Insure the rider, not just the ride.
How Nationwide's Powersports policy covers your gear, your passenger, and your custom work, what Arkansas law actually requires — and what riders get backwards — and the discounts that stack when the bike joins your account. From an independent agency that places Nationwide every day.
The short answer
Nationwide writes motorcycles in Arkansas through its Powersports program. It covers the things a stock policy forgets: your gear (up to $2,000), your passenger and family (Guest Bodily Injury, standard), and your custom work (up to $3,000, with agreed-value options for customs and vintage bikes). Arkansas only requires helmets for riders under 21 — but eye protection for everyone — and bundling the bike with your auto or home is where the discounts start.
The rule most riders have backwards.
Ask a rider what Arkansas mandates and most say "helmets." It's the opposite of what they think — and the part they forget is the part that applies to everyone.
| Requirement | The Arkansas rule |
|---|---|
| Helmet | Required only for riders and passengers under 21 (DOT-standard). Riders 21+ may legally ride without one. This is the part people overestimate. |
| Eye protection | Required for every rider, at any age — glasses, goggles, or a face shield (a windshield can satisfy it). This is the part people forget. |
| Headlight | Daytime headlight use is required; a modulating headlight is permitted. |
| Passenger | You must have a proper passenger seat to legally carry a passenger. |
| Liability insurance | Minimum 25/50/25, the same as a car. Arkansas is an at-fault, modified-comparative-negligence state. |
| Lane splitting | Not permitted in Arkansas. |
Legal to skip the helmet doesn't mean free of consequences.
Adults can ride without a helmet in Arkansas, but in an at-fault, comparative-negligence state, a head injury sustained without a helmet can be used to argue down what you recover. What's legal and what's smart aren't always the same sentence — and either way, the gear you do wear isn't cheap, which is where the next section comes in.
Your gear costs real money. Cover it.
A good helmet and a leather jacket can run well over a thousand dollars, and a standard auto-style policy won't replace them. Nationwide's motorcycle policy will.
Nationwide includes up to $2,000 for helmets, riding leathers, and similar safety items when you carry Collision coverage. The gear Arkansas half-requires, protected.
Why this line matters more than it looks.
When a bike goes down, the gear goes down with it — and a helmet that took an impact is done whether it looks it or not. A car policy has no concept of "riding apparel," so without this coverage, replacing a scuffed jacket, cracked helmet, and torn gloves comes out of pocket on top of your deductible.
Pair it with Guest Bodily Injury, which comes standard and extends bodily-injury coverage to any passenger — including household family members, whom some motorcycle policies quietly exclude — and the "insure the rider, not just the ride" idea stops being a slogan. It's two specific coverages doing specific jobs.
The coverages built for two wheels.
Guest Bodily Injury
Extends bodily-injury coverage to any passenger on the bike, including household family members — the exclusion that catches riders who go two-up with a spouse or kid.
Custom Equipment
Covers after-market upgrades, custom paint, side cars, and even a trailer towed by the bike, with higher limits available. If you've made it yours, this is what protects the difference.
Vanishing Deductible
Included with comprehensive and collision. $100 off your deductible after a 30-day wait, then $100 for each accident-, lapse-, and major-violation-free year, to a $500 maximum.
OEM parts coverage
Original Equipment Manufacturer coverage pays for genuine manufacturer replacement parts after a comprehensive or collision loss, rather than aftermarket substitutes.
Roadside Assistance
Optional with comp and collision. Basic covers on-site help and towing up to 100 miles; Plus adds trip interruption — up to $500 for lodging, meals, and transport — if you're stranded more than 100 miles from home.
Replacement Cost
Pays for a new bike of similar make and model on a total loss — available for bikes bought new within the past 13 months, until the bike is three model years old.
How the bike gets valued at a total loss.
For a lot of riders, the whole question is what the policy thinks the bike is worth. Nationwide gives you three ways to answer it.
