towing, insurance and such wicked things

I am by far no expert on insurance or towing coverages, so maybe someone can correct any mistakes, but here is a lesson that I recently learned, and thought that I'd pass on you.

Recently I had the opportunity to experience the world of motorcycle towing firsthand, my cam position sensor failed in New Mexico. There is a lesson to be learned that may save you valuable $$$. Lucky for me, I broke down of Friday, and was able to get back on the road Sat. afternoon , after only damaging my wallet to the tune of $400.

I have two different towing insurance packages, one is the towing that comes standard with my Harley insurance. Everyone sees towing on their policy, but rarely did I think that it was really a towing program, so I enrolled in the Harley Davidson sponsored "Road America"  towing service. I'll get into both of those in more detail later. Like many people, I don't generally read the fine print or every page of my insurance coverage, but, there some interesting things to know about if you happen to break down.

"Road America" towing service has two packages, the basic service at $19.95, and the extended package at $29.95 which covers expenses while the repairs are being made. Maybe years ago, I might have read the details, but frankly, I forgot that the extended coverage ONLY applies to repairs on 'warrantee' covered service. Since my bike is 4 years old, and my extended warrantee has expired, my motel and expenses were NOT covered. However, upon calling my Harley Insurance, Guide One Insurance, the most popular of the Harley Insurance companies, I found out that part of my standard towing policy includes a "Trip Interruption Benefit", with a maximum of $300, at $50/day. Horray, at least some of my expenses might be reimbursable.

Now the towing part, Road America towing service covers towing from any place to any Harley Dealership, Guide One has no such limitations, and will allow towing to any repair shop (HD or otherwise).  Road America does not appear to have a limit on towing cost or mileage. Mine was about $350, for towing of approximately 120+ miles to the Sante Fe HD dealership. Guide One has a $300 maximum benefit and would have left me owing money to the towing company. But really how would you know how much your towing bill is going to be? Since I have both, I think that if the opportunity for towing occurs in the future,  I will use Road America if I'm a long way from home and want to go to a HD dealership, and probably use Guide One if I'm local.

Additional considerations for Harley motorcycle Insurance as opposed to your car company insurance are that if you need the insurance, Harley covers items like helmets, motor clothing, added chrome and accessories, and so on, and I am told that many car insurance companies do not, and refer you to your house's insurance coverage.

I am dropping my Road America extended coverage, but holding on to its basic coverage, since sometimes I ride a little, and may be further from repairs than the $300 max that Guide One provides. 

One last thing:  I called State Farm, Farmers & AAA for information on motorcycle towing coverage. Both State Farm & Farmers did not offer towing for motorcycles. AAA had it as an add on to their 'Plus" package with an additional $30 towing fee, for an annual total of $107, but they also provided roadside fuel/fluids, and limited roadside repair services.