Do E-Motorcycles Need Motorcycle Insurance in Allen, TX?

Your kid asked their grandparents for an e-bike for their birthday. The loving grandparents order what they think is the right one and have it delivered to your house in Allen, TX. It shows up with no pedals and looks a lot like a dirt bike. It can run 50 mph.

That’s not an e-bike. You’ve got yourself an e-motorcycle. And if you keep it, you’re going to need motorcycle insurance. 

E-Bike vs E-Motorcycle

An e-bike has pedals that work and a very small motor. It runs about 28 mph, tops. Your kid or you can ride it anywhere a regular bike can go. Nobody needs a special license or even a plate

E-motorcycles don’t have pedals. They’re heavier and a lot faster. Built a lot more like a dirt bike. If that’s what grandma and grandpa sent, Texas treats it just like any other motor vehicle.

Why TX Motorcycle Insurance Enters the Conversation

Because an e-motorcycle is considered a motor vehicle, it means you have to have a driver’s license to drive one. That license has to have a motorcycle endorsement from DPS. You also need a license plate and registration before it ever rolls onto a public street.

These vehicles aren’t covered under your auto insurance or home insurance policy. At Texas Independent Insurance, we usually get the phone call after somebody already bought the bike. 

What Allen Police Are Running Into

Allen Police told the City Council in July that they’d had about 150 run-ins with e-motorcycles in the past year alone. The majority of them are teenagers riding their bikes on sidewalks and neighborhood trails. They’re moving at speeds that belong on Central Expressway. Not a neighborhood sidewalk.

Police officers have spent months visiting HOA meetings and Allen ISD schools to hand out information. Their patience has run out because now they are writing tickets. That ticket can go to you as the parent. And the bike can get towed.

Ask Before You Buy, Not After

A lot of these bikes get delivered with no ownership paperwork. That means the state won’t give them a title. Without a title, you can’t get a license plate. And without the license plate, you don’t have a legal way to ride this bike on the street.

Call Texas Independent Insurance before you buy the bike and we’ll walk you through what motorcycle insurance looks like for whatever grandma and grandpa deliver.