- Agreed Value. The policy pays the number on your declarations page if the bike is totaled — no depreciation argument. It's required for converted, assembled, and heavily customized motorcycles, and optional for vintage or antique bikes (over 25 model years). Custom bikes are written on an agreed-value basis up to a program maximum.
- Replacement Cost. For a newer bike bought within the last 13 months, a total loss can be settled with a new equivalent rather than a depreciated one, until the bike reaches three model years old.
- OEM parts. For repairable losses, keeps genuine manufacturer parts on the bike instead of aftermarket substitutes.
The mismatch this prevents.
A stock-value settlement almost never reflects a bike someone has poured money and weekends into. If your bike is customized, vintage, or newly bought, the valuation basis is the single most important decision on the policy — and it's set at the quote, not discovered at the claim.
The ones you have to mention to get.
Nationwide's motorcycle discounts reward bundling, safety, and loyalty — and several only apply if someone brings them up. So we bring them up.
Multi-Policy & Multi-Bike
Multi-Policy applies when the bike joins other Nationwide policies — auto, home, commercial, or other Powersports. Multi-Bike applies when you insure more than one motorcycle.
Course, ABS & anti-theft
Completing an Accident Prevention Course earns a credit, as does a factory anti-lock braking system and a professionally installed theft-recovery or anti-theft device.
Prior Insurance & Claim-Free
Continuous prior coverage in the six months before switching earns a credit, and staying claim-free earns another at renewal.
Riding Association & Homeowner
Membership in a motorcycle riding association earns a discount, and so does simply owning a home — including a farm — or a condo/townhouse, whether or not the home is insured with Nationwide.
Two more worth naming.
The Advance Quote discount rewards quoting eight or more days before your start date, and the Paid in Full discount applies when you pay the term up front. Small levers, but free — and easy to leave on the table if nobody asks.
More than just cruisers.
Nationwide's Powersports program takes a wide range of on-road machines. If it has two or three wheels and an engine, it's worth a quote.
Off-road runs on the same program.
ATVs, UTVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, golf carts and more are written on the same Nationwide Powersports program — with the same kind of gear, custom and vanishing-deductible features. If your machine leaves the pavement, that's the ATV & off-road page (coming soon), but it's the same conversation.
Less than most riders expect.
Motorcycle premiums swing hard on bike type, engine size, rider age and experience, coverage selections, custom value, and where the bike is garaged, so a planning number here would mislead more than it helps. This isn't a quote or a guarantee. What we can say is that bundling the bike onto an existing auto or home account, and stacking the safety and multi-bike discounts, usually lands riders somewhere better than a standalone quote — which is exactly the number we'll build for you.
Backed by an A (Excellent) carrier.
On November 7, 2025, AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) for the members of the Nationwide Property and Casualty Group, stable outlook — the companies behind this coverage in Arkansas.
Where we earn it on a bike policy.
The mistakes on motorcycle policies are almost always the same three: the valuation basis is wrong for a custom or vintage bike, the gear and passenger coverages aren't set, and the discounts that require a mention never got mentioned. We set those at the quote. And because we're independent, if Nationwide's Powersports program isn't the best home for your bike, we place it with one of our 40-plus other markets instead.
The policies around this one.
Nationwide motorcycle questions.
Does Arkansas require a motorcycle helmet?
Only for riders and passengers under 21. Under Ark. Code § 27-20-104, anyone under 21 must wear DOT-standard protective headgear; riders 21 and over may legally ride without a helmet.
Here's the part most riders have backwards: eye protection is required for everyone, regardless of age — glasses, goggles, or a face shield (a windshield can satisfy it). Arkansas also requires a daytime headlight and a passenger seat to carry a passenger, and lane splitting isn't permitted.
Does Nationwide motorcycle insurance cover my riding gear?
Yes, when you carry Collision coverage. Nationwide's motorcycle policy includes Safety Equipment coverage up to $2,000 for helmets, riding leathers, and similar safety items.
