US Motorcycle Rentals

Here at H-C Travel we have been arranging motorcycle hire in the USA since 1994. Each year we look to offer improved rental terms and conditions, an improved service and an ever-increasing range of bikes. And, after all this time, we are still the only UK licensed tour operator offering this specialised service to our customers, so we think we must be doing something right!

Motorcycle hire is still the most popular option for touring the USA, and H-C Travel offers motorcycle hire from some 50 locations right across the USA, putting just about everywhere in the country within a day's ride. This is the largest number and widest range of rental motorcycle available anywhere. Our local rental offices are often able to help with local touring suggestions and advice, and are much more helpful than car hire firms! For safety reasons you are not allowed to collect you motorcycle until the day after your arrival in North America. H-C Travel is able to offer suitable first night accommodation if required (and US Homeland Security will not allow you to fly to the USA without one!).

If there is a group of you travelling, we offer discounted rates if you hire 5 bikes or more, and we can offer car, MPV and motorhome hire if required. For all rentals we provide you with maps, touring information and travelling tips, and you can store unwanted luggage at all of our locations.

Please take your time to read through the information below BEFORE checking the rates, which we guarantee won’t be beaten.

The tables on the following pages give the all-inclusive rental prices, with the basic rates in parentheses, by city. For specific information on the hire terms and conditions please refer to the Supplier Information given at the end of the rates listings, and read H-C Travel's terms and conditions. We appreciate that pricing is not always straightforward, but please remember we guarantee to offer you the lowest price, so just give us a call!

New locations for 2009

Cleveland
Jackson
Lake Tahoe
Little Rock
Maui
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Myrtle Beach
New Orleans
Seattle
Springfield
Winchester

Harley-Davidsons are stocked in all bar 4 of our locations
BMWs are stocked in 9 locations
Hondas are stocked in 20 locations
Champion trikes are stocked in 4 locations
Enduros are stocked in 9 locations
Offroaders are stocked in 9 locations

Pricing

Our all-inclusive rate, offered exclusively by H-C Travel, is a prepayable rate which includes any and all taxes, the highest levels of motorcycle insurance cover available ANYWHERE and unlimited mileage. You can then rest assured that you will have no further charges to pay locally, except for your refundable security/damage deposit.

H-C Travel's all-inclusive rate includes:

Motorcycle hire
All taxes and one-off charges
EVIP
CDW with $1000 damage excess – even Harley-Davidson dealers can’t match our insurance cover!
Theft insurance, excess $1000 – again, better than Harley-Davidson’s own cover!
Minimum $1 million 3^rd party liability insurance
Unlimited mileage
Riding hints, travel advice, tourist information and maps

If you don’t wish to prepay for all of the optional and compulsory extras that we include, we will be happy to book your motorcycle at our basic rate. Rates start from as little as £16/day, and you can then pay separately for: unlimited mileage or some other mileage option, all optional insurances, taxes and our environmental charge. However, this is NOT as cheap as prepaying our all-inclusive rate!

Why rent with H-C Travel?

Late model motorcycles
Emergency assistance
Soft or hard luggage, depending on factory fittings
Luggage storage at rental station
Maps and tourist information
Route advice, if requested
Prebookable accommodation, if required
Flights, if required
Personal travel insurance for UK residents, if required
100% guaranteed financial security

Motorcycle insurance

US insurance regulations are a common cause for confusion, often varying from state to state. This is a quick summary of what's what in US vehicle insurance. H-C Travel's all-inclusive prices include SLI, CDW and theft insurance with low excesses. We are always happy to advise you on this subject, and will adjust your insurance cover to suit your wishes!

Please beware, you may come across companies offering lower prices – the trade off is that you won’t have adequate motorcycle insurance. Always compare the excess, the theft insurance AND the liability cover for you as the rider, and you’ll appreciate just how good our insurance cover is and how good our rates are. In some US states the renter has NO responsibility to offer liability insurance, which makes the price look good, but if you have an accident could cost you dear! We cannot emphasise enough the risk, American lawyers are expensive.

Liability insurance - Third Party Cover in English. Most US companies offer 'minimum liability' cover for you, and have their own product liability insurance to cover themselves, but NOT you. However, minimum liability can be as little as nothing, and rarely exceeds $50,000, depending on which state you are in - and you won't be told this unless you ask!

SLI - Supplementary Liability Insurance. Most riders feel more comfortable with the inclusion of additional liability cover, often called SLI or liability top-up, and a minimum of $1 million is included in our all-inclusive rate. It can also be purchased separately on top of the basic rate if you don't want to opt for the all-inclusive rate.

CDW - Collision Damage Waiver. This offers you cover for the repair cost to your vehicle in the event of a collision on a public road. For motorcycle hire the ‘deductible’ - the ‘excess’ in English - can be as high as $5000, and we offer you enhanced VIP insurance, which will dramatically reduce your excess to $1000. CDW does not include theft insurance - see below. Any 'negligent damage' is the full responsibility of the rider. This includes damage caused during off-highway use or during use proscribed by the hire company's terms and conditions.

LDW - Loss Damage Waiver - is similar to CDW except that it also includes theft insurance.

Theft insurance is often treated as a separate item. It is not a part of CDW, and you must make sure you take it out if you want it. It is included as part of our enhanced VIP cover.

EVIP – Enhanced Vacation Interruption Protection. Offers theft insurance and a reduced damage excess of $1000 It also covers you to hire a car or take extra night's accommodation in the event of a breakdown. Always included in our all-inclusive coveAnd motorcycle insurance is NOT a substitute for travel insurance. It is essential that you take out appropriate travel insurance cover. Please see our Travel insurance information.

Travel insurance - is NOT included in any motorcycle rental in the USA. You MUST have a suitable travel insurance policy that includes medical and repatriation cover should you be unfortunate enough to have an accident. Nearly all widely available travel insurance policies in the UK EXCLUDE motorcycling. We can of course help and have our own travel insurance policy underwritten specifically for our UK and EU customers. Details can be found in our travel insurance pages.

Public Holidays

Rental stations are closed for the following US public holidays in 2009: 1 Jan, 12 Apr, 25 May, 4 Jul, 7 Sep, 26 Nov, 25 Dec

Groups

We are more than happy to cater for groups of any size. If several riders want a selection of bikes from different manufacturers, these are available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Jackson and Washington DC.

How to book

Select and make a note of your required pick-up and drop-off locations.
Select your first and second choice of motorcycle model.
Select your rental dates – rentals typically start at 9-10 am and finish at 9-10 am unless you specify otherwise. You cannot pick up your motorcycle on the day you arrive in the USA.
Check which season rate applies. The STARTING date of your motorcycle hire dictates the rate for the whole duration.
Check price
Book online, by email or by phone with just a £250 deposit – all reservations made at least 2 months prior to pick up are guaranteed. Reservations made less than 2 months before pick up are on request.
Ask H-C Travel to check for best available flight prices (do NOT book your flights before we have confirmed your motorcycle – there are more seats on planes than bikes for hire and we do run out!), and pre- and/or post-tour accommodation.