Motorcycle rental decision | GTAMotorcycle.com

Motorcycle rental decision

Which bike should I rent in LA

  • Harley Ultra Limited $741

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • 2022 BMW R1250RT $304

    Votes: 12 60.0%

  • 2015 BMW R1200GS $322

    Votes: 2 10.0%

  • 2018 BMW K1600GTL $705

    Votes: 1 5.0%

  • 2021 Harley Pan AM $400

    Votes: 3 15.0%
  • Total voters
    20
W

woot

Well-known member
Forum Sponsor
I'm heading to LA in May with my wife. Going to rent a bike and tour Hollywood/Mullholland Drive then out to Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, San Diego. I'm looking at bike rental options. The more comfort for her on the back is going to mean longer riding days that end with her not ****** off. San Francisco to Monterey in November drizzle was a bad time for instance. I know the Harley will be comfortable but might not be as fun as other options available. Not sure about the rear seats on the adventure bikes as she used to refer to the seat on my 350 Ninja as "a granite tampon". Lots of options on riders-share, Currently looking at:

Harley Ultra Limited $741
2015 BMW R1200GS $322
2022 BMW R1250RT $304
2018 BMW K1600GTL $705
2021 Harley Pan AM $400
 
Your wife is hilarious.

Are any of them on your potential list for a next ride? If so, ignore the price and get a good feel for whether that bike works well for you.

I haven't done a long day in a pillion seat so I can't really help you with your comfort question. Fwiw, if I am on a long solo trip, I spend a bunch of time on the pillion seat to change all my joint angles and as long as they look like they have some padding, I don't mind them. Something with a seat that looks like a 2x6 or a fabric wrapped body panel normally feel like what you'd expect.

If I had to pick for me, if the trip was 99% road, I would go with RT. Cheap, cool, comfortable and should be reliable. I'm still not convinced about pan-am reliability and would hate to be stuck while on vacation. The adv bikes will be a big climb for your wife to get up on top (not normally an issue but it feels dodgy to some people). What are your luggage requirements/availability on each bike?
 
i hated riders-share. i had the same plan (went to LA a few years ago) and tried to pre-book a bike to ride around PCH, joshua tree etc. i tried to book like 5 different bikes online and all of them took forever to get back to me or just cancelled randomly. i ended up just renting a bmw (car) using the Turo service to drive around like a douche instead of riding a bike around like a douche.

the difference in quality between turo car rental app and riders-share was night and day. in turo, you just picked your car and someone would just drive it to you. in riders-share, all it seems to do is just give you the bike owners email address and you have to try to 'book' everything with them manually, leading to a lot of people who just didnt bother responding or randomly cancelling any time they wanted. hopefully the service has gotten better over the years.
 
2018 BMW K1600GTL

Gets my vote. Touring type with an inline 6 if I recall. This would be the most comfortable/storage for sure.

I believe RJ did a trek in Dubai? With his wife. Here we go, it’s only the GL, so slightly less toury version.

 
Last edited:
Harley Ultra Limited, hands down. This would be the most comfortable and would provide the most room for a passenger.
 
I'd choose the Harley Ultra Limited @ $741 or, given the better price, the 2022 BMW R1250RT @ $304. The RT is a great 2 up bike and you'll enjoy the roads.

Stay away from the Harley Pan AM as it is very unreliable.

If you're looking for good CA roads check out this site for general background

www.pashnittours.com

Pashnit Motorcycle Tours in California | 2024 Pashnit Tour Season Booking Now

California Motorcycle Tours along Pacific Coast, NorCal, and Sierra Nevada Mountains from the author of Pashnit.com, Ride California & Oregon with PASHNIT guided organized tours.
www.pashnittours.com www.pashnittours.com

Find the area you're going to be in and many of the listed highways have links so you can drill down to view the ride + below is a link to the general catalog of rides, great planning resource.

www.pashnit.com

California Motorcycle Roads & Tours | 400 Best Rides Maps 3000+ Pics

Pashnit's Ultimate Guide to California Twisty Motorcycle Roads | Thousands of photos & maps
www.pashnit.com www.pashnit.com
 
Last edited:
I rented a R1200RT several years back from Eagle Rider would do it again very nice for 2-up super comfy and capable for long stretches on the interstate if necessary but also fun in the twisties. GS definitely second choice but can't see needing to spend more than double for anything else.
 
Sorry, the 1600 is a fooking pig. get the rt, still flickable and very comfortable for a passenger. The GS is also great, surprisingly capable in the corners as well.

BB
 
I think I'd be flogging the hog. Comfy wife. Big torque. Big grin.
 
busabim said:
Sorry, the 1600 is a fooking pig. get the rt, still flickable and very comfortable for a passenger. The GS is also great, surprisingly capable in the corners as well.

BB
Click to expand...
I've never seen a pig do 0 - 60 in 3 sec.
His wife is on the back. She wants to be comfortable. Little wind protection on a GS for a pillion. Agree the RT would be fun.
 
After much deliberation I went with the big fat touring bike. But there's a twist.

I noticed that the company (Explorify) that was renting through rider-share also had Indians for the same price. Ended up reserving a 2021 Indian Challenger. Heated passenger couch and adjustable windshield should keep my lady happy. I'm excited to get to try a new bike as I've done the Roadglide and Streetglide in the past.
 
woot said:
After much deliberation I went with the big fat touring bike. But there's a twist.

I noticed that the company (Explorify) that was renting through rider-share also had Indians for the same price. Ended up reserving a 2021 Indian Challenger. Heated passenger couch and adjustable windshield should keep my lady happy. I'm excited to get to try a new bike as I've done the Roadglide and Streetglide in the past.
Click to expand...
I think you'll enjoy the Indian, tons of torque and comfy seating, but in my opinion the fairing and wind protection is much better on the HD. Regardless, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself.
 
woot said:
After much deliberation I went with the big fat touring bike. But there's a twist.

I noticed that the company (Explorify) that was renting through rider-share also had Indians for the same price. Ended up reserving a 2021 Indian Challenger. Heated passenger couch and adjustable windshield should keep my lady happy. I'm excited to get to try a new bike as I've done the Roadglide and Streetglide in the past.
Click to expand...
That'll be a great ride. If I had a chunk of money for a 2nd bike the Challenger would be at the top of the list (my wife still misses the Victory Magnum I had). My friend did that same trip and rented a Goldwing and it was excellent as you really want the utmost comfort on this trip (he rides a SG here).
 
If your plans are to just stay on the pavement, the RT is a very comfortable 2-up tourer, and handles surprisingly well in the twisties. Something you wouldn't suspect from such a bike bike. We rented one for 8 days in Spain in 2012. Loved it so much, we've booked one for 34 days in Italy this year.

If you plan to do some exploring around Joshua Tree, then I would think the Pan Am would be best. This is just based on reviews, I haven't seen one in the flesh. But I have been to Joshua Tree, and it is definitely worth some dirt road exploring.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom