Motorcycle Rental

[rx29g]

looking to rent a bike for 1 month - can anyone give some feedback on this establishment?

[HullyGully]

Good place to reant a motorbike 'BUDDY INTERNET' opposite KAD

[rx29g]

Thanks Jeffrey - they're asking for only 1800 / month for a Wave 125's. Too low to be plausible?

[nattydread]

go with a couple of English blokes Jeff and Tony on Ratchamanka rd which is the opposite side of the moat at the top of Loi Kroh Rd....a lot of the bikes arent that new but they are honest and reliable and if u do have a prang u wont be paying to fix a 50,000 baht machine....they play fair and theres no worries about being ripped off..also recommended in Lonely Planet Guide...you can also purchase insurance from them to cover any damages

http://www.chiangmai-motorcycle-rental.com/

[jackr]

Mr Mechanic, just up from M (Montri) hotel, is pretty good. Wherever you go, op, look to pay extra for insurance which would at least cover some of a nicked bike. That Wave 125 for 60 baht a day seems overly cheap. Plodders though... rarely let you down.

[DowntownAl]

Thanks Jeffrey - they're asking for only 1800 / month for a Wave 125's. Too low to be plausible?

Way too low to be plausible. The absolute best price I've seen around town was 3,000 baht per month and that was with the most basic insurance. You will want full insurance, coverage for yourself and the guy you run over, it you do that sort of thing.

[CMSteve]

Yes and no. yes you want the full coverage(so will the guy you ran over), but it hardly every pays out. You need to have the correct licensing etc, otherwise its useless.

Thanks Jeffrey - they're asking for only 1800 / month for a Wave 125's. Too low to be plausible?

Way too low to be plausible. The absolute best price I've seen around town was 3,000 baht per month and that was with the most basic insurance. You will want full insurance, coverage for yourself and the guy you run over, it you do that sort of thing.

[rakchaingmai]

By the time they pay for the maintenance of the bike and the tax and the insurance and the delivery of the bike surly they can't make any money maybe it is some kind of scam just seems way to cheap .

[anselpixel]

Nothing is cheap without a reason, and these prices are near half the going rate. Also, it's not necessarily a good thing that a business has no shop. I rented before I bought a bike, and used North Wheels. Excellent service, and totally straight ahead.

Caveat emptor.

[CMSteve]

I think this is on the opposite side of the spectrum. 4500B for a semi-auto is way over the average, but i suppose the guest house probably made a commission for putting you and the shop together. not a big deal as long as you are happy with the price.

As far as passports are concerned, I feel that it is easier and safer to leave your passport with the shop. From the shop owner's perspective, they are letting you leave with ~50,000B of their property, and people are weary about leaving a passport that can be replaced for 4 - 5000B? Also, any shop that does not need or ask to keep your passport, has another way of making sure their property comes back. They are the ones to be scared of!!!

I just got done with a 30 day scooter rental. I paid 4500 Thai Baht and that included insurance. I did it through the guesthouse I was staying at and they dropped it off and picked it up there ( Scorpion, located on the NW corner of the moat ). The manual transmission on these is more automatic than manual and they're extremely easy to use. No clutch.

Needed 100 Baht worth of gas about every 3 days. When you ride these you're on the front brake a lot and the cable tends to stretch out causing you to think the brakes need major work but a 5 minute stop at the shop to re-tighten the cable will do the trick. I had a Honda Dream and other than the brake cable it seemed pretty indestructible.

A lot of places will try to get you to leave your passport but I paid a 2000 Baht deposit and let them copy the first page. I'd be leery about leaving your passport with anyone. This is negotiable - you might end up needing up to a 5000 Baht deposit.

The police regularly have checkpoints where they ticket riders who aren't wearing helmets. If you're going to wear the helmet, strap it on as it will fly off your head should you get into a problem and exit the scooter unexpectedly. I know this first hand.

Hope this was helpful. JS.

[dundas]

I haven't tried that particular establishment, but I have rented quite a few bikes in CM.

I notice they claim their bikes are "fully insured" as part of the deal. That hasn't been my experience when I've rented bikes.

The only time I took out insurance was from a reputable shop and for a nice looking 250cc bike in great condition, and when I took the bike back, I asked "How much would I have been up for if this had been stolen?" Answer: the second hand value of the bike - about B80,000. It wasn't covered for theft. I thought I was "fully insured" but I wasn't covered for the insurance I needed most. I suggest you find out what "fully insured" means, and check out the documentation.

