Renting your motorcycles

It was just last week that I realized that I own 3 motorcycles (S'wing, Reflex, Vectrix) and 2 cars (Honda Pilot, Toyota MR2 Spyder), and I'm just one single guy! But considering how I like my toys I'm not ready to part with any of them although I can't possibly drive all them at once I thought I might try to make some money.

I came across a website called Rentzio that lets you post your motorcycles to rent, and I decided to post my 2003 Silverwing as available to rent in the Atlanta metro area. I may also offer my Reflex if I start getting some action with my S'wing.

http://www.rentzio.com/Search/Motorcycles/Georgia
(the link to my bike may be down for a few hours since I just made a small update to the listing and it is waiting for approval)

Jesse in Atlanta

Jesse
I would NOT rent out your scooters at all because the person may say he
knows how to ride but REALLY does NOT. AND he or she may wreck
your swing and then what?? They also may want to use it as a get away
vehicle for a robbery or something else. What happens IF they total your
swing???? AND it was there fault??? I personally would NOT let anyone
ride my silverwing UNLESS they know how to ride a motorcycle.
Ghost rider Greg
Houston tx. u.s.a.
2010 silverwing

insurance? motorcycle license?

Jesse

I would add that I'm a pretty decent rider - but when I go down to Atlanta to visit my brother (and he is an EXCELLENT rider!) we don't ride to many places in the area, or not at certain times. I find Atlanta drivers - like many large city drivers - are very aggressive. But in Atlanta, I feel less safe than I do in Washington DC, because I find the drivers to more variable in skills in Atlanta than in DC. I wouldn't want the combination of an iffy rider on an unfamiliar bike, with the added risk of big-city aggressive drivers and very heavy traffic in many locations, and at many times each day.

true that Atlanta drivers are horrible. I drive 90 miles per day most weekdays and I barely make it round trip without at least one near miss. I'm still not discouraged from renting my bike though, as long as the renter knows what he's in for.

Jesse

I have had issues with people underestimating my scooter so many times in the past couple of years - a quick glance, and they decide I'm going to putz along because it's a scooter. Never mind that I'm on a highway, and already doing 60 or 70 mph (or on the DC beltway, doing 85 with the flow of traffic!). I still get cut off, and have to be defensive to the point of paranoia, because how are you going to win against some yahoo in a big honking SUV? I know these fools have seen me - I've had some look me right in the eye before they try to take me out. They are bigger, and I am just a whimpy little scooter, and I'd better just get the heck out of their way. I had a lot less of this attitude when I rode my Suzuki VStrom, which was only 50cc bigger in engine displacement.

Thing is, I know my scooter, and my skill level, and I ride defensively. Some guy used to riding a larger (maybe also more visible) motorcycle might not make the required adjustments. The motorcyclists in Atlanta, my brother calls "Weekend Wobblers". We have seen some really bad riding out there north of Atlanta. How do you know you're not going to get one of those "Wobblers"? Maybe I am too attached to my scooter, but there's a very short list of people I would trust to ride it - and never, ever some stranger. If it gets wrecked, the insurance company would hand me a small fraction of what it's worth to me, and definitely not enough to replace it. And that's if the person who wrecked it was legit!

You must be just yankingour chain here, I can't imagine turning over any motorcycle to strangers and turning them loose in a city like Atlanta, not for any money. But I guess it's your choice, and I'm done trying to warn you!

Check how much the insurance would be.

Renting or hiring any vehicle = Drive it like you stole it.

Cheers,

The insurance you will need is different for commercial use.
Your current insurance may not cover you if they find out the bike was being rented when it was damaged.


Dan

In the UK normal bike insurance doesn't cover 'Hire or Reward' so like Dan says the insurance will have to be of a commercial nature (read 'bloody expensive!' You may not even get a quote if you aren't a company.

Cheers,

I'd love to know how much UK pizza companies pay for unlicensed 16-year-olds to race around on mopeds delivering them.

Dominoes have now incorporated the 'L' plate into their logo!

Cheers,

Colin B wrote:

I'd love to know how much UK pizza companies pay for unlicensed 16-year-olds to race around on mopeds delivering them.

I think that would qualify as work transportation for the owner rather than scooter for hire, because presumably the owner is riding it.

Here in Houston tx.. we have the NUTS that do NOT care about
motorcyclelists like us. They would just rather run us over at times., I do not think your insurance would cover them as well since the bike is yours?
Every week or so I have a fairly close call because the idiots that do NOT
look for us on 2 wheels.

dspevack wrote:

Colin B wrote:

I'd love to know how much UK pizza companies pay for unlicensed 16-year-olds to race around on mopeds delivering them.

I think that would qualify as work transportation for the owner rather than scooter for hire, because presumably the owner is riding it.

Dan,
Don't know if you have the same system in US as we do here. Pizza places, and other 'fast food' outlets employ young kids to ride the company's delivery machines so it isn't the owner riding them. Also UK insurance states that you are covered to drive to your 'normal place of work'. I used to do computer support which involved driving to various locations within the UK. I had to insist that my company paid the additional premium on my policy to allow me to use my car. They were very reluctant to do it until one day there was an emergency at a remote site and I was the only one available to fix it. I refused to go and showed them a copy of my insurance, as driving a car without insurance is illegal they would have been liable and could have been prosecuted. Guess what, they agreed. Stupid thing was that when I contacted the insurance company they didn't charge me any extra. When I got to the problem the machine was dead in the water, toast, a door-stop. So they had to buy a replacement. Serves them right. They now pay my retirement pension, bless 'em.

Cheers,

toolboxjesse wrote:

.... decided to post my 2003 Silverwing as available to rent in the Atlanta metro area.

Checked the site - but could not find your SWing listed?

Curious if you upgraded your insurance and what they charged? Interested in following how your rental experience goes. Good Luck!

'Ride it like you stole it'

Does anyone take care of a short term rental? Do they hell as like!

Cheers,