Would You Rent Out Your Dirt Bike When You’re Not Riding It?

Beeby wrote:

So you built a company and site and then decided to survey to see if there is a market? 

3strokemx wrote:

covert advertising 😅

Beeby wrote:

Marketing to the wrong crowd though. I suspect most vital members would rather loan out the wife than their bike!

nocturnalmotors wrote:

It would be a no for me, too. On the other side, it would actually be cool if this was a thing. I'd love to hop on...

It would be a no for me, too. 

On the other side, it would actually be cool if this was a thing. I'd love to hop on a plane and jet somewhere warm to spin laps for a weekend in January and February without having to load up and make a 16hr one way trip somewhere...

ttusomeone wrote:

I don't see how a third party could make this financially viable. You'd have to carry the liability insurance and have to have some type of...

I don't see how a third party could make this financially viable. You'd have to carry the liability insurance and have to have some type of pre-ride inspection to know the bike is mechanically sound. The bike's owner wouldn't rent it out if there was a chance of a renter coming back on them if they get hurt. You'd also have to have a post-ride inspection so the renter can pay for any damage. Then you have delivery. It's not reasonable to expect the renter to come pick it up from the owner, and if I was the owner renting out the bike, I'd expect the third party to pick it up and bring it back (which would also be the easiest way to do the pre and post ride inspections). Seems much more reasonable to buy a small fleet of bikes yourself, depreciate them, and then sell them after a season or two. Just my two cents though. I absolutely think there would be a rental market for bikes, but don't think there's a big market for owners renting out their own bikes through a service like this.

sumdood wrote:

I know you can rent SxS's and farmer John quads at lots of ohv parks, but I haven't seen anyplace renting dirt bikes. It seems like...

I know you can rent SxS's and farmer John quads at lots of ohv parks, but I haven't seen anyplace renting dirt bikes. It seems like anyone who can ride a dirtbike would already have one ?, you would need traveling dirt bike riders. Seems like a small demographic ?  You know what I would pay for ? A fleet of all the latest different brands and models at a track somewhere that I could test ride before buying. Like a demo day with all the brands.   The new KX327 looks awesome, but would I like the KTM HUSKY or BETA 300 2 stroke more ? Maybe the YZ250X or Beta X trainer would fit me better ? If I was seriously looking to buy a new bike I'd pay 3 or 4 hundred dollars to have a day to make the most informed purchase, maybe even 5 🤷‍♂️

Renting my bike out to a guy that's probably not a very good rider (or he wouldn't be renting one ?)  Naah been there done that. Might as well go grab a hammer and smash the levers and grips myself, maybe bend the bars a little while I'm at it, grab a surform and grind off some plastic and graphics... 😄     

Brad460 wrote:

Not my personal race bike, but if I lived in a mx "destination" warm state or lived near a popular track with open ride days (like...

Not my personal race bike, but if I lived in a mx "destination" warm state or lived near a popular track with open ride days (like Redbud or Millville)  I would buy a couple spare bikes to rent out if the financials made sense.

I would like to hit some tracks out of state and would personally rent a bike if I could.

 

kevinr wrote:

I ran a few numbers on my last bike such as the amount paid and what it sold for.  Once I factored in top end, timing...

I ran a few numbers on my last bike such as the amount paid and what it sold for.  Once I factored in top end, timing chain, tires, chain/sprockets, suspension rebuilds, oil changes and any ancillary costs like graphics or replacement plastics. At 80 hours on a 250F costs over close to if not more than $100 per hour just to operate.   So you would have to charge a ton to be profitable.  Albeit the maintenance on certain things would be not quite be the same.  I can imagine 100 hour suspension service intervals, etc.

kevinr wrote:

I ran a few numbers on my last bike such as the amount paid and what it sold for.  Once I factored in top end, timing...

I ran a few numbers on my last bike such as the amount paid and what it sold for.  Once I factored in top end, timing chain, tires, chain/sprockets, suspension rebuilds, oil changes and any ancillary costs like graphics or replacement plastics. At 80 hours on a 250F costs over close to if not more than $100 per hour just to operate.   So you would have to charge a ton to be profitable.  Albeit the maintenance on certain things would be not quite be the same.  I can imagine 100 hour suspension service intervals, etc.