Illinois Motorcycle Insurance

Illinois offers some spectacular riding, from the Shawnee National Forest and Southern Illinois wine trails to historic destinations like the homes of Grant and Lincoln. However, your motorcycle must be insured to ride legally in the “Land of Lincoln.”

According to Illinois Compiled Statutes section 625 ILCS 5/ Illinois Vehicle Code:

”No person shall operate, register or maintain registration of, and no owner shall permit another person to operate, register or maintain registration of, a motor vehicle designed to be used on a public highway unless the motor vehicle is covered by a liability insurance policy.”

That includes motorcycles and motor-driven vehicles. Illinois is an ”at fault” state, so without the appropriate motorcycle insurance coverage you could face fines, jail time, and severe financial hardship after an accident. To help you understand motorcycle insurance issues in Illinois, let’s look at how the state defines a motorcycle for law enforcement and insurance purposes, some of the required equipment to make your bike street legal, as well as the coverage levels and types you may need.

Illinois Motorcycle Law:  Definitions

According to statutes in Illinois, a motorcycle is:

”A two or three-wheeled motor vehicle that can travel over 30 miles per hour; produces more than 2 brake horsepower; and has piston displacement of more than 150 cubic centimeters.”

Street Legal Motorcycle Requirements in Illinois

If you customize your ride, you have to keep in mind that certain equipment is required in order to remain street legal. That equipment includes:

• Eye protection: required unless a windscreen is affixed to the motorcycle.
• Handlebar height: handgrips must be below head height.
• Helmet: not required.
• Mirrors: only one is required.
• Turn Signals: not required.
• Passenger Seat and Passenger Footrests: required if carrying a passenger. No restrictions on a passenger’s age.
• Headlight: required use at all times, but a modulating daytime headlight can be used.
• Muffler:  required, and cannot be modified to amplify noise above that emitted by the muffler originally installed.”
• Noise levels are regulated by Illinois Environmental Protection Regulations, Sec. 902-122 and are stated as: ”Maximum allowable A-weighted sound levels based on measurements taken at a distance of 50 feet: 80-82dBA at less than 35mph; 86dBA at more than 35mph.
• Safety Inspection: not required.

Illinois Minimum Motorcycle Insurance

The mandatory insurance laws in the Illinois Compiled Statutes require a minimum motorcycle insurance policy with these limits:

$25,000 for death or bodily injury to one person;
$50,000 for death or bodily injury to two or more persons; and
$20,000 for damage or destruction of property.

As you can see, that these minimal coverage caps may not be fully protect you, your passenger, and your bike. When your policy doesn’t cover all of the costs of an accident, you will be responsible for all additional costs, potentially draining your life savings.

Motorcycle Coverage Types and Recommendations

The basic liability amounts required by Illinois are higher than those in many states, but they may not be sufficient. That is why you should always carry additional coverage. If there is a lien against your bike, your lender will require full coverage as a condition of the loan. Even if you paid cash for your bike, or it’s fully paid off, you should still consider having additional coverage in place. Some policy types that you should consider are:

Motorcycle Collision Coverage

This protects your bike in an on-road accident under nearly every circumstance. It does not protect against damage as a result of “acts of God” and criminal activity.  That is covered by comprehensive coverage.

Motorcycle Comprehensive Coverage

This protection covers items like fire, wind, water, theft, and vandalism. Without this coverage, you could be out the entire value of your bike in case of a non-motoring mishap.

Uninsured/Under-insured Motorist Coverage

13.3 percent of the drivers in Illinois do not have any type of car or motorcycle insurance. With that many uninsured drivers on the road, you can see why you need an uninsured motorist policy. On top of the uninsured drivers out there, you have to worry about drivers who are under-insured. An uninsured/under-insured motorist policy protects you in each case.

How We Can Help

We have created an easy to use tool so that you can get quotes for the Illinois motorcycle policy that you need. All you have to do is enter your zip code and you can request quotes from reliable companies like Progressive, Geico, Dairyland, and more. Follow this link to get your instant, free, no obligation quotes.