The cover provided by motorcycle insurance
There are three levels of cover for a motorcycle, but the decisive choices lie alongside them: the occupants, the clothing, the accessories and the question of what happens in storage.
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In brief
A motorcycle is a motor vehicle, so the duty to insure under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies: without at least third-party liability cover the machine may not stand on the public road, not even stationary. Third-party liability cover pays only for the damage you cause to others — their car, their injury, their goods — and never for damage to your own machine. The wider range for powered two-wheelers is on the page motorcycle insurance.
Third-party, fire and theft adds a list of named perils: theft, fire, storm, glass breakage, collision with animals at large and a few natural events. What is not in it is your own fall. A machine that goes over on its side after a misjudged bend is not insured under third-party, fire and theft. comprehensive cover is needed for that, which pays for damage to your own machine regardless of who was at fault. On older machines the premium for comprehensive cover often no longer justifies the market value. For enthusiasts' machines, see the separate arrangement for a classic.
In reality the additions make the difference. Accident cover for occupants pays a fixed amount for permanent injury or death of the rider and passenger, regardless of fault. Clothing and helmet cover pays for suit, boots, gloves and helmet after a fall — in a motorcycle accident often a considerable part of the loss. An indemnity policy for occupants goes further and pays the actual loss. For injury you suffer yourself as rider with no other party involved, there is no payment without such an addition.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare bicycle insurance.
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We compare your motorcycle insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
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Get coveredWhy arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
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We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
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You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
What to look out for
Four elements that make more difference under a motorcycle policy than the premium does.
What is structurally outside the cover
Excluded are, among others taking part in races, time trials and track days, even at a training session without a classification; riding without a valid licence for the category concerned or under the influence; and theft while the prescribed lock was not in use. Damage caused by intent or wilful recklessness is also excluded; Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code is the basis for that.
Accessories have to appear on the policy schedule
Panniers, a top box, crash bars, a different exhaust system, satnav and heated grips are not standard equipment. Without being declared they are not included in the value on a total loss. Declare them with amounts and keep invoices. Where modifications to the engine or exhaust are unapproved, the insurer can also refuse cover.
Theft requirements and where the machine is kept
For own-damage cover there is almost always a requirement: an approved lock, often combined with an immobiliser or a tracking system on more expensive machines. Where the machine stands at night counts too. A machine in a locked garage carries a different rate from one on the street, and an incorrect statement about that affects Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Legal expenses cover for recovering your own loss
If someone else hits you, you have to recover your loss from that person's insurer. Third-party liability cover does not help with that, because it is there for the other party. Recovery legal expenses cover or a legal expenses insurance deals with that, including the argument about the degree of fault and about injury.
What does your premium depend on?
- Engine capacity and power: the main measure in virtually every rate
- Age and driving experience: young and newly qualified riders pay more
- No-claims years: often transferable from a car or another motorcycle policy
- Cover chosen: third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
- Storage location and security: garage, shed or public road
- Expected annual mileage: a seasonal rider covers less than a daily commuter
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Extended | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| A deer crosses a country road and you hit the animal | Yes | Yes |
| Fire in the shed where the machine is kept | Yes | Yes |
| A stone thrown up by a lorry shatters your screen | Provided that | Yes |
| Someone knocks your parked machine over and leaves no details | No | Yes |
| You ride too fast over a speed bump and the exhaust tears off its mounting | No | Yes |
| The clutch plates are worn out after forty thousand kilometres | No | No |
The excess applies per event. For theft it is higher under many policies than for other own damage.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
I came off on a bend on my own. What does third-party, fire and theft pay?
Nothing towards your own machine. Third-party, fire and theft has a closed list of named perils and a single-vehicle fall is not on it. Only comprehensive cover pays for damage to your own machine with no other party involved. If there is another party and that party is at fault, you recover your loss from their third-party liability insurer, even without own-damage cover.
Is my motorcycle clothing covered?
Only with separate clothing and helmet cover. It pays after an insured accident for the suit, the gloves, the boots and the helmet, usually with depreciation for age. Always replace a helmet after a fall, even without visible damage. Keep the purchase receipts; without evidence the payment comes out lower than the actual purchase price.
May my passenger ride under the same policy?
Your passenger's injury falls under the third-party liability cover, because in law the passenger is an injured third party. Your own injury as rider falls outside it. If you want cover for yourself as well, accident or indemnity cover for occupants is needed. Check that the machine is formally suitable for a pillion passenger and that a second seat is permitted.
What happens if I ride without a valid licence?
The insurer pays the other party's loss, because the WAM protects victims, but then recovers that payment from you. Your own damage is not paid for. The same applies to riding under the influence. This is one of the few situations in which insurance does pay out and you nevertheless get the full bill.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare motorcycle insuranceThe main page
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