When I first tell people about our motorcycle rental company, I often hear one of two reactions:

1. I already have a motorcycle—why would I want to rent someone else’s?

2. I’m not ever letting anyone else ride my bike.

Although we aren’t going to cover #2 in this post (we’re actually going to cover it in a separate post shortly), we are going to explain the reasons why people rent motorcycles.

If you’re unfamiliar with our company, Twisted Road pairs riders with motorcycles so they can rent and ride.

What makes us unique? All of our motos are privately owned. Think of it as Airbnb for motorcycles or Turo for motorcycles. We span the US, from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Orlando and Austin. And we have all brands, from Harley-Davidson to Triumph to BMW and Ducati.

So, back to the original question—why would you ever need to rent a bike?

Reason 1: You just need a motorcycle to ride

There are plenty of people who have a motorcycle license but no longer have a motorcycle. Maybe they couldn’t afford to keep the bike anymore. Or perhaps they had kids, and their spouse asked that they don’t ride. Or maybe the bike got into an accident, and they haven’t repaired it. Yet.

But the world doesn’t stop because someone sold their bike. People still ride in groups, rent motorcycles in California, and take an annual pilgrimage to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

So when these former riders get the itch, they rent a moto.

Makes sense, right?

Reason 2: You need a motorcycle when you travel

There are six disappointing words that all riders have said: “I wish I had my bike.” I first muttered these words when traveling in the Grand Canyon on vacation. Three bison crossed the road in front of me. While I was in my car. And because there weren’t rental options nearby, I had to see The Grand Canyon (and Bryce, and Zion) on four wheels, not two.

It can be time-consuming and impractical to ride everywhere. What if you want to rent a motorcycle in Alaska? Or need a motorcycle rental in Hawaii? Or, you live in Oregon and want to go motorcycle riding in San Diego? You no longer need to ride (or trailer) your bike, but instead can rent local.

Reason 3: You want to test ride before you buy

So you find the bike you love on Craigslist. Or Facebook. Or the dealer. And you want to ride it before you spend your cold, hard cash. Right? Not so fast, cowboy. Private owners rarely allow test rides, and although some dealers do (emphasis on some), a motorcycle test ride lasts about 20 minutes. Tops.

But this is a bike! You need to know how it feels. How the riding position is. Do you cramp up after 2 hours of riding? How does it do when riding slowly through your town? Or on the highway? Riders know this risk, so they rent bikes to do an “extended test ride” first.

Paying $200 to test ride the Harley LiveWire for a whole day before spending $35,000 is money well spent. In fact, even if you need to add a plane ticket, food, and a hotel so you can fly to LA and test ride it, it’s still worth it.

Reason 4: You feel like trying something different

We all want to ride something new, right? I mean, you own a Harley Fat Boy but really want to ride a Triumph Thruxton for a day. Or you have an Indian Scout bobber in the garage but really want to see what it’s like to ride the new Honda Africa Twin. It’s expensive to own all of these bikes, especially if you don’t have room to store them. It’s even more costly if you don’t have an understanding spouse.

So, with rentals, people ride something new. They have fun. They cheat on their bikes. (But nobody has to know, right?)

There are plenty of reasons to rent a motorcycle, but only one reason to ride. It’s not to get from point A to point B. It’s not to commute. We ride to live—to experience all the world's sensations on two wheels.

Now that you have some reasons to rent a motorcycle check out our platform to see what bikes are available to rent where you live or where you want to travel.