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I am going to Montana next week to visit a buddy. There are a couple of days that he has to work so I was looking into things to do. I was unaware of this but you can rent a Harley for the day. Has anybody ever done this? What are the cons to doing this? Ever have any problems? As always I appreciate the help.
Mustangski

Most major Harley dealers do this. They prefer advance notice, so you might want to call the closest dealer to your buddy's place ASAP if you really want to do this. It's a fairly easy procedure if you have a credit card; they usually ask for a substantial deposit - they don't process the deposit, they hold on to it until you return the bike and then tear it up. Unless, of course, you trash the bike in which case they process it immediately. You should show up with all the required safety gear as they normaly have a clause in their insurance policy about that sort of thing. If not, they'd be happy to include the cost of renting a helmet (if Montana requires it) in the bill. Keep in mind that the rates will be more than what you'd pay for a rental car. I think a HOG membership card will get you a discount; if you have one don't forget to ask about that.

The only con I could come up with was price. I was on the Outer Banks a month ago and was really bummed I couldn't ride. The Harley dealership up in Norfolk rented bikes but when I looked into it, it was about $600 for a day IIRC. A bit out of my price range. But if you have the cash, go for it. Plus driving with the wife and 3 kids 70 miles back to Norfold from OBX would've been a pain. I'd have had to pay toll like 6 times in one day just to get and return the bike

In daytona beach FL, I rented a V-rod for a day - $140 including helmet rental. The "Security deposit" was $1000 and it was fully insured.

They gave me two cable locks (The bike had saddlebags) and told me if the bike was stolen, I would be responsible for the theft unless I could prove that
1. The Bike was chained to a post or something
2. The wheel was locked to the frame

Needless to say, I packed my Digital camera and took a picture whenever I parked it. One nice thing was that the next morning when I took it back, the dealership was swamped, so the rental guys told me to come back at 6pm, no extra charge cuz they didn't have time to process the paperwork!!!! It was like winning the lottery heheh.

I think I will have to look into the cost first, $600 is too rich for my blood. I will have to wait until I get out there and see what the dealer says. Just from the pics he sends me, I can imagine that Montana would be one of the greatest places to ride on earth. I appreciate all the great responses.

There have been some people on the forum that are willing to lend out or trade bikes to various travellers. I'd ask if there's anyone in Montana on a couple of different forums.

Obviously there's some risks involved with using someone elses bike, but there are some people who are willing to incur the possibility that it wouldn't come back in one peice. In any event it doesn't hurt to ask.

If anyone from the area he's visiting sees this are you willing to lend out a bike for a couple days?

As much as I would appreciate the offer, I would never ride someone elses bike because I would never allow someone else to ride my own. Actually I found a dealership that rents them, but they require a minimum of two days rental. I will call around when I get out there and see if they will adjust their policy, although I doubt they will.

The only con i can come up with is... it's a Harley... sorry I just had to

You say that like it's a bad thing. At least we aren't talking about renting a crotch rocket

earwig wrote:The only con i can come up with is... it's a Harley... sorry I just had to

You're going to get yelled at for that.