Motorcycle rental companies have been increasing in popularity over the last few years. Although Harley-Davidson has been in the game for a while, Hertz and Indian motorcycle rental programs recently launched in the US.

Twisted Road has been gaining popularity with its platform, allowing riders to rent from other riders without hassles. 

Although renting a motorcycle may seem like a fairly simple process, there are many things to consider when you’re looking at the total cost.

Daily Cost

All companies start with the base cost to rent a motorcycle.  For example, renting a Harley-Davidson Sportster may cost $100/day from one company and $89/day from another.

But is that price the real rental price? It all depends on three factors:

What is a motorcycle “rental" day?

Companies define a “rental day” differently. For Indian, a rental day begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.on the same day. For other companies, a “rental day” is 24 hours long. Make sure you understand how long your rental day is.

What are the operating hours?

Make sure that if you choose a rental option with a physical location — like Indian, Hertz, and Eagle Rider — can you rent a motorcycle on exactly the days you want? For example, some aren’t open on Sundays, so if you want to rent from Saturday to Sunday, you’ll need to extend the ride to Monday and will pay for an extra day of riding.

Are there multi-day discounts?

Some companies offer multi-day discounts, which is a great benefit. However, it’s important to understand their discount plan before you ride. Be aware of the fine print. For example, Riders Share may show a price of $59 a day to rent a Ducati Scrambler, but that rate is only valid for trips that are 5 days or longer. The rental price for this motorcycle jumps to $88/day when renting for a single day.

Model Guarantees

Have you ever been given an unexpected auto at the rental car counter? For example, you reserved a black Honda Civic, but were given a bright red Ford Focus instead?

Well, some motorcycle rental companies do this, too — unless you’re willing to pay extra to guarantee the ride of your dreams.

For example, Eagle Rider charges an extra $99 to ensure you ride your requested motorcycle. So if you rent a Triumph Tiger from them in Los Angeles for $115 a day, you’ll need to pay an extra $99 to ensure that when you arrive, you ride off on a Tiger and not a “comparable model.”

That $115 just became $214 -  a little steep for a Tiger. Some people don’t mind riding a different bike, but we know of some die-hard Harley riders who declined this charge and were forced to ride Indians down the PCH. They weren’t too happy.

Motorcycle Rental Insurance 

This gets a little complicated as there are two elements to motorcycle insurance. First, there’s damage done to the vehicle (sometimes called a collision), and second, there’s damage done to other people or property, called third-party liability. This can vary significantly by company.

For example, some companies, like Twisted Road, bundle these together. Others, like Eagle Rider, separate these options out. Another, Indian Motorcycle, only charges for liability, and they include damage in that base price.

If you’d like more detail on how this all works, please read our article on Twisted Road insurance for motorcycle rentals.

Motorcycle Rental Gear 

Many rental companies offer gear like helmets, jackets, gloves, and even boots for rent. Make sure you factor this cost into your calculations.

Motorcycle Rental Roadside Assistance 

What if the bike doesn’t start? Or you get a flat? Or run out of gas? What do you do? Many rental companies offer Roadside Assistance as a convenient option to make sure you stay safe and your trip isn’t ruined.

Tire Protection for Your Rental Motorcycle

Check to see if you’re protected if you get a flat tire while traveling. Some companies charge the rider; others include it in their insurance coverage.

For example, Eagle Rider includes it in its premium insurance offering with up to $100 coverage. For Riders Share, it’s included in their base insurance package once a deductible of $500 to $2,000 has been paid. Twisted Road offers an optional Tire Protection plan for a few dollars daily that covers all tire mishaps and replacements.

Taxes and Fees 

There are often additional costs at checkout that will be included in the cost. Traditional rental operations often have environmental fees, taxes, and other surcharges, while online marketplaces charge for maintaining their extensive web platform and for 24/7 customer service. These costs are unavoidable—just make sure you understand them.

Other charges 

Some companies have many hidden costs that we didn't cover above. For example, we've heard of drop-off fees, surge pricing, environmental charges, and minimum rental periods during busy times. Please do your research to understand these charges before you rent. We don't have these additional charges at Twisted Road. 

Mileage for Motorcycle Rentals

Depending on the length of your trip, this can get really expensive really quickly. Some companies — like Twisted Road, Indian, and Eagle Rider — offer unlimited mileage for your vacation.

Hertz, on the other hand, provides you with some free miles, but additional miles will cost you more. For planned shorter trips this may not matter, but any trip more than a few hundred miles a day can add up quickly.

Riders Share owners set their mileage rates ranging from unlimited to $1 a mile, and some charge an additional $85 for unlimited miles.

Motorcycle Rental Referral Programs 

A few companies offer programs for first-time renters who were referred by a friend. Motorcycle rental referral programs can significantly reduce your rental costs. More traditional rental companies that follow car rental-type models, like Hertz and Indian, don’t offer referral programs.

How Much Does it Cost to Truly Rent a Motorcycle? Comparison Chart - Twisted Road vs Riders Share vs Eagle Rider vs Hertz Ride vs Indian Motorcycle Rental

Below is a chart that compares these costs across several different motorcycle rental companies:

Because these costs vary so much across companies, we compared the 24-hour rental price of a Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic when renting a motorcycle in Las Vegas, NV.

You’ll see that we chose two scenarios for each company, Minimum Coverage and Full Coverage, based on the insurance and extra options selected. This analysis illustrates that Twisted Road has the lowest cost option for renting a Heritage Softail Classic —ranging from $110 - $143—while Eagle Rider’s costs are the highest and range from $340 - $391.

Las Vegas Harley-Davidson Rental Prices Compared

* For Twisted Road, Eagle Rider, Hertz Rides, and Riders Share, we used the first Harley Heritage Softail Classic that appeared in their search results. For Indian, we used an Indian Challenger, and since they didn't have rentals in Las Vegas, we chose Scottsdale, AZ.

Renting a motorcycle can be a very exciting and fun experience, but it really helps to understand all of the costs going into your ride. 

Regardless of which company you choose for your trip, please make sure you read our article about motorcycle safety tips that all riders should know, and—as always—take pictures!