Bike rental UK

[derek badger]

Lad at work has an MT03 and wants to rent a bigger bike to do a couple of week tour round the Dales Scotland etc. Anyone got any recommendations for a firm that hires bikes out? The ones in London he has contacted want around £3K deposit...

[The Spin Doctor]

Lad at work has an MT03 and wants to rent a bigger bike to do a couple of week tour round the Dales Scotland etc. Anyone got any recommendations for a firm that hires bikes out? The ones in London he has contacted want around £3K deposit...

Take the 300, stick a screen on it, and take an extra couple of days cruising up and back via back roads - the bike'll happily run along at 60 mph all day.

Save the £££s for the hire fee for a better class of doss house to get decent night's kip and spend the rest on the petrol.

[derek badger]

Lad at work has an MT03 and wants to rent a bigger bike to do a couple of week tour round the Dales Scotland etc. Anyone got any recommendations for a firm that hires bikes out? The ones in London he has contacted want around £3K deposit...

Take the 300, stick a screen on it, and take an extra couple of days cruising up and back via back roads - the bike'll happily run along at 60 mph all day.

Save the £££s for the hire fee for a better class of doss house to get decent night's kip and spend the rest on the petrol.

He could do it on a C90 for all I care, and I myself would happily tour on a smaller bike. However, I wasn't looking for advice to persuade him otherwise.

[Supermofo]

My mate worked in a bike rental firm for years, but that was about 20 years ago and they've since closed. However I seem to recall them having fairly hefty deposits at the time so don't doubt they've increased a lot. I also seem to recall a lot of that was due to the fact they couldn't really afford to claim off their insurance for anything if they wanted to get insurance again, so someone stealing/writing off a brand new bike was a dead loss.

[Horse]

so someone stealing/writing off a brand new bike was a dead loss.

I had a VFR800 loaner for a while.

Guy who delivered it said "Please be careful. We bought two, the other was written off at 600 miles."

If it's a £3k deposit, then he'll get it back. If he starts off with the attitude that he won't, then I wouldn't want to lend him a bike.

However, I wasn't looking for advice to persuade him otherwise

Welcome to the Internet

[The Spin Doctor]

He could do it on a C90 for all I care, and I myself would happily tour on a smaller bike. However, I wasn't looking for advice to persuade him otherwise.

Nevertheless, you got it. It makes sense to tour on what we're used to riding, particularly if we're going to be riding unfamiliar and challenging roads. Riding an unfamiliar bike really bumps up the crash risk. As others have said, one reason the deposit's so big is that not all the bikes make it back in one piece.

Or they get nicked - Edinburgh hotels have apparently been targeted in the last couple of years.

Daytona in West Ruislip used to hire bikes, and I've directed trainees who've flown in from foreign parts to them, but I've just checked and they seem to be out of the bike rental market.

[The Spin Doctor]

Quick google found...

https://www.roadtrip.uk/motorcycles-for-hire/

Top deposit is £2k.

They appear to have good reviews (though I never pay too much attention to that).

[derek badger]

Cheers, will let know.