How Much Do Motorcycle Rentals Cost in San Francisco?

Jun 17, 2026

A motorcycle rental in San Francisco can cost less than a tank of gas or more than your hotel for the weekend. The bike you pick and the place you book it from will affect your total more than anything else, and getting both right is the difference between a $40 day on a Honda Rebel and a $260 day on a Harley Road Glide that you weren't planning to spend.

Short Answer: Motorcycle Rental Cost in San Francisco

Renting a motorcycle in San Francisco costs between $29 and $280/day on Riders Share, with most riders paying $60 to $140/day for the bike they actually want. In many cases, that means paying 30% to 40% less than you would for the same motorcycle at a commercial rental shop.

• Cheapest motorcycle rental in SF: $29/day
• Average daily rate: $80 to $140/day
• Premium touring and ADV: $180 to $280/day
• Most rented price point: $40 to $110/day

How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Motorcycle in San Francisco for a Day?

The daily motorcycle rental cost in San Francisco depends more on the motorcycle than the city itself. As of June 2026, Riders Share listings start at just $29/day, with prices climbing as you move into cruisers, touring motorcycles, adventure bikes, and premium models. Here's how those daily rates break down.

Daily Rates by Tier

• Entry-level (older Hondas, small standards): $29 to $55
• Mid-range (cruisers, sport bikes): $30 to $160+
• Touring and large ADV: $76 to $200+
• Premium and custom builds: $130 to $225

What Pushes Daily Rates Up or Down

Once you've picked the type of motorcycle you want, the biggest price changes usually come from the model year and your travel dates. A newer version of the same bike typically rents for more than an older one, and holiday weekends or peak riding season can leave fewer lower-priced listings available. Booking earlier also gives you more options before the least expensive bikes are reserved.

How Much is a Weekly Motorcycle Rental in San Francisco?

A weekly motorcycle rental in San Francisco almost always costs less than paying the daily rate seven times. That's because Riders Share owners can set discounted pricing for longer reservations, so the total drops as you add more rental days. Instead of looking for one average weekly price, it's more helpful to compare listings based on the discounts each owner offers.

Current Riders Share listings start at about $175 for a week, with most rentals landing higher depending on the motorcycle and the owner's multi-day discount.

Discounted Motorcycle Rental Rates in San Francisco

Every Riders Share owner builds their own multi-day discounts into their listing, so there's no single discount that applies across the platform. Some owners start lowering the price after three days, while others save their biggest discount for longer trips. Here are a few examples from current San Francisco listings:

• 3-day rental: Up to 15% off
• 4-day rental: Up to 20% off
• 5-day rental: Up to 35% off

A Tip from Us

Looking for a cheap motorcycle rental in San Francisco? Compare the total price before you compare the daily rate. A bike that's listed at a slightly higher daily price can end up costing less over five or six days once the owner's multi-day discount is applied.

San Francisco Motorcycle Rental Rates by Bike Type

By now you've probably noticed that one motorcycle can cost three or four times as much as another, and the reason usually comes back to the category it's in. Knowing where each type of motorcycle typically falls on the price scale makes comparing listings a whole lot easier before you book.

Cruiser Rentals (Starting at $29/Day)

Cruiser rentals in San Francisco start at $29/day on Riders Share, the lowest starting price in any category on the site. Older Honda and Yamaha cruisers make up most of the listings at that price point, while newer Harley-Davidson Softails, Indian Scouts, and Heritage Classics climb to $150/day on the higher end.

Popular Cruiser Models in SF

• Honda Rebel 300 and 500
• Harley-Davidson Sportster, Iron 883, and Forty-Eight
• Indian Scout and Scout Bobber
• Harley-Davidson Softail and Heritage Classic
• Yamaha Bolt and V Star

Cruisers are the most rented category in the Bay Area year round, since the riding suits them perfectly (Highway 1 might as well have been built for a Heritage Classic) and the price range works for everyone from a first-time renter to a more experienced rider looking for a 1,000+ cc machine for a long weekend.

Sport Bike Rentals (Starting at $30/Day)

Sport bike rentals in San Francisco start at $30/day, with the average rental falling between $80 and $160 based on engine size. Smaller bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 400 or Yamaha R3 sit at the lower end, while liter-class sport bikes from BMW, Ducati, and Yamaha run closer to $160/day.

