Today in motorcycle history, June 3, 1977

 

 

 

 

    On June 3, 1977,  Rider Insurance Company*, the only insurance carrier exclusively serving motorcyclists, opens for business.

   Currently the largest motorcycle insurance provider in New Jersey and the only company exclusively serving the motorcycle community, Rider attributes it's success to the extraordinary support of their loyal customers and to the dedication of it's employees in staying focused on what they do best – motorcycles.

 

  Working out of the basement of his home, Harry Bleiwise founded Rider Insurance Agency in 1971 because, as a new rider, it didn't take him long to realize that bikers were not being treated with the respect they deserved.  Bleiwise wanted to do something to change that.  His dedication to motorcyclists paid off as, over the next six years, Harry gained the loyalty of over 20,000 New Jersey riders.

   In 1977, one of the largest insurance companies that Harry’s agency was placing business with pulled out of the state of New Jersey.  Rather than give up on his fellow riders he invested everything that he had and borrowed the rest to come up with the capital required to start his own insurance company.  On June 3, 1977 he started Rider Insurance Company.

 

   Although for many years Rider was only available in New Jersey, in 2007, after many requests, operations expanded into new states.  Rider now provides coverage to motorcyclists in Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

 

   "While we’ve come a long way since Harry’s basement, we have remained true to our mission to serve the motorcycling community with the respect they deserve."

 

   *This is by no means a plug for an insurance company it just so happens to be something that involves motorcycles on this particular date.   No offense, but I personally don't give a crap what insurance company you use.