How I Prepared, How it Went, What I’d do Differently/Similarly and What I Learned
To give a brief background, I'm a daily rider and have been for the past ten years or so. Like many others, life on two wheels is just my preferred method of transportation and provides me with much more utility. While traveling, I have the same urge to experience new destinations on a motorcycle. It’s just different. It’s a whole other experience to ride a bike in a new area or even a familiar area for the first time. I'd like to share my first motorcycle rental experience with Twisted Road—how I prepared for the trip, how the ride and interactions went, and what I’ll do differently or similarly on my next rental. Full disclosure: at the time of writing this article, I was an employee at Twisted Road, but this was my first time experiencing the site as a rider. I did my best to be as fair and impartial as possible.
Planning Which Bike
The great thing about renting a motorcycle through Twisted Road is the unique selection of motorcycles available. For example, you could have several high-end Ducatis in a given area, as well as some one-of-a-kind café racers. If you’re familiar with a certain bike or style, you will certainly have options within your comfort zone. When planning a motorcycle trip, I'd encourage every renter to look at every bike that's available in their destination. On my particular trip, there were Harley Davidsons, Victorys, Triumphs, and BMWs all listed for rent within 25 miles of where I was staying.
Consideration 1: Style
Planning which bike you want to rent is very important, because you're going to be riding it for however long and however many miles. If you're going on a longer ride, an uncomfortable bike may not be the most practical option. But hey, we're not judging if you want to take a long ride on a 250cc café racer; it’s still two wheels! Posture of a particular style of bike should be considered heavily because your body will be positioned differently and can cause some slight cramps if it’s too foreign. Keep in mind that bikes with similar positioning to what you're used to might be a safer bet if you're trying a new style of moto.
Prices range greatly on Twisted Road, which is awesome. In fact, you could rent a brand new 2022 model year bike for less than $100 a day in some areas! I know Twisted Road also has new models to rent like the Harley-Davidson Pan America and the LiveWire, as well as a bike I really love, the Yamaha Tenere. Even bikes that are just a few years older but still kick-ass are always available for around $75-125 a day. Narrowing your price preferences will save time planning and can make the rental seem much more realistic. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, I can definitely afford this...” and felt a smile forming on my face. It’s exciting and makes you look forward to the trip even more!
Consideration 3: Distance
Don’t forget to think about where you're staying in relation to the bike you’ll be renting. Many cities across the country are huge, but Twisted Road recently allowed a delivery option for certain bikes. When choosing the motorcycle, you can just enter where you want the bike to be dropped off. For example, it's so convenient to have a motorcycle waiting for you at the airport when you arrive! Other bikes don't offer delivery, so you may want to ask yourself, “would I drive 30 minutes to rent this bike?” If yes, DO IT! But be thoughtful if bikes are very far. Don’t get caught in the trap of liking a bike an hour away, getting your hopes up, then being disappointed by the cost of that Uber ride. Also, if you're traveling with a group, certain bikes may be simply too far out of the way and can affect plans. Just familiarize yourself with your destination geography to avoid surprises. Once you find a bike, be decisive, and submit a request. This can help you plan your ride out better and give the owner more time to ensure availability for your rental. Waiting to book closer to the start date may not provide enough notice to the bike owner. Sometimes, preexisting plans can make bikes unavailable. Be proactive if possible!
Consideration 4: Maintenance
Twisted Road now has a 20-point inspection program that encourages owners to list bikes that have recently been inspected. The owner simply uploads a video of their bike as it goes through the entire 20-point checklist, and when that's done, a 20-point inspection badge appears on the motorcycle's listing. This can give some extra peace of mind when getting that moto.
Consideration 5: Instant Book
Apparently many owners now have a feature called "Instant Book" where they will automatically approve any rental that comes into the system. I like this because I don't have to wait to see whether that bike is actually available for when I'm visiting. I know that some bikes can be in the shop, and others may be ridden so this feature is great.
Planning the Ride
While planning a trip, the destination may be familiar or foreign. As any seasoned motorcycle trip planner knows, it’s smart to research the geography of your trip so you set expectations. Weather and traffic conditions will impact your adventure. Look up the roadways and distance of destinations before leaving. Doing a small amount of research can help you be prepared.
• Weather
• Traffic ways, surrounding cities, and destinations
• Hours of operations of destination (Holidays and Sundays)
Planning stage 1: Weather
Weather is sometimes tricky to forecast when trip planning. Check the weather periodically until the week of your trip. Rain can quickly enter and leave different geographies, so don’t cancel your trip or rental prematurely. Climate should be considered as well. 90 degrees in Phoenix, AZ, Austin, TX, and Miami, FL are all different because of wind, humidity, and the nature surrounding the area. Always plan for worst-case scenarios and you should be golden.
