I am doing a little investigating before potentially writing up a post on renting a bike. What was your experience like? Is it a popular option? Why would someone choose to rent? How much did it cost? Was it worthwhile? Do you know of any reputable dealers or independent businesses to rent from? Any personal thoughts and experiences are welcome.

 

I have only rented a Can Am Spyder on a vacation since my wife wont ride with me on regular bikes. The rental was fine, it's always on the expensive side, and we had a great time.

Your location is listed as Lindenhurst. Which Lindenhurst? There is one in New York, but I am unaware of anyone who rents bikes in the area.

 

I've rented Bikes twice, both times in Florida.

Very convenient to hop on a plane, get met at the airport by friends to take you to their place, and rent a bike for the days/week.

Rentals while a tad expensive are a whole lot less expensive than driving or riding down, and you don't lose 2 days each way.

Plus it gives me a chance to check out other models of bike for an extended road test.

Edited to add: Cost this past spring was about $100/day. (The Harley H-D $100 I suppose.)

 

Thanks Torquey. Yup. Lindenhurst, NY. There are a few Suffolk county H-D dealerships around but I have never renting a bike myself and wanted to get more information from those who have. Glad to here the rental went well for you and the wife.

 

I've rented a couple of times from an HD dealership. It was easy to do. You'll need a credit card for a $2000 deposit that you'll get back if you don't wreck it. They'll have helmets and rainsuits available if needed. Typical rentals cost about $100 M-Th and Fri-Sun are $150ish per day. They will offer up their insurance plan to you for about $40. If you've got a bike and your own insurance you might want to opt out of that as you're already covered. The bikes that I rented were pretty much brand new bikes with only a few hundred miles.
I rented one for my 40th Birthday as a special treat to myself as I've only ridden Harleys of my friends. I also rented one when we were up in the Colorado mountains. It's nice to get some actual ride time on your bike of choice if you're considering buying.

 

I'm out East on L.I. I am not familiar with ANY bike rentals on Long Island, though I could be wrong. Regarding HD, even events pale in comparison to almost anywhere else, unfortunately. Nevertheless, since you are in Lindenhurst, I would VERY STRONGLY recommend you speak to a fellow named Reubens at Suffolk County HD in Oakdale, quite close to you. He is an excellent guy and has been great to me for years.

Regarding the rental of the Spyder, we did have a great time. My wife will not get on a motorcycle, though she felt very comfortable and relaxed on the Spyder. The rental was in the Summertime from around Noon until perhaps 10 or 11 the following morning, and as the days are long in July, we had plenty of time to ride. The location was in the Lakes area of New Hampshire, and it's not easy to come up with a nicer venue. If you find out about rentals, I'd be interested to hear...

 

I rented a Road King over the summer from the dealer as I wanted to do more than just a 15 minute test ride. Took it home overnight, played with it in the parking lot, took the windshield off, rode it without, put it back on, road it with, come to find out, I like Road Kings. And Road Glides. And Street Glides. And Dynas, etc.

easy process for the rental, cost about $180 or so. As mentioned, put a deposit down, provide proof of insurance (I declined their insurance as Farm Bureau had me covered), do a figure 8 for the dealer rep to demonstrate proficiency and I off I went.

 

I've rented bikes a bunch of times. All the info above is spot on.

As mentioned, it's nice if you fly somewhere and just want to ride for a day or two. That's basically how I ended up buying a Harley. I liked the rental bikes and eventually bought one of my own.

 

I've briefly thought about it but it's riding someone else's bike that that makes me nervous. I'd like to rent a Street Glide to go to Sturgis on. But I'm sure the cost would be really high.

 

Twice. Very good experience through Adamec's in Jacksonville, FL.