What bike would rent well? (for a ride-share)

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usedtobefast

Well-known member
It seems the ride share sites are getting more usage ... so I was thinking of getting a bike and renting it out on those sites.

Goal would be to get a bike I could have some fun on (when not rented out) and it could be a zero dollar bike, meaning I'd rent it enough to pay for the bike and service/maintenance.

Seems the rental company's go with BMW GS or RT bikes, or Harley's and have rental prices around $175 per day.

The ride-share insurance maxes out at $15K, so I'd want to stay under that number for the price of the bike.

I was thinking of a cheaper bike.

First thoughts were a Ninja 650 or Honda CB500X. They would be fun to ride, reliable, pretty cheap to buy/own/operate. But would they rent out?

Not sure how many rentals I'd get.

Then was thinking maybe the Royal Enfield 650s. Might be some interest there. Guys wanting to try one out, ride for a day or two but not buy one.

Motard bikes would probably get crashed frequently. All sport bikes seem a bit risky, but was thinking of a Ducati SuperSport.

I'd like to try a Ducati Multistrada 950. Maybe that would be ok.

Thoughts on bikes you would want to rent out?

The sites I know of are ride-share.com and twistedroad.com.
 
norcalkid

norcalkid

Well-known member
I would forget about what bikes rent, what prices are etc. First thing I'd be looking at is what kind of liability insurance is covering you. IMO that's #1 the concern. I really like the idea other than the liability part.
 
HadesOmega

HadesOmega

Well-known member
I thought about renting some electric motorcycle like a Zero SR. It's like very low maintenance and you just charge it. Plus it wouldn't go very far, there'd only be so many miles you can put on it.

The Royal Enfield 650 would be good, it's not too common a bike yet.
 
U

usedtobefast

Well-known member
norcalkid said:
I would forget about what bikes rent, what prices are etc. First thing I'd be looking at is what kind of liability insurance is covering you. IMO that's #1 the concern. I really like the idea other than the liability part.
Click to expand...

The ride share sites have insurance that seems to cover things well.

And with ~1700 bikes out there for rent I'd rather join in than worry about some odd scenario that might possibly come up. I would be getting a brand new bike, maintaining it perfectly, frequent tire replacements, etc.
 
F

fubar929

Well-known member
My guess is that people will want to rent bikes that they couldn't easily afford to try or buy. Which probably means that more expensive and larger-displacement bikes are in demand. I'd be more likely to rent a Yamaha R1, Kawasaki H2, Ducati V4S, or Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory than a cheap readily-available bike like a Ninja 650 or a WeeStrom.
 
Whammy

Whammy

Veteran of Road Racing
I dunnoo Whammy don't like sharing his toys.
Not even to help pay for it.
You never know what the renters mentality is.
He/she could be one of those who totally trashes your bike and brings it back broken.
For that reason alone id not rent my bikes.
 
m0t0_ryder

m0t0_ryder

RYD!
We have a customer who maintains a fleet of 3-5 bikes to rent out, when he's not riding them.
Mainly sport bikes (as mentioned above).
He keeps them a year or two (or until he gets an urge or finds a specific bike) then sells them and buys another.
 
dirtbag

dirtbag

Triumph RAT
I was trying to rent a ducati super bike while I was in So cal on vacation a couple or years ago . after trying to get it set up the rental place was giving me the run a round . Come to find out ,they only had one large displacement ducati sport bike to rent left be all the others had been crashed of were in for repairs. I guess it was a small outfit running a few bikes around So cal and dropping them off for rental at a few locations . it end up being a waste of time dealing with them .
 
Whammy

Whammy

Veteran of Road Racing
dirtbag said:
I was trying to rent a ducati super bike while I was in So cal on vacation a couple or years ago . after trying to get it set up the rental place was giving me the run a round . Come to find out ,they only had one large displacement ducati sport bike to rent left be all the others had been crashed of were in for repairs. I guess it was a small outfit running a few bikes around So cal and dropping them off for rental at a few locations . it end up being a waste of time dealing with them .
Click to expand...

See there ya have it, you don't know what kind of rider you are gonna get.
This was obviously a business and yea I'd expect to take a loss here and there.
But to own, ride and rent out a bike?
Naw I'd pass on that.
 
berth

berth

Well-known member
How much is the rental company liable for paying for damages by the renter? The company should be on the hook for it as they try and process claims against the renter and their insurance, vs you the owner having to fight to get it. Dunno how that works.

