Hi all, we are starting up a business to rent track prepped motorcycles at various STT events in the Midwest. I'm trying to get an idea as to how many folks are interested, and how many thinks it's a really dumb idea. i know most of us already have bikes... especially if you are in this forum. But, i'm sure you all know someone who doesn't have a bike, or don't want to ride their's on the track. if you know someone like that, of if you think it's just a good idea, please sound off. If you have preferences on bikes, what you think the cost should be, (within reason) your fav color, whatever.
Pardon my asking the obvious, but what kind of damage deposit or insurance would be involved? It wouldn't take much for one of your customers to turn their rent-a-ride into dust.... Also, how would you factor in tires? A timid novice might not even scuff a set edge to edge, while a really hot hand could finish a rear before the lunch break! And what about liability insurance for yourself? Imagine if a mechanical defect caused one of your customers to crash? Imagine if there was no defect, but some red-eyed demon of a liability lawyer decided to claim that a crash-damaged brake line (or whatever) had actually failed pre-crash and caused the incident? I don't want to rain on your idea, but.... Honestly, there seem to be so many variables that I wonder if this is a viable option.
there was a vendor at the toronto motorcycle show last Dec who operates at Shannonville and Mosport, doing the same thing. I can't remember their name, though. I think it's a great idea, esp. for tracks that are a long haul, one could fly in, rent a bike for the cost of a track day or so, so for about $300 a day, ride & then fly back home... I don't see it working if the cost is over $200 a day, though.
turn 2 is the company. they charge about $365 canadian per day, which includes track day & rental, with a $1500 damage deposit. this was a great deal 6 months ago, but now that the canadian dollar is almost on par with the US greenback, not so enticing. still, it's not horrible, either.:roll: http://www.turn2.ca/ I believe they use 600CC Hondas & GSXR's as well as an SV and a KTM super moto bike. personally, i think either Suzuki GSXR 600's & SV's or Ninja 636's and 650's are the way to go, for starters. I'd like to see it happen. I know of more than a couple people who'd like to go to the track, but the thought of taking their expensive Italian machinery terrifies them. this would be yet another way to push people down the long road to track addiction... :twisted: Good luck! Lance
I think that the rentals would be a great idea, but I do think that there should be a waiver signed for legal issues. As far as the pricing goes I'm not even sure where it should even start. There are alot of variables. I bring people to the track with me all of the time and I know that if they saved the money some of them would probably like to try it out. I know that the California superbike school has there own bikes that you can use and they don't have a problem with people using the bikes(With a fee of course) so it can work.
Good point about Code. I never said this was a stupid idea, just a tricky one. Reliance needs to sort this out carefully before he procedes. The potential for disaster is great, so he must figure out how to limit his exposure to liability and loss of equipment.
That is true. It is a tricky idea with alot of bugs, but if all the avenues are thought out and covered I think it's a good idea. :wink:
Contact tedrich@aztrackday.com. He lets me help them with instructing when I'm in Phoenix for the Winter. They have a fleet of rentals, which are all painted solid orange to match their logo and make them easy to identify. They get their insurance through Monte, so let him know that you are working with STT and I'm sure he'll be happy to share how he does things and how it all works out for them. FYI, they rent them for $150 per half day, plus the cost of a half day on the track. Seems like a lot to me, but they always seem to rent out at least a couple per event. And for my own $.02, I'd highly recommend throwing Pilot Powers on anything you plan to put on the track. They warm up quick, provide plenty of grip, and I challenge anyone to ruin a set in a day.
motorcycle rental hey guys, thanks for the input.. really appreciate it. our thought initially is to charge around $250 per day, which would include pretty much everything. Tires, (pilot powers), gas, etc. the damage deposit, like you guys were saying, is important.. we were thinking around $750, which hopefully will cover when a bike is totalled. and yes, there will definitley be a liability agreement, probably similar to what monte makes us sign at every track day. and ofcourse, i am talking to monte about this, and he's excited. again, thanks for the help, and your ideas.
Jason Pridmore rents Sv650s and GSXR600 at his school. Here's the link if it helps http://www.starmotorcycle.com/rentals.html
For the customer, it would be a great idea. I know of a few people who will not attend track days because they do not want to take that chance on their street bikes. However, for STT is could potentially be a huge headache. Good Luck!
I would definitely be interested in this if the bikes were good and well prepared. Years back I used to rent S2000 race cars. I included a $10K deductable insurance policy against damage in the rental cost and collected a $10K cashiers check as a deposit to hold until my car was returned to me. Same sort of thing could be done here except perhaps with a maybe a $1 or $2K deductable. We did all the prep and transport to the track and provided support through the race weekend. It worked quite well for all involved but I also think we were fortunate to get quality renters who could afford to crash the thing and not complain about repair costs.