So now you’ve finally gotten your motorcycle, and it’s time to get your motorcycle insurance. How do you get an insurance premium that doesn’t cost you more than your motorcycle? That is a question that many people ask. There are some common methods you can use to lower your insurance premium.

Let’s first look at some of the factors considered when determining the cost of an insurance policy. Most of the factors they consider are relative to risk. These will most likely include things such as a rider’s age, experience level, and location. While there is nothing you can do about your age, once you get through the first couple years of higher premiums, which are pretty commonplace for newer riders, your experience will begin to counter the effect of a younger age.

Your location also contributes to the price, as cities are considered to have a far greater risk factor than town or country riding. Many insurance companies will lower your insurance premium if you take an approved training course, like drivers ed for a car. Also, the type of housing you have for your motorcycle, if any, when it is not being ridden plays a fairly high factor in your premiums.

One of the major areas that will affect your insurance premium is the age, style and size of your motorcycle. Others are the riders age, experience and occupation. While you can’t do anything about your age, or experience level, other than the previously mentioned training course, you can control the factors of the age and size of your motorcycle. Many new riders benefit from buying an older motorcycle with a smaller engine for the first couple years, and then when you have a little more verifiable experience upgrading to the bike you want.

The actual amount of miles you will put on your motorcycle in a season will affect your insurance premium as well. If you’re going to be riding on a regular basis through out the season, you will no doubt accumulate more miles. Also, the more you are riding your motorcycle, the more the risk will increase.

One factor that you have to negotiate with is the amount of deductible required to make an insurance claim. Many people find it beneficial to increase their deductible and therefore lower their insurance premium. This is also beneficial in the fact that you only pay the deductible when you make a claim on your insurance. Typically,if a repair will cost you less than $300 to $500 you’re better to pay for it yourself than put it through your insurance anyway.

If your motorcycle has any modifications, especially performance enhancing ones, this will significantly increase your risk factor. Also, the type of motorcycle you purchase will affect the risk factor and therefore your insurance premium. A sports bike presents a far greater risk than a cruiser style bike.

About the author: Ken Henry has some great suggestions on finding the answers to your insurance questions. Get motorcycle insurance advice and quotes from 5 top companies, plus save big money on auto and homeowners insurance