Where to rent a (smaller) bike in Nicaragua or Costa Rica?

[cb160racer]

A friend and I would like to ride in Nicaragua for about 2 weeks this coming Christmas, but I'm having a hard time finding motorcycle rental places there. We could easily fly into Costa Rica instead, although we'd need a place that would allow their rental bikes to cross the border (which is often explicitly prohibited).

We both prefer smaller bikes. My ideal bike is a Honda NX4 Falcon and my friend likes 250s (e.g., KLX 250), but something like the Bajaj Pulsar would also work if those are available. In any case, neither of us is interested in the usual big BMWs or KTMs.

Does anyone here have a rental outfit they can recommend in Nicaragua, or know of anyone with smaller bikes to rent in Costa Rica that we can ride to Nicaragua? The only place I've turned up in Managua by looking online is a place that rents a 200cc "farm bike." That might be OK if it's really the only option, but it seems to me that there might be something else available.

[stef25]

I've used Wild Rider in Costa Rica and can recommend them, good guys. They told me if I ever rented from them again they would let me cross the border, not sure if they will allow it the first time round.

[cb160racer]

Thanks for the info! Someone on ADV rider said essentially the same thing. Wild Rider is the only place I can find online, too, so it appears to be the only option at the moment. I'm surprised that there aren't more moto rental places down there.

[stef25]

I'm pretty sure the KTM and BMW dealerships also rent out their bikes. Just found this as well:

https://www.mototourscostarica.com/D...f_Rentals.html

[cb160racer]

Thanks, Stef, but as I mentioned in the original post we're not really interested in BMWs or KTMs -- their smallest rental bikes are typically 650-700cc. We're looking for something in the 250-400cc range. (For me, even a smaller KTM would be uncomfortable because their seats are really tall and narrow.) Appreciate the reply, though!

[SalCar]

We have motorcycle rentals in Nicaragua. Both the Yamaha AG 200 farm bikes and the small Yamaha YBR 125 G. cb160racer I replied to your ADV and replying here for other HUBB members that might be interested in coming to Nicaragua. The website with our information is NI.CA.MOTO Adventure: Home

[cb160racer]

My buddy and I did our trip in Costa Rica, but we weren't able to cross into Nicaragua due to an incorrect date on the paperwork -- and it was the day after Christmas so there was no way to get it fixed. That's OK, Costa Rica was superb, and we did end up finding a pair of Honda NX-4 Falcons to rent (which was my first choice of bike). The place was motoscostarica.com .

I'm reviving this thread because we're planning to go back in April to finally see a bit of Nicaragua. Does anyone have any good suggestions for finding a pair of smaller rental bikes in Nicaragua for about two weeks? As with our Costa Rica trip, neither of us is interested in big BMWs or KLR650s or anything like that. To me, something along the lines of the Honda CRF250L seems about right. (BTW, SalCar's site doesn't appear to be active anymore.)

[Peter Bodtke]

I just tried SalCar's website, its up and running. Nicaragua Motorcycle Adventures — Nicaragua motorcycle tours, training and rentals

[cb160racer]

Originally Posted by Peter Bodtke

I just tried SalCar's website, its up and running. Nicaragua Motorcycle Adventures — Nicaragua motorcycle tours, training and rentals

Thanks, Peter. It turned out to be a firewall issue on the computer cluster I was using. I've been in touch with Salvador, and all is well! I'm really looking forward to riding in Nicaragua.

[josecito250]

Hello Craig,

You can find some nice Hondas to rent in Nicaragua.

Just look here:

Nicaragua bike - your bike adventure in Nicaragua - Bike-Nicaragua, geführte Motorradtouren, guided Motorbike-tours

Cheers Josecito

[cb160racer]

Muchas gracias, Josecito! Now I have at least two choices for Nicaragua moto rentals. I appreciate the help.

[SalCar]

We just added the Suzuki DR650 to our stable (brand new)...

Here is also a picture of our current fleet:




Also very important to notice that we support the HUBB as contributing vendor and gold member!

[cb160racer]

Originally Posted by SalCar

Also very important to notice that we support the HUBB as contributing vendor and gold member!

Good point, and I guess I'll be seeing you in a couple of months!

[Solohobo]

Just got back from a month in Costa Rica, the motorcycle choices are booming, and locals are riding far more than a few years ago.

How do you get a rental across the border? I thought the Registration needs to be in Passport Holders name? Private owners need permission paperworkto leave Costa Rica with a vehicle?

[cb160racer]

Originally Posted by Solohobo

...How do you get a rental across the border?

I believe the general idea is that the rental company provides you with temporary ownership through power of attorney, and they get official government permission for temporary vehicle export and re-import. Something like that. The actual title (not a copy) was among our fairly large sheaf of paperwork, so the rental company needs a great deal of trust or a deposit large enough to cover the potential loss of the vehicle. Plus they need to go through a lot of hassle getting the paperwork done. I know for sure that some people have done it successfully, though.

In our case, the documents were supposed to say that we were permitted to cross into Nicaragua anytime between December 20th and January 20th. The Costa Rican border guard, however, interpreted the wording to mean we HAD to cross exactly on December 20th and no other day. Our crossing attempt was the day after Christmas, so all government offices were closed (and wouldn't reopen until the day we were flying home), and the attorney who drew up the papers was on vacation.

It was a multi-page legal document written in Spanish. I'm sure there was room for interpretation, but I think a major issue was the fact that Costa Rica and Nicaragua are not feeling very chummy right now so the guards apparently look for any reason to say "no," no matter how trivial. That's OK, it meant we "had" to spend the whole trip in Costa Rica -- not a bad outcome in any sense.

But we never did get to Ometepe Island, so it's time to go back!