By Michael Levy (Owner of Rider Rescue Denver)
In Colorado, Tows Can Cost you a Small Fortune… If you don’t have the right tow coverage.
(But with the right info, you can get your tows for FREE OR reimbursed in FULL)
Colorado is one of the most expensive places in the country to have your motorcycle towed. But if you have the correct type of roadside assistance coverage, you can make towing your motorcycle (when you need it) a whole lot less financially painful.
But you may also be asking why towing rates are going up… when Munky Mark was able to tow people in town, at really reasonable rates? Since Munky (God rest his crazy soul) passed away, gas/diesel costs have more than doubled, liability insurance for tow providers has skyrocketed, and traffic in and around Denver has only gotten more atrocious.
The other reason why motorcycle tows in Colorado are so expensive is those beautiful mountains to the west of us, where we all want to ride. Unfortunately, if you have a mechanical breakdown or get a flat tire in the mountains, there are very few places in the mountains where you can get that sort of work done. So unless you have a buddy with a truck or trailer (who is willing to come to get you), you are going to have to call a tow truck to come up the mountain and then haul you and your bike a bunch of miles BACK down the hill.
Below is the INSIDE SCOOP on how to get most of your motorcycle tows for free or reimbursed in full.
Step 1: Get a Biker Down Membership
Why? Because Biker Down does so much for riders in need when they have accidents and are having difficulty taking care of themselves and their families. Additionally, your Biker Down membership comes included with 1 or 2 tows with a $150 Benefit Limit. Generally speaking, a $150 Benefit limit will get you an approximate 15-mile tow in town. Always know that mileage and prices will vary depending upon a number of factors. As a general rule, the further away you are from the tow truck driver and the bigger the pain in the ass the tow is, the more the tow could cost. To join, please click here
Step 2: Add Roadside Assistance Coverage to Your Insurance Policy!
Why?: Trust me, and do it, TODAY. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Just add roadside/towing coverage to your insurance policy, NOW. Depending upon who you are insured by, your insurance company’s roadside assistance coverage could cover most of your tow costs reimbursed to you in full. This coverage is as low as $7 with Progressive, $14 with Geico and comes included with State Farm motorcycle policies (IF you have “comprehensive” coverage on your policy). Just add roadside assistance coverage to your policy TODAY. If your insurance company does not offer roadside coverage, consider switching to a company that does. If you are going to use your insurance company to get your towing bill reimbursed, remember to call your preferred motorcycle towing specialist first… to make sure that your bike does NOT get jacked up by a towing company (that your insurance company wants you to use) who may not have the proper motorcycle specific equipment or expertise to tow your bike).
Step 3: Add at least one more layer of roadside assistance / towing coverage to your MacGyver Rider Emergency Tool Box
Why?: Because when you live in Colorado and ride motorcycles, you can easily find yourself getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, where you are more than 100 miles from the closest shop. And believe me when I tell you that I have towed folks where the round trip was more than 300 miles… where the tow bill was $1,000 or more. So if you ever find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere, you will want to make sure that you have multiple layers of coverage, IF and WHEN you might need it. Here are some of the additional roadside assistance options you might want to consider adding to your bag of motorcycle tricks:
AAA: Not cheap, but they have coverage options that will tow you up to 100 miles
AMA: Great industry group that fights for our motorcycle rights. Towing up to 35 miles
Factory Roadside Assistance Programs: Harley’s come with the first tow of up to $100 included with your HOG membership. New Indian Motorcycles come with at least 50 miles of tow coverage for at least the first year. And new BMW Motorcycle owners are covered for at least 100 miles of range for the first 3 years of ownership.
Step 4: Call your preferred motorcycle towing specialist FIRST!
Why?: Because that’s who you should call when you don’t want your bike jacked up by a tow vendor who does NOT know how to secure a motorcycle properly. When you reach your preferred motorcycle tow specialist first (with the right roadside coverage in place)… you will likely get most or ALL of your tow bills reimbursed in full.
When using your motorcycle tow specialist, always make sure to get a receipt for your tow bill to present that to your insurance company to have them reimburse you.
Editors Note: A very special THANK YOU to Michael Levy, from Rider Rescue who wrote this amazing article and still promoted competitors towing businesses. To me, this is about the biker code and Michael is showing that it is more important for a rider to be safe off the road than it is to make the mighty dollars.
