Motorcycle Rental Option

I ended up doing the Rally this year on a rented bike. Due to a fall schedule that was getting crowded and difficult to keep up with I forfeited the return run from way up in the NE and flew in to Nashville and ran over to Russellville, spent a couple days at the rally and then ran back to Nashville. Now the first thing I thought when I first considered the idea was that it would be cost prohibitive, and it isn't cheap, but when I compared the cost to that of being on the road for an additional two weeks, I actually saved money on the overall trip, (including airfare costs for me and the missus) and more importantly gained the two weeks I needed to catch up on work and other commitments that came up.....still haven't got that bull moose yet but should get some hunting in week after next.

So the company that I booked the bike through was Eagle Riders.....they have a pretty good website so what they have to offer from bike rentals to guided tours in some areas is explained there.

They offer these services through a variety of representatives and company outlets. The rep I used just south of Nashville in Murfreesboro was Sloans Motorcycle and ATV center. They are a fairly big multi brand outlet with a good sized inventory. I expect this is at least part of the reason I ended up being so pleased with the service after the fact. I was provided a 2016 Gold Wing with 4000 miles on the clock, rubber and bike in good shape. The staff at Sloans were courteous, helpful and informative on all aspects of the bike and rental agreement. I put just short of 1400 miles on over the four days I had the bike which cost me $39 /100 miles over the limit of 1000 free miles (250 miles a day)

So this worked for me thanks in large part to the way Sloans does business....perhaps all the outlets are like this but I can only speak for the Murfreesboro outlet.

If you do the math and the cost of the service makes sense for what you are doing, then I would suggest the following based on my experience:

1) Spend a bit of time looking over the contract. I know this can be a pain but at least get familiar with the basics.

2) Build a bit of cushion into your sched for unexpected delays like highway closures due to accidents etc.

3) Ensure the "Rental Company" explains the main points of the rental contract, operation of the bike especially if you aren't familiar with the model.

4) Take six picks of the bike Front Left, Front Right, Left Side, Right Side, Rear Left, Rear Right when you pick it up and again when you drop it off. A pic is worth a 1000 words if there are different opinions on the state of the bike. Most of our phones take time coded pics now so this is great protection.

5) Buy every bit of insurance you can afford. In this particular case this outlet didn't offer Eagle Riders top level insurance or the guaranteed model option, but what they did offer was sufficient for what I needed.

So for me in this particular case, the service and cost worked. It won't work for everyone in every situation, but for those far flung trips quite some distance from home that you absolutely want to do It might be worth consideration.

Thought I would post my experience just in case the info might be helpful to someone on the board.

tink

Hey, Tink... thanks for that excellent rundown of your rental experience. That definitely sounds like a viable option. I've come across folks taking advantage of Eagle Riders experience several times and most are pretty happy with the process.
You raise some good points about reading the contract and familiarizing yourself with the bike while still at the rental dealership. Also, the tip about having before/after pics is priceless if there is ever a dispute. :yes:
I've considered this option myself a few times in the past... but I thoroughly enjoy going the distance on my own bike... and the F6B really makes that easy!
Anyway, that's a great write up. Thanks for sharing.

I agree that is a very good write up. Your point about purchasing the optional insurances is very astute. Check with your insurance carrier and see if it covers you on a rental bike, most will not. Also almost all rentals come with the minimum amount of liability required by the state in which you are renting the bike. Some states have minimum liability requirements of $10,000 and $20,000 and that in this day is not anywhere near being sufficient.

Once again it was a great write up and I am sure many members will find it helpful.