage? Without adequate SUM coverage, you could be left covering your own medical costs beyond what the at-fault driver’s minimum policy pays out. This is the exact scenario SUM coverage is built to protect against.
Is collision coverage worth adding if my bike isn’t brand new? It depends on the bike’s value relative to the added premium, but it’s worth running the numbers rather than assuming an older bike isn’t worth protecting.
Do I need a separate policy for a dirt bike or off-road motorcycle? Often yes, since off-road motorcycles frequently fall under different registration and insurance rules than street-legal motorcycles. Worth confirming which category your bike falls into.
We’ve been doing business this way in the Hudson Valley for over 80 years. If you’re not sure your SUM limits protect you, call us and we’ll walk through it. No phone tree, no pressure, just a straight answer.