Popular Sport Bike Models in SF

• Kawasaki Ninja 400, 650, and ZX-6R
• Yamaha R3, R6, and R1
• Honda CBR500R and CBR650R
• Suzuki GSX-R600 and GSX-S750
• BMW S 1000 RR

Most sport bike rentals in SF get booked for canyon trips out toward Mount Hamilton, Skaggs Springs Road, or the Highway 84 to Highway 35 loop, all within a short ride of downtown.

ADV Rentals (Starting at $34/Day)

Adventure motorcycle rentals in San Francisco start at $34/day, with most ADV listings priced between $90 and $185. The Bay Area is one of the busiest ADV rental scenes in the country, since the region gives riders access to Sierra trails, coastal logging roads, and long highway routes within a single trip, which keeps prices competitive year round.

Popular ADV Models in SF

• Suzuki DR650 and V-Strom 650
• Kawasaki KLR 650 and Versys 650
• Honda Africa Twin and CRF300L Rally
• BMW F 850 GS and R 1250 GS
• KTM 890 Adventure and 1290 Super Adventure

If your trip includes any unpaved miles, this is the category to start in, since ADV bikes also work as do-everything rentals for riders mixing freeway, backroad, and dirt sections into one route.

Touring Motorcycle Rentals (Starting at $76/Day)

Touring motorcycle rentals in San Francisco start at $76/day, with most touring listings priced between $130 and $230. These bikes are built for distance, and Bay Area renters book them most often for Pacific Coast Highway runs, Mendocino loops, and Yosemite circuits.

Popular Touring Models in SF

• Harley-Davidson Road Glide and Street Glide
• Harley-Davidson Road King and Electra Glide
• Honda Gold Wing
• BMW K 1600 GT and R 1250 RT
• Indian Roadmaster and Chieftain

The price reflects what these bikes are built to do, since touring models carry hard luggage, fairings, audio systems, and passenger comfort that no other category really matches.

Three-Wheeler Rentals (Starting at $76/Day)

Three-wheeler rentals in San Francisco start at $76/day, and while the category covers fewer models than cruisers or sport bikes, it's a popular pick for riders who want the feel of a motorcycle trip without managing the balance of a two-wheeled bike at slow speeds or at full stops. Most three-wheeler listings in the Bay Area run between $120 and $220/day.

Popular Three-Wheeler Models in SF

• Can-Am Spyder F3 and RT
• Can-Am Ryker
• Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra
• Polaris Slingshot

Calculating Your Final SF Motorcycle Rental Price

Calculating the full cost of a San Francisco motorcycle rental takes a couple of extra steps beyond the daily rate. The damage waiver you pick at checkout and the security deposit Riders Share holds during your rental both affect your total, and walking through how each one works ahead of time means there's nothing on your final receipt that you weren't already planning for.

Does Motorcycle Rental include Insurance?

Every motorcycle rental on Riders Share includes insurance for the duration of the rental, so you're covered from the moment you take possession of the bike. Coverage is underwritten by a commercial insurance partner (Crum & Forster) and automatically includes state minimum liability protection for the entire booking period. The damage waiver is the part you choose at checkout, and the tier you pick decides how much of the bike's value you're responsible for if something happens during the rental.

Damage Waiver Tiers and Motorcycle Rental Insurance Cost

Riders Share offers three damage waiver options at checkout, and the motorcycle rental insurance cost depends on the bike's value and the tier you choose:

• Basic damage waiver: $15 to $25/day with a higher deductible ($2,000 to $3,000) and $30,000 in damage coverage
• Standard damage waiver: $30 to $45/day with a mid-range deductible ($1,000 to $1,500) and $30,000 in damage coverage
• Premium damage waiver: $50 to $80/day with the lowest deductible ($500 to $1,000), $30,000 in damage coverage, plus mechanical breakdown coverage and loss-of-use protection

Most riders book the standard tier, which works out to about $35 per day for a mid-range bike. Supplemental liability protection up to $1,000,000 is also available at checkout, which is something commercial rental shops in San Francisco don't include in their base packages.

Can You Use Your Own Motorcycle Insurance?

You can skip the Riders Share damage waiver if your personal motorcycle policy includes comprehensive and collision coverage that extends to rentals. Email the declarations page of your policy to support@riders-share.com before booking, and our team will confirm whether your coverage qualifies. Before declining the waiver, call your insurance provider to verify coverage, since most personal motorcycle policies don't actually extend to rented bikes.

How Much is the Deposit for Renting a Motorcycle?

