traveling to california...want to rent a bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

traveling to california...want to rent a bike

iblastoff

Well-known member
I'm flying to california with the wife soon. Having not done so before, is there anything I should know about renting a bike in a different country? Do people usually lug their own gear with them? My plan is to ride the pacific coast highway and then eventually through the desert towards joshua tree. typical i know, but it sounds awesome. I also only have an m2 but i've read that should be fine.
 
I would bring my own helmet, comfort, safety and sanitary
and if you're gonna lug that, not much more to bring it all

insurance of course would be the main concern in a litigious place like that
 
I'm flying to california with the wife soon. Having not done so before, is there anything I should know about renting a bike in a different country? Do people usually lug their own gear with them? My plan is to ride the pacific coast highway and then eventually through the desert towards joshua tree. typical i know, but it sounds awesome. I also only have an m2 but i've read that should be fine.

I've rented from these guys a few times - https://ocmotorcyclerental.com . They have a great variety of bikes and include a jacket and helmet. You would have to bring your own gloves and boots if you are AGATT.

PCH is great ride - enjoy!
 
I would bring my own helmet, comfort, safety and sanitary
and if you're gonna lug that, not much more to bring it all

insurance of course would be the main concern in a litigious place like that

oh right. i assume insurance would just come with the rental of the bike. but yea i'll dig in more.
 
I've rented from these guys a few times - https://ocmotorcyclerental.com . They have a great variety of bikes and include a jacket and helmet. You would have to bring your own gloves and boots if you are AGATT.

PCH is great ride - enjoy!

cool! i'll probably have to bring my own jacket as i'm a small dude and i feel like a US moto rental place is gonna be all huge sized.
 
cool! i'll probably have to bring my own jacket as i'm a small dude and i feel like a US moto rental place is gonna be all huge sized.

They have a variety of sizes but the gear is pretty ******.
 
Check this out ....seems to be a growing category

https://www.riders-share.com

AirBnB for motorcycles.

Ride in style - might be a challenge for an M2 but will eat the miles and fuel is cheapish.

68f55b5f-476d-4568-b142-4973ce018ad3


https://www.riders-share.com/listing/k84QCbWQhZqziqmZn

Tho not sure on insurance.

29" seat height for you but still a heavy beast.

PCH you need to be careful with the fog.

Whet your appetite

PMZrwK82KTR7NJtHYEgFkDVEKNEahgkUavb4rKtpTgzfkX_m8UTenla9lRXPCudq7YyWEA6vsGTUnl1F049ehzGdX1V3NYLwwVgOnB1h95Ahwfn_0FGnE1EbkyTWd7yfCDzn1qin2mcQUHU3hAcxQOGfAfR4nMqPJZGfls3C0ib5mO0XZya-7Dahxt3jOe9omnDodQsvIHJHLk9ikr_iu-9djm_k1KiQ0DslYP1XSe1jqJu1j43A3sMikbI1Z2FBxwcnrdkfRc27xGdj5ySdhiNjrBSKG_3fxQpvqVep08Dm3d2SKQ3qNkOs7LTTisIIkfeJz8QOj6F3lf7XEX6FF7hwmhd6u1x9rkw5qrLKJoA83BdZmtbg1TiOiX7DREWp07W-8yxdVCQKHr9dW0FK11WEYSnG2EbmdSthiCNM0OtyrKJn64cutxZYyzd4IWbHNUpHTL_HBX5vj11TJ8_3EYRIIpo1C6clOUfokSwAqbNKO9wUak790aVLp4yvvOklKzFFeRviAztaCF_QOtbp8X-RQDqokPDlw7jDM2aKsff52zCGxkK6TYmKgxUF4BigPxM154hRJ_Jh3zcDYw_XGbA4SJK_wUXL9GTuoz8fk4ICu4vM-_DuYo6NW6G0AWA=w1847-h1240-no


There is a cold current offshore so careful with layers and north of ZSan Fran in particular fog can be brutal as well as in a hurry drivers trying to pass.
Worth the effort tho - pics here

https://500px.com/macdoc/galleries/pacific-coast

If you can divert in land for a bit then Mount St Helens is superb.

st%2520helens%2520on%2520fire.jpg


It's a gorgeous riding road up to the viewing area

and Rainer outside Seattle - it's ginormous.

zskWV5Nb7v96iEjpR7oV1bPaf5jYsowK78HC0V5W6enEZNL8sMeD9Uqf1nIhMQoiNnj9vXZrWzGdMyQYjXZcTxy2vuaTvdOBAiPu3absJSNe6J9lnWAZO6CS2tzt1HtQGjyxbBWLyOsXMuJUYSez9f18bbpC3sh-Qye4BtJcHmfLMtpiEHZvpS8kWSBrfuoQzPDZrloTL_3Wdl95wP5KLgWABGqrR2BzLtGtTwb5ZFKPnH-qa2nbN4-IQVFV36gQ3Vs71WCoYr73-j1JWWmp_m48aOa5mnudpfJk2_l5tJiWjt6jQxFvorFHtkPCNhhB0eDSLwdhWh_Aeh1x6no__07QRxLn42tFnH3J61072_OCN2XD0t8AZea2Z2UWxcDBWP3XgOTggQ3oyZDAfUUlKNARdKLjB5bMePb9afW9S27K_gwHKq2gjcN1Cz5GFJ_bOXlFjnwQkMbBnzCFF3CHR5zjZuxHFrDl2LeI_GaH_gY1V4cIXJawiR86oJVAG6ehZjpTlqD1TllpCFT3XTHwChUPalw0PoSrLLJjt1tbtDKWXkAE0SqUe6EUmWN9Ov_MmbALRIGK0rZ4_18qOXs9BPDEkeoZwlIe2_F8AH9C8h6kQIfqCyMsJJakiF3BouJn=w2160-h1006-no


You could consider a combination of car rental ( cheap ) and then day tripping with a motorcycle so you don't need to lug all your gear.

