Famous novelist Hunter S. Thompson once epitomised motorcycling when he said: "Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." This quote hints at the nomadic and rebellious label that motorcycling has accrued over the years; this is part of the vehicles romantic appeal but also the reason for painful insurance costs.
The fact that the rider of the motorcycle is so exposed also causes problems for insurers, because - unlike car drivers - motorcyclists don't have seatbelts, airbags or crunch zones to protect themselves. Motorcycles represent approximately only 1% of the traffic on our roads in the UK but they account for 18% of all deaths and serious injuries.  Motorcyclists are 40 times more likely to be killed in an accident than a car driver.

You don't have to be riding a Harley Davison at 100 miles per hour to be considered a risk, even mopeds ridden carefully though inner city traffic can have high costs for bike insurance. So no matter what you ride, or where, it's worth thinking about the most cost effective ways you can reduce the premium of your insurance.
Motorcyclists are a generally a rebellious bunch, and, if you're one of those people, you may be irritated at even having to take a test for a license and be ready to hop on your bike the moment you're given the okay. Stop. Don't hop on just yet, you should consider taking extra courses in a variety of approved lessons, your insurer should be able to provide you with information on courses it recognises. After completing a few short courses you should see your premium price fall. By taking extra classes and gaining extra qualifications you'll be seen as less of a risk by insurers, so it's well worth the effort.

In 2000 DSA of Great Britain gave the following definition of advanced driving: “Advanced driving is the ability to control the position and speed of the vehicle safely, systematically and smoothly, using road and traffic conditions to make reasonable progress unobtrusively, with skill and responsibility. The skill requires a positive but courteous attitude and a high standard of driving competence based on concentration, effective all round observation, anticipation and planning. This must be co-ordinated with good handling skills. The vehicle should always be at the right place on the road at the right time, travelling at the right speed with the correct gear engaged and can always be stopped safely in the distance that can be seen to be clear.”

The RAC is one of many insurers that provide advanced driving tests and offer grades that, if reached, will give you a title that allow you to get significant discounts on your insurance. It was determined in a Transport and Road Safety Laboratory Report published in December 1972 that Advanced motorists have between 50% to 70% lower accident rate.

Another key piece of advice is a simple one: keep safe and obey the law. Simply driving carefully and obeying the road laws will save you a lot of grief. If you find yourself with a conviction for an infraction of the road laws you're in a lot of trouble, insurers will take that as a sign of increased risk and ask you to cover the costs. Get caught speeding and you could face even steeper premiums - all this and a ticket to pay.

Keep your motorcycle safe and secure and you'll see your premium fall. This works in one of two ways, first off: if you're reckless with your car chances are you'll have to claim more than you would otherwise. Making a claim means you lose your no claims bonus and repeated claims will signal you as a significant risk to insure. Additionally, adding to the safety of your vehicle by keeping it in a garage or equipping sensitive security equipment greatly reduces the risk of vandalism, accidental damage or theft.  This reduced risk will be met with a correspondingly reduced premium. However, consult your insurer before fitting a security device to your motorcycle to make sure the device is approved by your insurer - as fitting an unapproved device could be costly and even render your policy invalid if your motorcycle is stolen.

Sadly there are some things you can't change so easily that will affect your motorcycle's security and the level premium you pay: where you live.  Insurers keep detailed information from all the clients and use that to determine the likelihood of you having to make a claim and one of the ways they can do this is by location. If you live on a busy road or in a crime ridden area then you will probably have to pay a higher premium then someone living in an idyllic village with a low population.