One of the best ways to explore a new area is from the seat of a motorcycle. However, it isn’t always practical to ride your personal bike from your home to whatever faraway location you’re traveling to, especially if you’re on a tight schedule. That’s the predicament I found myself in recently when I flew from my home in Tennessee to Las Vegas. The solution was to rent a Yamaha Star Bolt from EagleRider.
The Rider editorial team traveled to Las Vegas in February to attend AIMExpo, the annual powersports convention. We spent some busy and exciting days at the show, meeting a variety of people in the industry and seeing some new products. By the end of the week, though, we were all ready to get out of town for a day.
The rest of the team all live close enough to ride their personal motorcycles to the show. I wouldn’t have enough time to make the journey all the way from Tennessee on my personal ride, so I decided to rent a motorcycle in Vegas from EagleRider.
EagleRider has more than 200 locations around the world, provides a wide range of motorcycles to rent, and even offers guided tours. Before the trip, I took some time looking at the motorcycles available for rent in Las Vegas since not all brands and models are available at all locations. They had bikes from Harley-Davidson, Indian, BMW, Yamaha, and Honda. I chose a Yamaha Bolt cruiser, a model I’ve never ridden before but was excited to try out. The Bolt was available for $112 per day.
EagleRider also has a monthly subscription called Club EagleRider, which allows you to earn credits toward discounted rentals and tours. The club starts at $29 a month, and a range of packages with different benefits are available. I was just renting for the day, but if I were traveling and in need of a ride more often, Club EagleRider would be a convenient way to save some money on rentals.
Related: Best Motorcycles for Smaller Riders: Seat Heights Under 30 Inches
On the morning of our ride, our EIC Greg and I arrived at EagleRider a few minutes before they opened. Already, there was a line at the front desk. The location was very clean and had lots of gear and apparel to browse while we waited. One of the desk attendants asked us to check in online to speed the process up a bit, which we did.
When it was my turn at the front of the line, the attendants at the front desk were very friendly. They didn’t take up too much of our time chatting, but you could tell they were enthusiastic about meeting new riders and suggesting local destinations to visit. They also recommended that we pay $12.95 per day for roadside assistance, since towing fees can be quite expensive.
After the check-in, which included showing my ID and insurance card and signing some paperwork, I was directed through the back to where my motorcycle was lined up among others that had been reserved for the day.
The attendant near the bikes asked if I wanted him to go over the Bolt with me before I took off, which I gratefully accepted. He went over the basics and reminded me to fill the tank up at the gas station next door when I brought it back. After the short briefing, I was good to go.
Greg and I took a leisurely ride back to the hotel, where we met up with the others and spent the day riding around Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Hoover Dam, and Valley of Fire State Park.
Related: Southwestern Motorcycle Adventure: Las Vegas to Denver
Our ride was breathtaking. I haven’t done much traveling west of the Mississippi, so I was amazed the whole day by all the impressive landscape and sights. And it was an experience I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t been able to rent a motorcycle from EagleRider. Returning the Bolt the next day was quick and easy.
I can definitely see myself renting from EagleRider the next time I’m in a new place without a bike or if I want to try out something different than what’s in my garage. And with EagleRider’s large number of locations and models, I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity.
For more information, visit the EagleRider website.
I’m NOT a fan of Eagle Rider. The “club” thing is super expensive and smells scammy. You have to pay extra to “guarantee” that the model of bike you reserve will actually be there.
The prices are quite high already. And then they push the high-margin “extras.”
The website doesn’t state whether any luggage comes on bikes, but I’ll bet they charge extra for that, too. Just an overall turn-off before the first turn for me.
I’m renting a BMW R1250 RT from Hertz in Las Vegas later this month for a week. Price a little better, no “club” nonsense, no extra charge for getting the bike you reserve, and my calls with questions were returned immediately by a knowledgeable manager.
The Las Vegas BMW shop rents bikes, too, for comparable prices.
I rented Harleys numerous times from dealers around the U.S., but HD has apparently farmed out or sold their rental operation to Eagle Rider. Too bad.