Be careful with hydration in California....
 
Last edited:
Make sure you get travel insurance for the US.

You don't want to get stuck with a huge hospital bill should anything happen while you are riding down there. You'll get charged 5-figures for something as simple as fixing a broken bone.

The insurance the rental company sells you only covers damage to the bike. Not to you.
 
Many HD dealers participate in HD's rental program. If I recall from reading up on it, it's all inclusive with insurance and gear.
 
As for the M2, best to check with the specific rental company you are dealing with. Some companies specify full motorcycle endorsement. Others don't even know what an "M2" is, as most states don't have graduated licensing.

Correcto - when I spent a day in Angeles Forest the only company willing to let me rent a full speed motorcycle with an M2 was rentaducati.com. I brought my gear with me.
 
Check this out ....seems to be a growing category

https://www.riders-share.com

AirBnB for motorcycles.

Ride in style - might be a challenge for an M2 but will eat the miles and fuel is cheapish.

68f55b5f-476d-4568-b142-4973ce018ad3


https://www.riders-share.com/listing/k84QCbWQhZqziqmZn

Tho not sure on insurance.

29" seat height for you but still a heavy beast.

PCH you need to be careful with the fog.

Whet your appetite

PMZrwK82KTR7NJtHYEgFkDVEKNEahgkUavb4rKtpTgzfkX_m8UTenla9lRXPCudq7YyWEA6vsGTUnl1F049ehzGdX1V3NYLwwVgOnB1h95Ahwfn_0FGnE1EbkyTWd7yfCDzn1qin2mcQUHU3hAcxQOGfAfR4nMqPJZGfls3C0ib5mO0XZya-7Dahxt3jOe9omnDodQsvIHJHLk9ikr_iu-9djm_k1KiQ0DslYP1XSe1jqJu1j43A3sMikbI1Z2FBxwcnrdkfRc27xGdj5ySdhiNjrBSKG_3fxQpvqVep08Dm3d2SKQ3qNkOs7LTTisIIkfeJz8QOj6F3lf7XEX6FF7hwmhd6u1x9rkw5qrLKJoA83BdZmtbg1TiOiX7DREWp07W-8yxdVCQKHr9dW0FK11WEYSnG2EbmdSthiCNM0OtyrKJn64cutxZYyzd4IWbHNUpHTL_HBX5vj11TJ8_3EYRIIpo1C6clOUfokSwAqbNKO9wUak790aVLp4yvvOklKzFFeRviAztaCF_QOtbp8X-RQDqokPDlw7jDM2aKsff52zCGxkK6TYmKgxUF4BigPxM154hRJ_Jh3zcDYw_XGbA4SJK_wUXL9GTuoz8fk4ICu4vM-_DuYo6NW6G0AWA=w1847-h1240-no


There is a cold current offshore so careful with layers and north of ZSan Fran in particular fog can be brutal as well as in a hurry drivers trying to pass.
Worth the effort tho - pics here

https://500px.com/macdoc/galleries/pacific-coast

If you can divert in land for a bit then Mount St Helens is superb.

st%2520helens%2520on%2520fire.jpg


It's a gorgeous riding road up to the viewing area

and Rainer outside Seattle - it's ginormous.

zskWV5Nb7v96iEjpR7oV1bPaf5jYsowK78HC0V5W6enEZNL8sMeD9Uqf1nIhMQoiNnj9vXZrWzGdMyQYjXZcTxy2vuaTvdOBAiPu3absJSNe6J9lnWAZO6CS2tzt1HtQGjyxbBWLyOsXMuJUYSez9f18bbpC3sh-Qye4BtJcHmfLMtpiEHZvpS8kWSBrfuoQzPDZrloTL_3Wdl95wP5KLgWABGqrR2BzLtGtTwb5ZFKPnH-qa2nbN4-IQVFV36gQ3Vs71WCoYr73-j1JWWmp_m48aOa5mnudpfJk2_l5tJiWjt6jQxFvorFHtkPCNhhB0eDSLwdhWh_Aeh1x6no__07QRxLn42tFnH3J61072_OCN2XD0t8AZea2Z2UWxcDBWP3XgOTggQ3oyZDAfUUlKNARdKLjB5bMePb9afW9S27K_gwHKq2gjcN1Cz5GFJ_bOXlFjnwQkMbBnzCFF3CHR5zjZuxHFrDl2LeI_GaH_gY1V4cIXJawiR86oJVAG6ehZjpTlqD1TllpCFT3XTHwChUPalw0PoSrLLJjt1tbtDKWXkAE0SqUe6EUmWN9Ov_MmbALRIGK0rZ4_18qOXs9BPDEkeoZwlIe2_F8AH9C8h6kQIfqCyMsJJakiF3BouJn=w2160-h1006-no


You could consider a combination of car rental ( cheap ) and then day tripping with a motorcycle so you don't need to lug all your gear.

Be careful with hydration in California....

awesome photos.

i actually started looking at riders-share.com a few days ago and ended up booking a ducati scrambler for a little while. sweet!

and from what i read, all the fogging issues are generally during summer, with september apparently being the best time to experience PCH. i only have a few days so i hope to experience as much as i can!
 
Make sure you get travel insurance for the US.

You don't want to get stuck with a huge hospital bill should anything happen while you are riding down there. You'll get charged 5-figures for something as simple as fixing a broken bone.

The insurance the rental company sells you only covers damage to the bike. Not to you.

good reminder. just got some rbc travel insurance at the last minute before i fly tomorrow. thanks!
 

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