Hidden Fees in Motorcycle Rentals? No Thanks!

Sep 4, 2024

No-BS here. We’re going to dive completely into every fee you can expect with your motorcycle rental and why they’re there. 

We occasionally get feedback (mostly from people who haven’t rented from us before, as a note) from potential renters or renters wondering where all of these “extra fees” are coming from. 

Scroll to the bottom to see the basic fees required of all renters on our platform (there are a lot of options, but only a few fees are actually required). 

*DISCLAIMER: Fees and prices are subject to change without notice. This information is up-to-date as of September 4, 2024. 

Let’s start with the beginning. Why are all the bikes on sale? 

Unfortunately, the bikes aren’t all on sale. When you see that strikethrough has a higher daily cost, with a blue, cheaper cost, all that’s doing is showing you what you can expect with your 20% first-ride discount, which is automatically applied to your account. You can see a more in-depth cost breakdown when you select a rental you’re interested in.

*FEE: Let’s say, as an example, you forgot to log into your account and you’re browsing as a second-time renter. While you may qualify for additional discounts such as up to 55% off for multi-day, referral $$$, or Rider Pass, you’d ultimately be paying the full cost of the rental if you’ve already used your first-time rider discount.

What’s next, then? What other fees?

Well, next up are the other fees that we outline before you click the “Continue” button to book your rental on the listing page. 

You’ll typically see these options across most rentals, although the specific information may change based on what the owner is offering. 

1. Mileage limits and how much you’ll pay once you exceed that limit
2. Cancellation policy
3. Gear rentals

Mileage Limits & Associated Extra Costs

While some owners are kind enough to offer unlimited mileage, we allow owners to select mileage limits for rentals. In the example above, the owner offers 250 miles per day, which is included in the rental cost. The important thing to note here is that if you exceed that limit, you’ll be charged per mile. In this case, you’d be charged $0.25/additional mile. 

*FEE: If you exceed the mileage limit set by the owner, you’ll pay by the mile for every mile over that limit. Owners are very generous with the limits provided; you may even see some have unlimited mileage covered.

Cancellation Policy

We try and keep this right where you can see it. In this example, you’d have until Sept 25th to cancel an Oct 2 rental pick-up for a 100% refund If you wait until October 2, the day of your rental, you’d only get a 50% refund. It’s important to note that the cancellation policy changes based on what the owner of the bike selected during the listing process. 

*FEE: If you cancel your reservation after a certain time frame, you may be responsible for a portion of the rental cost. Owners have three options to select from with our cancellation policy:

• Flexible Cancellation Policy (Recommended): Fee is free before 24 hours of trip start, Fee is 25% after 24 hours of trip start
• Moderate Cancellation Policy: 50% Fee if canceled within 7 days, No fee if canceled >7 days in advance
• Strict Cancellation Policy (Not Recommended): No refunds if canceled within 30 days, 25% fee if canceled before 30 days, 24 hour window post-payment to cancel for free, up to 7 days before trip start.

We recommend that owners always select the most flexible policy; however, this is up to them. 

Renters cannot cancel a Reservation after the agreed-upon Reservation time. Failure to arrive at the agreed-upon pick-up for the reservation within an hour of the appointed time may result in the renter being charged the full agreed-upon amount. View cancellation policy

Gear Rentals and Fees

It’s important to note that if you’re not interested in or do not need a gear rental, then this section wouldn’t apply to you. But if you are interested in renting gear in addition to your rental, you can expect an extra charge set by the owner.

Here’s an example of gear offered by an owner and the associated rental fees:

What About Delivery Fees?

It is true! Riders Share offers motorcycle rental delivery. The caveat is that it’s up to the owner to decide if they want to offer delivery or not. This is the same for the cost of delivery, and how far they’re willing to travel. 

*FEES: Generally, you can expect that the further you are from the owner’s location, the more expensive the delivery fee will be. Some owners select pre-determined delivery spots, like airports or popular hotels, and others are willing to meet you where you’re at (if you tell them beforehand). 

When selecting a bike, you can select “Delivery” and then adjust to the amount you’re willing to spend to get your rental delivered to you.

When you select which bike you’d like, you can view delivery costs before you even book your rental. In this example, the owner is located in Lomita, California, and the rider is looking to get the bike delivered to Griffith Observatory. You can see right there that it’s 31 miles from the location and will cost you $100. You can also see this owner set locations like LAX airport for 

an automatic $125 delivery fee. 

Checkout Ready? Here’s what fees you’ll find

Now that you’re ready to check out, you’ll be faced with a few other options that may result in additional charges and fees. 

1. Damage Waiver (required unless you email your motorcycle insurance policy's declarations page to support@riders-share.com)
2. Roadside assistance (optional)
3. Extended coverage for off-road use (conditional on owner’s requirements)
4. Confirmation of delivery fee
5. Gear and add-ons

Damage Waiver (Rental Insurance)

To rent a motorcycle with Riders Share, riders can select one of our damage waivers. We offer three different options:

• Minimum
• Standard
• Premium

You may email your motorcycle insurance policy's declaration page to support@riders-share.com to use it instead only if it includes comprehensive and collision coverage.

*FEE: Depending on which selection, you’ll be required to pay the daily waiver fee (variable, but normally $40-90, depending on bike rental cost) and a security deposit. This security deposit will be placed on your card as a hold/pending and will be released at the end of the rental period. The security deposits range from $500-2,000. As long as no damages occurred, this deposit will be returned to you in full. 

Here’s an example of someone who chose the minimum insurance, which required a $2,000 deposit.

Roadside Assistance

*FEE: If you’re interested in Roadside Assistance, you can get this feature for an additional $7/day. You can also decline this option if you’re not interested! It’s not required and is only offered as a benefit to you.

Extended Coverage for Off-Road Use

*FEE: In the event you’d like to take your rental off-road, and your owner permits off-road usage, you’ll have the option to extend coverage to off-the-pavement (the extent of our damage waiver). This coverage is an extra $32/day. If you violate any off-road policies, you may incur fees. If you’re not using your rental for off-road, make sure to decline this coverage. 

The Last Fee: Service Fees

*FEE: This fee directly supports the Riders Share platform and is a variable charge based on the total cost of your rental. Generally, this is around 25% of your total rental. 

Okay… I don’t want the bells and whistles. What fees do I have to pay?

At Riders Share, we try and keep this as simple as possible. You may be frustrated that the cost you see when viewing bikes isn’t your final rental cost. And we understand that! To provide you with the most flexibility in choosing your rental options and also allowing owners flexibility in offerings, we always start with the base price. 

In addition to your base price, you can expect the following for every rental:

1. Daily fee addition: Damage Waiver (variable, around $15-50/day for most people)
2. Trip security deposit for damage waiver: $0-2,000 hold (refundable)
3. Service fee: Around 25% of the final cost of your rental. This goes towards the Riders Share community, helping keep the platform up-to-date and running smoothly!

Bottom Line

We understand that motorcycle rentals across any platform may appear cheaper than they actually are. Mostly, this is due to the associated risk with motorcycle riding- whether it be insurance, renting your personal vehicle, etc. At Riders Share, we work hard to keep your rentals as affordable as possible, which is why we offer discounts to renters:

Discounts: 

• 20% First-Time Rider Discount
• 5-55% Multi-Day Discount (% is determined by owner)
• $25 off if you sign up with a referral link
• Earn $100 for friends who rent out their bike and $50 for friends who complete a trip!