Planning stage 2: Traffic
Traffic-ways such as highways and city layouts are also key to planning routes and fulfilling your trip. Throw out hypothetical trips, find out how long it will take to get from point A to B, to C. Will you be doing a lot of highway miles? City miles? Country roads? If you're only going on a day trip or two days, it will be hard to hit every destination—especially if you have other, non-riding commitments. (Even on a longer, cross country motorcycle trip, it would be hard to hit all the planned stops!) I had so much fun while riding on my rental that when I hit each interim destination, I was ready to hit the next one. I kept forgetting about my obligations to visit family and just wanted to ride. Build a schedule around all obligations to improve time management and overall enjoyment. And, be prepared to get lost...
Hours of many places differ and they may be closed when you plan to visit. To avoid driving out of your way to visit somewhere that won’t even be open, check the hours of operation online. This is important because most trips happen on the weekend, and some shops and landmarks have irregular hours during weekends and holidays. You can use these hours when scheduling the trip; plan to visit places on Saturday if they’re not open on Sunday.
What I Would do Differently/ Similarly & Suggestions
For the record, I was extremely satisfied with my experience and did not think I was too unprepared. I was somewhat familiar with the area, and definitely scoped out the distances to my destinations. Some things I wish I'd done differently would include looking up more information about the bike I rented. I enjoyed the bike and rode it without any hiccups but wish I'd known more about the machine than what the owner could tell me off the top of his head. Also, smaller gear items are important but easy to forget. Be sure to double check and make sure you're bringing the small things that you like to have when you ride and may miss if you don't bring them.
Additional Advice:
1: Bike details
Research the bike you plan to rent. Don’t just look at the pictures online. By just looking at the bike, you could assume it will feel one way, only to find it's totally different when actually sit on it. Review the riding position for the bike you're considering. Many bike descriptions on Twisted Road are detailed and will give you information about the bike’s performance, but if not, there are many detailed videos and content online that cover performance and ergonomics of a given bike.
2: Gear
When you're packing for a motorcycle trip, always consider the kind of gear that will be most suitable for weather conditions. During my ride, I knew it would be cold in Arizona, but I wasn't anticipating the amount of highway miles I’d be riding. I forgot to pack both my neck gaiter and a portable phone charger. I had no choice but to fight through the cold, but it would have been nice to have been a little warmer. Also, my phone battery drained quickly as the GPS was in overdrive. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of recharging. These smaller things may not be essential, but they'd make the trip more comfortable if you had them. Another key item is a phone mount or GPS device for the bike. There are some options that allow you to put your phone in a magnetic phone holder on the tank. This can work well on some bikes but not on all. It didn’t work well for me in this case because of the tank angles and my positioning; I needed to look straight down to even see my phone. Not ideal. Another option is a handlebar mount which elevates the phone and can be adjusted. These kinds of mounts are typically more popular and are even installed already on plenty Twisted Road bikes. Helmets are also important when it comes to safety. I wore a Biltwell Gringo helmet with goggles and rode for hours on the highway with a forward-leaning positioned bike. My helmet’s chin strap was pulling really hard due to the wind hitting my face with no shield. For comfort I will look into buying a more aerodynamic helmet for future rentals, or look into renting gear elsewhere. Even with a few things I would do differently, I'd definitely do this trip again in a heartbeat!
If you're renting a cool bike, others will notice and ask you about it. Renting with Twisted Road really presents endless opportunities to meet others in the motorcycle community. Share your motorcycle rental story and ask them about their trips. Locals can give great riding tips, and you never know—you might strike up a great conversation.
4: Take pictures
It's tough to remember to take pictures when enjoying the ride and sticking to a schedule. Sometimes, we just want to ride. We get so caught up in admiring the new and beautiful scenery with our eyes, that we forget about our phones. However, we always appreciate the pictures when the trip is complete. To make it easier to catch some pictures, plan to stop at checkpoints for pictures or take them quickly and don't worry about the whole photoshoot. Wear a GoPro or temporarily mount one to the bike! There are quick options available but you'll certainly appreciate the small effort.
5: Try new bikes!
People often use Twisted Road to try out new bikes they're considering buying. The variety of motorcycles on Twisted Road’s website is incredible. Try them all out! See what other kinds of bikes you might enjoy, and might grow your enthusiasm for riding, motorcycles, and exploration.
Note: this article was originally written in March, 2020, and has been updated slightly with more relevant and current information.
