Gas prices have come down since last summer's highs of $4 plus a gallon, but since they dropped, they've been steadily climbing. Somehow it doesn't seem as bad since gas isn't at the highest levels it's ever been. But it is certainly more expensive that you ever intended to pay when you bought a car and decided to use it as your primary means of transportation. So you've finally had enough, and you bought a motorcycle. Good for you! But now you've discovered another hurdle; the price of motorcycle insurance.

It costs more to insure a motorcycle than a car for a couple of reasons. First, motorcycles are difficult for other drivers to see because they're small and they can move quickly. This leads to more accidents. Although the other driver may be at fault too, if you are partially responsible for an accident, your insurance has to pay. They also pay if the other driver is uninsured or underinsured, provided that you purchase that coverage.

Motorcycle accidents are also more likely to involve significant bodily injury claims. Obviously this is a bigger concern than just an insurance problem, but it does drive the premiums up. You can help reduce this danger by driving carefully, or not driving your motorcycle when conditions are dangerous. Wind, rain, fog and other weather factors are more dangerous for motorcycles than for cars. Those are good days to drive a car or find another means of transportation.

Lastly, insurance companies base their rates on statistics. If the odds of a claim or the average dollar amount of a claim are high for the particular type of vehicle that you drive (or ride), your premiums will be higher. This helps them account for all kinds of things that they can't identify, from hot-dogging drivers to unsafe vehicles.