For me, good insurance against theft now includes an alarmed lock for the front brake disk - so that the chances of being hit for theft and reduced. Preventing theft in the first place is better than attempting a claim on dodgy insurance.

B1800 per month also seems cheap to me. I rented on and off the for the best part of a year and found the price came down to around B65 per day for something similar to a Wave as the bike shop got to know that I was easy on their bikes, and when low season meant they had heaps of them. The price I paid provided no insurance at all.

Nearly all rental shops offer a helmet as part of the deal - but most rental shop helmets are crap, so check them out carefully. You can buy decent helmets in CM quite cheaply (check out the shops on the north side of the moat - prices vary, so check out more than one). And make sure you have a proper motorcycle licence - anyone will rent you a bike without one but all that means is that you bear the legal and financial consequences if something goes wrong. Have a look at some of the cases at RAM hospital who've come off their bikes. Most are unlicenced and so not covered by any insurance they may think they have for the bike nor are they covered by any travel insurance they may have for themselves ... it's not a pleasant situation to be in.

Good luck.

Edited October 16, 2012 by dundas

[mcgriffith]

The police regularly have checkpoints where they ticket riders who aren't wearing helmets. If you're going to wear the helmet, strap it on as it will fly off your head should you get into a problem and exit the scooter unexpectedly. I know this first hand.

[Mousehound]

North Wheels rent out bikes. They seem to have been around a long time and have a good reputation for hiring cars. No doubt others here know them better than I do. Their insurance seems to be good on cars - they say they have the best comprehensive insurance that you can get but I would always check out exactly what is what. With a reputable company like NW I would consider paying with a credit card. My card does cover me well for hire as long as it is not off road and is from a proper hire company not someone who is private. They have 110cc bikes and 115cc from 3500Bht / month - comes with helmet. I would not hire anything without a proper license at least issued from either Thailand or home country - plus an International License if the latter. But then I am super cautious about hire and drive in Thailand. Whatever, I tend to pay top Bht and sleep a bit easier.

http://www.northwheels.com/mrates.html

Might be worth checking them out - they are North of Tapae gate on the east side of the moat.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Mousehound

[Beng]

Avoid the one next to Mad Dog. Can't think of the name. They do have other branches as well.

[bristolgeoff]

my experience before i brought my bike is they are so many to chose from.i chose blue sky garden on moon muang rd.it pays to ask a few expats who live they as well.do your homework and it will be ok

[kilt]

Bikky Chiang Mai for rentals.

I've been renting from them for 3 years.

Huay Kaew road just west of Siri Mangkalajarn rd.

Very fair prices (if long term, not far off the OP's too good to be true price).

[thaigolfer]

I have a "as good as new" 2012 Yamaha Mio 125 GT with 5000 km for rent at 3.000 Baht a month.

PM if you like this

Thanks

[JeffreyMcCollum]

I just got done with a 30 day scooter rental. I paid 4500 Thai Baht and that included insurance. I did it through the guesthouse I was staying at and they dropped it off and picked it up there ( Scorpion, located on the NW corner of the moat ). The manual transmission on these is more automatic than manual and they're extremely easy to use. No clutch.

Needed 100 Baht worth of gas about every 3 days. When you ride these you're on the front brake a lot and the cable tends to stretch out causing you to think the brakes need major work but a 5 minute stop at the shop to re-tighten the cable will do the trick. I had a Honda Dream and other than the brake cable it seemed pretty indestructible.

A lot of places will try to get you to leave your passport but I paid a 2000 Baht deposit and let them copy the first page. I'd be leery about leaving your passport with anyone. This is negotiable - you might end up needing up to a 5000 Baht deposit.

The police regularly have checkpoints where they ticket riders who aren't wearing helmets. If you're going to wear the helmet, strap it on as it will fly off your head should you get into a problem and exit the scooter unexpectedly. I know this first hand.

Hope this was helpful. JS.

Any bike with a valid Tax sticker had basic insurance. Won't really cover much of anything if you hit some thing or some on let alone yourself.

I am sure the guest house made a commission of 500 Bt for the deal.

Then you go on to say the bike needed work, the front brake needed adjustment. Why did the rental company not checkthe bike ? Brakes, Chiang ? air in the tires ? Did you ?

Helmets are not only the law, but for your safety. And you go on to say you have had an accident. I guess your lucky anyone will rent to youat all, and that is why a deposit is needed.

Personally I would never rent a bike with a drum front brake. Drum brakes were invented in 1902 and haven't really changed much. I guess I value my safety more than others.