Motorcycle Rental Process

Renting a motorcycle (or as they say overseas, “hiring a motorbike”) is not too different from renting a car. However since riding a motorcycle is a more specialized skill than car driving, there are some extra considerations.

Just like with car rental, for motorcycle rental you must have a valid driver’s license including what is called a “Motorcycle Endorsement” in the USA. It might have have a different name in your country, but basically it means that you are permitted to ride a motorcycle. We accept driver’s licenses from all states and countries and we don’t require, but do accept an international driver’s license. This is basically a translation of your license and makes it easier for us. If you use an international license, we will still need to see the license from your country.

Next, we require that our riders be of min. 25 years of age, reflecting a certain maturity that goes with the responsibility of renting a large and powerful motorcycle. We recommend at least two years experience on motorcycles of 1,000 cc or greater. Most of the motorcycles we rent at Scuba Bikers are large, heavyweighted, very powerful and not appropriate for beginner or less experienced riders.

Have a look at our article at “Meet the Fleet” In fact, our service staff will observe to make sure that a renter can comfortably handle his or her rental motorcycle around our parking area before giving the final OK to ride the bike away.

We pride ourselves on having a straightforward rental process, but with any business transaction, there is paperwork. Our motorcycle rental agreement is just two pages, written in plain English and at the time you arrive to pick up your rental motorcycle, one of our staff will go over the contract with you carefully and thoroughly.

We are proud to protect the environment by having the complete check-in and contract process completely digitalized, inc. scanning driving license and signatures. And of course you will receive a copy of that agreement by eMail.

There are requirements for insurance and also supplemental insurance packages that we make available to our motorcycle renters. (If you’re curious about the insurance details, please read our “Motorcycle Rental Insurance” article.)

At the time you complete your rental reservation, we take a rental deposit to hold the motorcycle.

When you pick up your rental motorcycle, there is a $1000-$2,500 (US) security deposit required in addition to the rental fees. Your credit card will be “authorized only” for this deposit. We do not actually collect the security deposit, your bank will either put a “pending” or “hold” (depending on the credit card / bank card type). When you return the motorcycle in the same condition, as when you picked it up, we will release the authorization and only charge you for the rental.

We strongly advise that you notify your bank in advance that you will be travelling and to expect a large authorization. We have found that making that call and talking to the fraud department prevents delays and gets you down the road faster. If you don’t do this, to protect you, the banks will often require multiple phone calls before they will approve the transaction. This can be a real problem if you are in a very different time zone – your bank may be closed until tomorrow!

It is our philosophy to give you the motorcycle that you want. Unlike some other motorcycle rental agencies worldwide, we do not double book or overbook our motorcycle rentals and we don’t bump anybody. However, because of this philosophy, we have a strictly enforced cancellation policy. If you cancel your reservation at the last minute, it is very likely that we will not be able to rent your motorcycle. In fact, we have probably turned people away to hold this motorcycle for you.