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While insurance regulations vary from state to state and by type of vehicle, it’s always a good idea to insure your ATV, personal watercraft, or motorcycle. However, insurance alone leaves gaps in your security plan that your advisor might not warn you about when you explore your policy options. Those gaps can be filled by also taking advantage of GPS location tracking services for added theft protection.
Why do you need to go above and beyond insurance coverage to protect your powersports purchase?
1. You don't have to replace your vehicle if you can recover it.
Most thieves will want to dispose of a stolen vehicle as soon as possible, likely disassembling it for parts pretty quickly. However, more cautious criminals — or those who want to keep the bike whole for resale or joyriding — sometimes take a different approach. They leave it close to the crime scene for an observation period to see if anyone comes looking for it. If the vehicle is armed with a tracking device, it shouldn’t take long before it’s discovered, saving the thieves from being caught red-handed. If they move it to a nearby location and it remains undiscovered, they can more safely resell, part out, or enjoy it for themselves.
2. Insurance can replace an item, but not prevent future theft.
It’s not unheard of for thieves to target owners more than once. It makes sense if you consider that the thieves will expect the original vehicle to be replaced, and if it was easily stolen the first time, they’re likely to try again with the new one. For the owner, that means the hassle of another insurance claim and increased premiums. GPS tracking makes that first theft more difficult and leaves the owner less vulnerable to a repeat offense.
3. It can be hard to get an exact replacement.
Part of the fun of powersports vehicles is customizing them to get exactly the look and performance each owner wants. Some insurance policies might not cover customization, aftermarket parts, and equipment that weren’t originally installed by the manufacturer. Even if a policy provides full replacement value for theft, it could be time-consuming to recreate a custom vehicle. GPS tracking helps reunite owners with their vehicles instead of rebuilding from scratch.
Check your area’s insurance requirements for your specific vehicle, and work with your agent to get the best coverage for your needs. But then go a step further by investing in GPS location tracking as a means of theft protection that could prevent the need to ever file a replacement claim.