The motorcycle rental deposit in San Francisco runs between $500 and $1,500 based on the bike's value and your rider profile. The deposit is an authorized hold placed on your credit card rather than a charge, which means your bank doesn't process it as a payment and you don't accrue interest while it's pending on your account.

Deposit Amounts by Bike Category

The motorcycle rental deposit in San Francisco scales with the bike you're booking and how Riders Share reads your risk profile:

• Standard and naked bikes: $500
• Cruisers and sport bikes (mid-range): $750 to $1,000
• Touring bikes and high-value ADV: $1,000 to $1,500
• Premium models (CVO Harleys, BMW R 1300 GS Adventure): up to $1,500

Sport bikes, riders under 25, and anyone with a collision on their driving record will see deposits at the higher end of those ranges. Two riders booking the same bike on the same day can see different deposit amounts on their card, since Riders Share calculates risk individually for each booking.

How the Deposit Hold Works

Riders Share handles the deposit hold differently based on when you book your rental. For bookings made more than 10 days in advance, the deposit gets authorized at the time of booking and immediately refunded, then re-authorized 48 hours before your trip starts. For bookings made within 10 days of the rental, the deposit is authorized right away alongside the rental cost. The deposit refunds three business days after you return the bike in clean condition, which gives time for any claim that might come up after the return. Most riders see the hold drop off their card between three and seven days after the return date.

Bay Area Motorcycle Rental Price Comparison (Riders Share vs. Commercial Rentals)

So, is a Motorcycle Rental Cheaper than Car Rental in San Francisco?

Renting a motorcycle in San Francisco is without a doubt cheaper than renting a car for a solo trip, especially once you factor in the parking, toll, and surcharge costs that come with renting a vehicle in the city. A mid-range motorcycle on Riders Share averages around $80/day in the Bay Area, while an economy car from a downtown rental counter ends up between $90 and $130/day after airport fees, insurance, and surcharges.

Where Motorcycle Rental Saves You Money

• Lower base daily rate: $29/day starting price vs. $50+ for an economy car
• Cheaper parking: motorcycle parking in SF runs about a third of car garage rates
• Discounted bridge tolls: Bay Area bridges charge motorcycles less than cars
• Better fuel economy: even fuel-efficient cars can't match most motorcycles
• No airport pickup surcharges: most owner-listed rentals avoid them entirely

When Car Rental Wins on Cost

Car rental costs less per person any time you're traveling with two or more people who can split a single vehicle, and a car also makes more sense for trips that aren't built around the riding itself. For solo travelers coming to SF specifically to ride Highway 1, Skyline Boulevard, or the Marin Headlands loop, a motorcycle still comes out ahead.

What’s the Cheapest Motorcycle Rental in SF?

The cheapest motorcycle rental in SF is a Honda or Kawasaki from an older model year, with most listings from these two brands priced between $30/day and $50/day on Riders Share. Bikes like the Honda Rebel 300, Honda Shadow, Kawasaki Ninja 400, and Kawasaki Vulcan show up in the lowest-priced listings and handle Bay Area riding without any trouble.

How to Find the Lowest SF Motorcycle Rental Rates

• Sort active listings by daily price (low to high)
• Filter for Honda or Kawasaki and bikes between 300cc and 650cc
• Book midweek pickups (Tuesday through Thursday) instead of weekend pickups
• Look at model years between 2017 and 2020 from well-reviewed owners
• Take advantage of weekly discounts on trips of four days or longer

Cheap motorcycle rental San Francisco listings book quickly during spring and summer, so the earlier you reserve, the more entry-level options you'll have to choose from. For riders without a preference on the exact bike, sorting by daily price almost always brings up something in the $30 to $50 range.

Book a Motorcycle Rental in San Francisco Through Riders Share

Now that you know what a Bay Area motorcycle rental actually costs, the next step is finding the bike that fits your trip. Riders Share has 100+ motorcycle rentals listed across San Francisco with daily rates starting at $29, covering everything from city-friendly cruisers and naked bikes to fully loaded touring models and adventure bikes. Filter by price, bike type, or brand to narrow down your options, then book directly with the owner.

Looking for a Good Ride? Explore the Bay Area on Two Wheels

With the bike picked out, the next part of planning is figuring out what to do once you're actually in San Francisco. Our San Francisco visitors guide covers the best times of year to ride into the city, events worth timing your trip around, can't-miss spots to check out, and recommendations for food, restaurants, and bars across the Bay Area, with rider-friendly routes and destinations mixed in throughout.