If you are in the market for motorcycle insurance here are four ways you can save a significant amount of money when you talk to your insurance agent or company. Learning to think like an insurance company you can do nice things for your pocketbook.

1. Driver age and experience — your age and driving experience is already set. But be aware that younger and less experienced drivers inevitably pay more for their insurance. Driving experience includes your accident and claims records. Fewer accidents and fewer claims mean lower insurance costs. This is one area you do have control over as time goes on.

Even so, younger riders as well as older can often reduce their rates by simply taking a safe driver class. Drivers of all ages will get significant rate advantages the longer their driving record is free of accidents and claims.

2. The cost and age of the motorcycle — as with car insurance the more expensive the bike the higher the insurance premium. Bike modifications in particular can cause rates to increase significantly. Modifications can often double the cost of the bike and raise rates accordingly.

If you are a younger first-time biker you can significantly reduce your insurance costs by buying an older, lower powered and less expensive bike. Conversely newer model and higher powered or racing bikes naturally have higher replacement and accident risks and therefore higher insurance costs.

3. Storage and security — store your bike in a secure area and the insurance company will take notice. You will typically get lower rates if the bike is stored in a locked garage as opposed to outside on the street, for example.

Bike security devices when you’re out of the road can also make a difference with your insurance rates. For less than $100 you can buy and install a bike immobilizer that makes it more difficult for people to take your bike and thus reduces the cost of theft coverage.

4. Safety for drivers and passengers — most if not all states require you to wear helmets these days. If you don’t you can be sure the insurance company will charge you more simply because the risk of a serious accident is much higher. The company may also give rate reductions when you use other safety equipment. Check to find out.

Insuring extra passengers is expensive. So you can save money if you ride solo, or only carry passengers infrequently. Make sure your passengers have the same coverage as you and also wear safety equipment. The majority of lawsuits for biker accidents actually come from their passengers.

Be sure to consider these basic four factors before you go insurance shopping (even before you buy your bike). Most every insurance company will make significant rate concessions when you fall on the conservative side of any one of these four factors.

Dan Danmenn enjoys creating insiteful reports and sites for motor-bikers on how to save money on insurance. If you learned something from this piece you might also enjoy his newest website Motorcycle-Insurance-Quotes.org where you can learn more about buying Cheap Motorcycle Insurance