I'd lean toward an "exotic" adventure bike. Something "cool", but not quite "let's bin this in every corner" by a Rossi wannabe.

I think you'd get a bit more mature clientele on a Adv bike like one of the Ducati's or KTMs.

Mind, they're Ducatis and KTMs, so they bring their own implicit excitement of ownership.

Or, go Harley.

Be curious what kind of business/commercial insurance you could get on the bike as well.
 
bikeama

bikeama

Super Moderator
Staff member
Just rented a 1260 Multistrada S in London. Had to put a $2000 approval on my CC. This was to cover the deductible on the insurance. I reserved in April two weeks before my trip someone crashed the MTS assigned to me. Rental co wanted to put me on a GS. I have 29 inch inseam, told them by my self ok but not packing the wife on the trip. They talked the person who had the other MTS into taking the GS. Shit can happen with rentals but all worked out.
 
bpw

bpw

Well-known member
usedtobefast said:
The ride share sites have insurance that seems to cover things well.

And with ~1700 bikes out there for rent I'd rather join in than worry about some odd scenario that might possibly come up. I would be getting a brand new bike, maintaining it perfectly, frequent tire replacements, etc.
Click to expand...

Unless things have changed, the ride share companies only cover the bike (and the renters minimum liability policy). You are on your own in any sort of liability claim against you. Once you rent bikes you are a business, and really need commercial type insurance to protect yourself.

If someone gets hurt on your bike the lawyers will likely come after you, even if you win it's still going to be expensive if you don't have an insurance company paying to defend the case.

You might be able to get some protection if you set up a business to rent the bikes, but its still not 100% and will involve all the complexity of actually running a business.
 
M

motomania2007

TC/MSF/CMSP/ Instructor
I have a couple of bikes that I am considering putting on some of these rental sites.

One of the things that I'm would definitely do before I would put a bike on a rental site is to put frame sliders and that sort of protective gear on the bike.

I would never consider putting one of my primary bikes on one of the rental sites because I want those bikes available to ride at anytime.
 
norcalkid

norcalkid

Well-known member
bpw said:
Unless things have changed, the ride share companies only cover the bike (and the renters minimum liability policy). You are on your own in any sort of liability claim against you. Once you rent bikes you are a business, and really need commercial type insurance to protect yourself.

If someone gets hurt on your bike the lawyers will likely come after you, even if you win it's still going to be expensive if you don't have an insurance company paying to defend the case.

You might be able to get some protection if you set up a business to rent the bikes, but its still not 100% and will involve all the complexity of actually running a business.
Click to expand...

Just checked it out.
https://www.twistedroad.com/faq

The owner will not be responsible for any damages incurred while the bike is being rented where the rider is at fault. Twisted Road will cover physical damages that aren’t covered by the rider’s insurance policy, with a maximum payout up to the current value of the motorcycle, or $15,000, whichever is lower.

In addition, all owners are covered by for up to $100K in liability insruance. Interested owners can increase this to $300K or $1M for a small fee.
 
bpw

bpw

Well-known member
norcalkid said:
Just checked it out.
https://www.twistedroad.com/faq

The owner will not be responsible for any damages incurred while the bike is being rented where the rider is at fault. Twisted Road will cover physical damages that aren’t covered by the rider’s insurance policy, with a maximum payout up to the current value of the motorcycle, or $15,000, whichever is lower.

In addition, all owners are covered by for up to $100K in liability insruance. Interested owners can increase this to $300K or $1M for a small fee.
Click to expand...

Interesting, that is new. I would certainly opt for the million dollar coverage. 100k doesn't get much these days.
 
bpw

bpw

Well-known member
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Entoptic

Entoptic

Red Power!
I was on rideshare until Erin totaled my car and I learned how insurance works when someone uses your vehicle and they’re not on the insurance. Sadly I will never rent out a vehicle and have concerns about lending them out now as well.
 
bpw

bpw

Well-known member
Entoptic said:
I was on rideshare until Erin totaled my car and I learned how insurance works when someone uses your vehicle and they’re not on the insurance. Sadly I will never rent out a vehicle and have concerns about lending them out now as well.
Click to expand...

With State Farm at least, lending a vehicle is fine but if the person lives in your house they have to be on the policy. So I am covered if you borrow my car (or bike) but my GF needs to be on the policy.

Renting falls outside pretty much any non-commercial type policy.
 
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