Michigan No-Fault Law, section by section › MCL 500.3103
Owner or registrant of motorcycle; security required; offering security for payment of first-party medical benefits; rates, deductibles, and provisions.
In plain terms
Motorcycle owners and registrants must carry liability coverage that meets section 3009(1), and every insurer that covers motorcycles must offer optional first-party medical benefits in $5,000 increments, payable when the owner is hurt in a motorcycle accident. Because a motorcycle is not a "motor vehicle" under section 3101, these optional benefits are not PIP; a motorcyclist's PIP after a crash with a car comes through section 3114(5).
How this section works in practice
Motorcycles sit outside the definition of "motor vehicle," so this section gives them their own rules. A motorcycle owner must carry liability coverage that meets section 3009(1), and every insurer that writes motorcycle coverage must offer optional first-party medical benefits in $5,000 increments, payable when the owner is hurt in a motorcycle accident. Those optional benefits are not PIP; they are a separate, capped medical coverage that many riders never buy.
The distinction matters most after a crash. If a motorcycle rider is hurt in an accident that involves a motor vehicle, the rider claims full PIP benefits under section 3114(5), starting with the insurer of the motor vehicle's owner, then the motor vehicle's operator, then the rider's own motor vehicle insurer. If no motor vehicle was involved, for example a rider who goes down on gravel or hits a deer, there is no PIP at all, and the rider's medical bills fall to health insurance and whatever first-party medical benefits were purchased under this section. Riders should ask their agent for the highest medical benefit they can afford; the coverage is inexpensive relative to what a single hospital stay costs.
Text of MCL 500.3103
Sec. 3103.
(1) An owner or registrant of a motorcycle shall provide security against loss resulting from liability imposed by law for property damage, bodily injury, or death suffered by a person arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of that motorcycle. The security shall conform with the requirements of section 3009(1).
(2) Each insurer transacting insurance in this state which affords coverage for a motorcycle as described in subsection (1) also shall offer, to an owner or registrant of a motorcycle, security for the payment of first-party medical benefits only, in increments of $5,000.00, payable in the event the owner or registrant is involved in a motorcycle accident. An insurer providing first-party medical benefits may offer, at appropriate premium rates, deductibles, provisions for the coordination of these benefits, and provisions for the subtraction of other benefits provided or required to be provided under the laws of any state or the federal government, subject to the prior approval of the commissioner. These deductibles and provisions shall apply only to benefits payable to the person named in the policy, the spouse of the insured, and any relative of either domiciled in the same household.
History: Add. 1975, Act 329, Eff. Mar. 31, 1976 ;-- Am. 1977, Act 54, Imd. Eff. July 6, 1977 ;-- Am. 1980, Act 445, Eff. Jan. 15, 1981 ;-- Am. 1986, Act 173, Imd. Eff. July 7, 1986
Source: MCL 500.3103 at legislature.mi.gov (official text). Text as published in the 2025 Michigan Compiled Laws; reviewed by Koussan Law on September 15, 2026.
Sections that refer to this one
- MCL 500.3101: Who Must Carry No-Fault Insurance
- MCL 500.3102: Nonresidents and Driving Uninsured
- MCL 500.3104: The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association
- MCL 500.3113: Who Is Disqualified From PIP
- MCL 500.3114: Priority: Which Insurer Pays PIP
Practice pages
Important: This is not legal advice
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