Moon Insurance Managers, Inc. Tel. (281) 484-8320

Moon Insurance Managers, Inc. · TDI license #5595

Motorcycle Insurance in Houston, TX

Commuter bikes, weekend bikes, and the one in the garage that has not been stock since 2011. We write all of them from an office on FM 1959, through markets like Dairyland — and we will tell you what Texas law actually says, which is not what most of the internet says.

Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072 Minimum liability, all motor vehicles

30 / 60 / 25

Injury, one person
$30,000
Injury, one crash
$60,000
Property damage
$25,000
Your motorcycle
Not covered
Agent of record
Statutory minimums, unchanged since January 2011.
  • 41years in Houston
  • 20+markets compared
  • Same dayDPS filing
  • #5595TDI license

From the code

What Texas requires of a motorcycle

A motorcycle carries the same financial responsibility minimums as a car. Three numbers, and they are liability only — they pay for the damage and the injuries you cause, and nothing at all toward your own bike:

You also need a Class M license or endorsement to be on the bike at all, and proof of insurance to keep the registration and inspection cycle clean. If a court or the state is involved in why you are shopping — a suspension, a filing somebody is waiting on — what a filing can ride on depends on the carrier and the vehicle, so call and we will tell you where you stand. That work has its own page.

Source: Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072 — minimum coverage amounts. Verified .

Read the statute, not the forum

The helmet law, as it is actually written

Under 21, a helmet is required and there is no exception. At 21 or over, you are exempt from the requirement if either of two things is true: you have completed an approved motorcycle operator training and safety course, or you are covered by a health insurance plan that pays for injuries from a motorcycle collision.

The statute names no dollar amount. The $10,000 figure you have read on agency and law firm pages came out of Texas law in 2009 and has been repeated ever since.

There is a third piece almost nobody publishes, and it is in the same section: a peace officer may not stop or detain a rider or passenger for the sole purpose of determining whether the course was completed or the health plan exists. The exemption is a defense, not a document you owe at the roadside.

Source: Tex. Transp. Code § 661.003 — protective headgear. Verified .

Still an offense

Lane filtering and lane splitting in Texas

Both are illegal, and the confusion is understandable. Section 545.0605 gives a motorcycle the full use of a lane and expressly allows two motorcycles to ride abreast in one — then prohibits riding between lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, riding more than two abreast, and passing a vehicle in the same lane. Police on official duty are exempt from the section; you are not.

In 2025, HB 2957 would have carved out filtering at low speeds on divided highways. It was referred to House Transportation on 20 March 2025 and nothing happened after that. It is not law, and the pages telling you it took effect in September 2025 are reporting a bill's own effective-date line as though the bill had passed.

Sources: Tex. Transp. Code § 545.0605 — operation on a laned roadway; HB 2957 (89R) — bill history. Verified .

Beyond the minimum

What else belongs on a bike policy

Liability only, or full coverage
Criterion State minimumFull coverage
What it pays for Other people’s injuries and property That, plus your own motorcycle
Your bike after a wreck Nothing Collision, less the deductible
Theft or hail Nothing Comprehensive
Hit by an uninsured driver Only if UM/UIM is on the policy Only if UM/UIM is on the policy
Custom parts Nothing Up to the stated limit — ask what it is
Usually chosen by Older bikes worth less than the deductible math Financed, new, custom or vintage machines
Coverage names are standard; terms and availability vary by carrier.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist The one that matters most
The car that pulls across your lane is usually the cause and often the one without enough insurance. Texas requires the insurer to offer this; it applies unless a named insured rejects it in writing. If you do not remember signing it away, you probably have it — check before you assume.
Collision Your bike, your fault or not
Repairs or replaces the motorcycle after a wreck, less the deductible you pick.
Comprehensive Theft is the real risk
Theft, vandalism, fire, hail, a tree in the driveway. Bikes are stolen at rates cars are not, and this is the coverage that answers for it.
Custom parts and equipment Ask for the number
Exhaust, bags, bars, paint, chrome. Policies include a modest amount and it is usually less than what is bolted to the bike. The limit is stated — ask what yours is rather than discovering it at a total loss.
Medical payments No fault argued
Your own injuries, paid without deciding who was to blame first.
Agreed value, for the right bike Vintage and custom
A restored or heavily built machine is worth what it is worth, not what a valuation book says a stock one is. Agreed value settles the argument before the claim, not after it. Availability varies by carrier and by bike.

Source: Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101 — uninsured motorist coverage. Verified .

Imperfect records

Riders the preferred market prices badly

Tickets, an at-fault crash, a stretch with no policy in force, or no prior insurance at all — the standard market rates all of that hard on a motorcycle, and a captive agent has one answer to give you. We are independent, which means the answer is whichever market on our shelf writes your situation — Dairyland among them.

This is the same book as the auto side of the house, where an imperfect record is ordinary business rather than a problem to be explained. Bring what you have and we will place it.

No obligation

Get the bike covered

Tell us the machine, the year, and what you have done to it, and we will come back with what it takes to cover it properly.

The office is on FM 1959 if you would rather ride over.

Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 5:00; Friday, 9:00 to 4:00. 360 FM 1959, Houston, TX 77034.

We do not ask for your driver’s license number here. That comes later, on the phone or in the carrier’s own system.

Rider questions we get every week

Is motorcycle insurance required in Texas?

Yes. The same financial responsibility minimums apply to a motorcycle as to a car — $30,000 for injury to one person, $60,000 per crash, and $25,000 for property damage (Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072). Those are liability limits, so they pay for what you damage and for injuries you cause, not for your own bike.

Do I have to wear a helmet in Texas?

Under 21, yes, with no exception. At 21 or over you are exempt if you have completed an approved motorcycle operator training and safety course or are covered by a health insurance plan that pays for injuries from a motorcycle collision (Tex. Transp. Code § 661.003). The statute names no dollar amount of coverage — the $10,000 figure still published on many pages came out of the law in 2009. An officer also may not stop you for the sole purpose of checking whether the exemption applies.

Is lane splitting or lane filtering legal in Texas?

Neither is legal. Tex. Transp. Code § 545.0605 entitles a motorcycle to the full use of a lane and permits two motorcycles to ride abreast in one lane, but it prohibits riding between lanes of traffic and passing a vehicle in the same lane. A 2025 bill, HB 2957, would have created a filtering exception and died in committee — pages telling you filtering became legal are wrong.

Does my auto policy cover my motorcycle?

No. A motorcycle needs its own policy. An auto policy will not cover the bike, and the liability it carries does not extend to riding it.

Can I insure a custom or vintage motorcycle?

Yes, and the question to ask is how it settles. Standard settlement pays a book value that has no idea what you built; agreed value fixes the figure in advance. Also ask what the policy allows for custom parts and equipment, which is usually less than the parts are worth.

Moon Insurance Managers, Inc. — 360 FM 1959, Houston, TX 77034 — (281) 484-8320