That matters in Arkansas, where the law requires eye protection for every rider and good gear runs into real money — a standard auto-style policy generally won't replace a destroyed helmet or jacket, but this coverage will. Confirm the current limit when you quote.
Are my passengers and family covered?
Yes. Guest Bodily Injury is included automatically with liability coverage and extends bodily-injury coverage to any passenger on the vehicle, including household family members.
That last part matters, because some motorcycle policies quietly exclude family members riding as passengers. If you ride two-up with a spouse or your kids, confirm this is in place — with Nationwide it comes standard.
Can Nationwide insure my custom, vintage, or kit motorcycle?
Yes, with the right valuation. Custom Equipment coverage includes up to $3,000 for after-market upgrades, custom paint, side cars, and even a trailer towed by the bike, with higher limits available.
For bikes where value is the whole question, Agreed Value pays the amount shown on your declarations if the bike is totaled — required for converted, assembled, and heavily customized bikes, and optional for vintage or antique bikes over 25 model years. A stock-value settlement rarely reflects a bike someone has put real money into, and this is how you fix that before a loss.
What kinds of motorcycles does Nationwide cover?
A wide range on the road: cruisers, touring bikes, street sport, dual-purpose and high-performance motorcycles, gasoline and electric, plus trikes, reverse trikes and auto-cycles, scooters, mopeds, pedal-assist electric bicycles, vintage motorcycles over 25 years old, and custom or kit-built bikes on an agreed-value basis.
The same Nationwide Powersports program also covers off-road machines — ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes and more — which we cover on a separate page.
How do I get a Nationwide motorcycle quote in Bentonville or Rogers?
Start at our personal lines quote form or call (479) 286-1066. Bundling the bike with your auto or home earns a multi-policy discount, and insuring more than one motorcycle earns a multi-bike discount on top.
Tell us about any custom work, safety courses you've taken, or riding-association memberships — several of Nationwide's motorcycle discounts only apply if someone thinks to mention them.
If our insurance guides and coverage comparisons are helpful, mark Cribb Insurance as a preferred source so more Northwest Arkansas riders can find our local explanations.
Nationwide is one of 40+ carriers we represent.
Which means we can tell you honestly whether Nationwide's Powersports program is the right home for your bike — or whether one of our other markets fits better. Tell us what you ride, what you've done to it, and what's already on your account, and we'll set the valuation, the gear and passenger coverages, and the discounts that only apply if someone asks. If a different carrier fits the bike better, we'll say so.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas. We are not Nationwide, and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by Nationwide. "Nationwide," "Nationwide is on your side," "On Your Side," and "Vanishing Deductible" are service marks or trademarks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, used here nominatively to identify products we are appointed to place. Nationwide's Arkansas motorcycle and powersports policies are issued by Nationwide-affiliated underwriting companies.
This page describes coverage in general terms for informational purposes only. It is not a policy, not an offer of insurance, and not a guarantee of coverage, availability, eligibility, or price. Coverage, endorsements, valuation options, program terms, eligibility and availability vary by state, by policy, and over time, are set by the carrier, and are subject to underwriting approval and to the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Safety Equipment, Custom Equipment, Vanishing Deductible, Agreed Value, Replacement Cost, OEM and Roadside features are subject to coverage requirements, limits, and state availability. If anything on this page conflicts with the issued policy, the policy controls.
Financial strength ratings are opinions of an insurer's ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, are subject to change, are not recommendations to purchase, hold or terminate any policy, and do not address an insurer's claims-handling practices; current ratings are at ambest.com. The A (Excellent) rating referenced applies to the members of the Nationwide Property and Casualty Group. Statements about Arkansas law, including Ark. Code § 27-20-104, are general information, not legal advice; confirm current requirements with the Arkansas Office of Motor Vehicle or counsel.
Last reviewed July 2026.