Bike Insurance

[erint]

Sorry to hear that your agent has been less than helpful. I am a personal lines insurance broker in CA but, in general, all policies in the US are the same. Your bike should be covered under your personal property limit (minus your deductible) if it is stolen. You should be able to add an inland marine endorsement for "Sports equipment" to your policy (depending on which company you are with). I have been in contact with a broker in TX for another one of my clients so let me know if you'd like me to ask her &/or put you in contact with her : )

[erint]

And, just to clarify for all- if your bike is stolen from your vehicle, your renter's insurance or homeowner's insurance would cover that (minus your deductible if not "scheduled"-usually if it is scheduled on a floater, there is no deductible). Auto insurance does NOT cover personal property inside unless it is permanently affixed.
An umbrella policy was mentioned above as well. A personal liability umbrella policy is extra personal LIABILITY above your home & auto policies. So, for example, you cause an auto accident & someone dies, the attorneys may sue you for your policy limit of $300,000 or $500,000. Your umbrella would cover $1 mill to $5 mill above those limits (depending on how much you purchased).
This is totally separate from personal property that you, personally, own such as furniture, clothing, dishes (a bicycle), etc.
This is why it is a good idea to review your insurance policy every year. HOPEFULLY, your agent calls you on a regular basis to do this.

[smurfalicious]

Hmmm, I've had State Farm since I got my pickup a few years back and they've been aw-ha-mazing. Step one was adding a renters insurance policy. Multiple policies gave me a discount of $10 a month, making my $10 a month renters policy freeeeee!!! Then I got a new camera, expensive lens, etc. I got another policy for my camera gear exclusively. I told them flat out I used my cameras to make money doing freelance from rodeo to portraits to newspapers. The best part is, they cover comparable replacement. So if my old medium level SLR gets jacked/dropped/whatever, I get the funds to buy something new of comparable value. So if my EOS 1N suffers an unfortunate fate, I get the money for an EOS 1V. And all of this for $8 a month with a deductible of $100 per incident. So if my whole camera bag goes, it's $100.

I actually need to call and make changes to my policy because the $1200 lens was sold in favor of a $3300 bike, but if you lay it out to them honestly what you do with your gear they give you a fair policy.

[Irulan]

Sorry to hear that your agent has been less than helpful. I am a personal lines insurance broker in CA but, in general, all policies in the US are the same. Your bike should be covered under your personal property limit (minus your deductible) if it is stolen. You should be able to add an inland marine endorsement for "Sports equipment" to your policy (depending on which company you are with). I have been in contact with a broker in TX for another one of my clients so let me know if you'd like me to ask her &/or put you in contact with her : )

How could one expect this to vary state by state? Also, shouldn't one examine an policy for limitations? I've had friend with situations where they've had to explain the difference between a $150 BSO ( Bicycle Shaped Object) and a "real" bike.