By Stacey Leasca
When it comes to vacation home rentals, sites like Airbnb and Vrbo have you covered. What about a rental car? You can snag one from a ton of major retailers or opt for a peer-to-peer company like Turo. Need to book a pool for a day? There’s a site for that, too. But what if you need something different, like a motorcycle, for example? Riders Share now has your back for that as well. Riders Share is a rental service that likens itself to other peer-to-peer booking platforms like Airbnb. Instead of putting up homes, however, it’s a space for motorcycles — thousands upon thousands of listings in more than 2,000 locations, to be exact.
“Motorcycles are ridden less than 3,000 miles per year, compared to 12,000 for cars. At the same time, there are about 30 million licensed riders and just under nine million registered motorcycles in the United States,” Riders Share explains on its website. “There are millions who would occasionally ride motorcycles if it wasn’t for the steep prices of motorcycle rentals or motorcycle ownership.” Its mission, the company adds, is to make riding more affordable and available and “maybe even spark a comeback for motorcycles among young people.”
Anyone who owns a bike is invited to list theirs on the site. All you need is the make, model, and year of the bike, and then to list its availability and a few photos (just make sure it’s also registered and insured). All potential renters are thoroughly vetted and must be 21 years old or older to rent. Renters can then come to pick up the bike, which owners go over with them upon arrival, at a fixed time. According to the company, owners make $150 on average per booking. Plus, all listings are protected by an A-rated insurance provider. So, how good is the selection? I checked out the options in my home of Rhode Island, which, as you may know, is the smallest state in the U.S., so I wasn’t expecting an impressive list. However, I was immediately proven wrong.
Across the state, more than 80 bikes are currently available, ranging from brands like Harley-Davidson and BMW to Kawasaki and Honda and everything in between. My favorite is this adorable Ural Retro, which comes with its own sidecar attached.
“The Ural Retro is a three-wheeled fun machine. It has a little more comfort and security for the rider and passenger than a two-wheel ride,” its owner, Barry, shares in the listing. “It is stable on the road and comes with heated grips, heated rider, and passenger seats, an ample locking trunk to store your riding gear, an outlet for heated gear for the rider and passenger, a USB charger outlet, and a phone holder.”