By Terry Tynan
Renting a motorcycle locally or far away is almost always a fun-filled experience. Calls and e-mails from satisfied customers more than attest to this fact. However, as one might expect, there are sometimes exceptions. Accidents, traffic tickets, breakdowns, flat tires are the obvious problems that are often beyond the rider's control. Being in the motorcycle rental business for the past 8 years, we have learned that a little advance planning can make the difference between a great ride, a mediocre ride, and a catastrophe. Let us share some helpful hints learned from experiences of others and painfully, a few of our own.
Thanks to the Internet, you can now find rental agencies all over the world. To say some are better than others is an understatement. You can learn a lot about them from scrutinizing their web site. Do they seem to be more concerned with the welfare of their motorcycles than the well being of you, the rider? Do you get the feeling that making the last dollar precludes any interest in your having a good time? What you may be unable to discern from their website, you can certainly pick up from a phone conversation or e-mail exchange.
Assuming you have chosen a reputable agent who has the bike you will be comfortable with, here are some questions you should want answers to.
Does the agent carry liability insurance, with whom and for how much?
They should furnish you a card or certificate to carry on the bike in case of an accident or traffic stop. Most states have laws mandating liability coverage.
Does the policy cover you as well as the agent?
If not, inquire what insurance is available to you and at what cost. The same applies to Collision &
Comprehensive (fire, theft, vandalism, etc.) Some agents sell what might be called a "Loss Damage Waiver"
which makes you responsible only up to a specified amount. Often, this coverage only applies to physical
damage to the motorcycle-- not theft and never liability. It should now be evident that matters pertaining to
insurance coverage should be ironed out long before you are in the shop looking over the rental agreement. It
might be worth a phone call to your own insurance agent to determine what coverage you may or may not have
with your current policy. Try not to be too shocked at the daily cost of insurance and loss damage waiver
premiums. After 9/11, insurance rates everywhere soared, including the rates for motorcycle rental firms forcing
several out of business and others opting to self-insure or operate without any insurance at all.
Selecting a Suitable Ride
Assuming there is more than one bike available--let us consider some choices. If you intend to ride more than
100 miles (here is where you should inquire about mileage caps and extra charges) rather than hopping from one
coffee house to another, you should pay attention to the comfort some bikes offer over others. If comfort is not
high on your priority list you might think about your passenger. An unhappy companion makes for a very
unpleasant outing, regardless of how cool that souped-up, hard tail chopper, with a 48 degree rake, makes you
feel. If a long, two-up ride with infrequent pit stops is the game plan, the obvious choice is a Harley Electra Glide
Ultra Classic or Road Glide with cushioned seats and back rests, stereo CD player, intercom, floorboards, lower
fairings, and a host of other amenities.
Road Kings and Electra Glide Classics (currently called Street Glides) and Electra Glide Standards are other big frame models with fewer bells and whistles that comprise the so-called 'touring class.' Over the past two years, our rental agents report that Road Kings are the top choice, probably because they combine the best qualities of a touring bike with the appearance of a cruiser. Often, they are equipped with a detachable tour pack for extra storage.
The next most requested cycles are the Fat Boy and the Heritage Classic. The latter comes with windshield, large leather saddlebags and passenger back rest standard from the factory. We normally add the same equipment to the Fat Boy-- all of which are detachable for that cool, solo rider who likes to travel light. Our agents in south Florida love the German tourists, who might have a BMW back home in Hamburg, but, almost invariably ask for, not a 'Harley,' but a 'Fat Boy' in Fort Myers. For longer rides, these Soft Tail models tend to vibrate a little too much for some riders, but with the 2000 model year, Harley-Davidson engineers introduced a 'counter balance' system for the motor, which has eliminated this problem. We feel that the Soft Tails are the easiest to maneuver and are especially kind to the short-legged riders, a society of which this writer is a member in good standing.
The Sportster, which is often overlooked, is easy to handle and fun to ride. It is fast and quick. After all, Harley introduced it many years ago to compete with the racing bikes of Italy and Great Britain. It is the best choice for tooling down Duval Street, surviving the 318 curves of The Dragon in the Smoky Mountains or negotiating heavy rally traffic, and, on a deserted highway, with no police protection in sight, you, 'daredevil' that you are, can fill in the blanks. If a Sportster falls over you don't need help picking it up. Lastly, thanks to economic laws of supply and demand, the rental price of a Sportster is generally 1/2 to 3/4 that of the other bikes. Not too bad of a deal.
Now that you have chosen the prettiest Sportster, or other bike, here is what we might suggest as a sort of check list before riding out:
As space permits, and depending on the anticipated length of your ride, bring the following items:
