Take a ride down Highway 59 through Foley on any Saturday in the summer and you’ll lose count of how many three-wheelers are heading south. Slingshots are rented from a lot, and trikes are rolling in from out of state. Alabama law treats those as two different types of vehicles. Your motorcycle insurance should do the same.
Trike vs. Autocycle: What Alabama Law Says About Your License
Alabama law considers a Harley Tri Glide or a Can-Am Spyder to be a motorcycle. To operate one, you have to have a Class M license. State law also holds you to the helmet requirement for you and anyone riding with you.
A Polaris Slingshot is defined by the state as an autocycle. So for this one, your driver’s license works. And you’re exempted from wearing a helmet.
Registered and Insured Like a Motorcycle
The licensing piece is where these two different types of vehicles split. But registration is where they come back together. Autocycles are titled and registered the same way as motorcycles in Alabama.
The Southern Risk Associates team hears every spring from riders who thought their Slingshot could be covered on their family’s auto policy. That’s not usually the case.
Going Beyond AL Liability with Motorcycle Insurance
The liability insurance you carry is protection for other people on the road. It doesn’t do anything for your own machine if somebody pulls out of the Tanger Outlets parking lot straight into your path.
If you have a custom paint job or you’re working with aftermarket parts, they have to be listed on the policy to be covered. Coverage for passengers is worth asking about also. Especially if you bought a trike so your partner could ride along with you.
Riding Season Should Be Worry Free
Foley is between I-10 and The Water. That means Highway 59 and Foley Beach Expressway are busy, starting in spring break and all the way through October. A 3-wheeler changes how you or a family member moves through that traffic.
Contact Southern Risk Associates today so we can review your AL motorcycle insurance policy to make sure it reflects that.
