When it comes to renting motorcycles, you typically don’t have that much freedom. There aren’t that many motorcycle rental services available and America, and those that exist either have a limited selection or rely on peer-to-peer rentals — which may be off-putting to some. A new service from Hertz, however, shows this may be starting to change.
Hertz Brings Hertz Ride to the U.S.
Last year, the Hertz Ride program finally arrived in the United States. The program — which allows customers to rent motorcycles at certain Hertz locations — was initially available in Riverside, California and Las Vegas. Over the past few months, Hertz expanded the program to two new locations in Long Beach, near Los Angeles, and New Jersey.
The Hertz Ride fleet is made up entirely of BMW bikes. There are six to choose from. The F 750 GS and R 1250 GS will work best for adventure rides and any tour that features on- and off-road riding. The K 1600 B, R 1250 RT and K 1600 Grand America will be most suitable for long-distance touring and road trips.
The R nineT Scrambler will be serviceable if you need to go off-road — but, despite its name, it is a better fit for city streets. It will be the best option of the six if you just need to get around town in Miami, Los Angeles or Vegas.
The program also allows customers to rent top-level riding gear — right now, riding apparel from Rev’It and helmets from NEXX, two top-of-the-line motorcycle apparel companies. If you like your gear, you can buy it once your rental period is over, and Hertz will ship it to you.
Hertz Ride also offers tours, although its American tour list is much more limited than European offerings. There’s only one U.S. tour right now — a 14-day, 2,100 mile round-trip tour of California. The tour package includes your bike, accommodations, meals and guidance from a tour leader.
If the European tour options are anything to go by, your options are likely to expand in the near future.
Why the Hertz Ride Program Has Motorcyclists Intrigued
One of the reasons the service has drawn attention is how few motorcycle rental options there are across America.
Car drivers outnumber motorcycle riders by a significant margin and motorcyclists tend to be more vulnerable than other motorists — so while it’s easy to rent a car just about anywhere in America, motorcycle riders are typically limited to a handful of services or their local dealer.
This is typically a Harley-Davidson dealer that will feature a limited selection of bikes. Often, these dealers and rental services will only have motorcycles from big-name American brands like Harley-Davidson, and maybe the addition of a few Toyota or Honda motorcycles.
If you’ve ever wanted to rent a BMW bike, you’ve probably been out of luck. Now, there’s a service that’s effectively dedicated to letting customers rent BMW motorcycles.
While peer-to-peer rental services like Twisted Road exist and typically feature a much wider range of bikes to choose from, your options are limited if you want to rent from a business. Hertz Ride is a sign that this may be changing.
