Please help me... Motorcyle Rental in Laos
 

Hello All,

Long time reader, first time post. I will be in Vientiane, Laos during the month of December for vacation. I was in Laos last year during the same time and fell in love with the country... more on this later.

I want to rent a Street Bike... i.e. Honda 250/Kawasaki Ninja 250 or higher and tour Laos for a couple of weeks. I have not come across any place that rents performance bikes on the net... only off road and classics bikes. Can anyone out there please help me? Prices, Locations, and contacts would be great. I am a US citizen.

I love road 13 from Vientiane to Vang Vieng and this is where I will be spending the majority of my time.

Any and all help is appreciated!!!

Nick

:welcome: to HUBB!

I only saw foreigners on 250 Honda Baja and Kawasaki KLX. Cannot help.

Have you tried to look for a rental in Luang Prabang? What if you rent the bike in Chiang Mai and then cross to Laos? (I cannot tell you about paperwork, but in Chiang Mai there are definitely road bikes). The downside is that your intended route would need to be revised.

Happy travels,

Esteban

Esteban
 

Esteban... Thank you for the welcome sign,

I had thought about renting a road bike in Thailand and taking it over the border... but I don't the know the logistics. If the rental place would let me? If I would be allow to cross into Laos on a rental? What paperwork would I need?

I am pretty desperate at this point and would love to hear any suggestions or ideas. I am really hoping to pull this off, it is almost an obsession now. I have a 2005 CBR 600rr that I could import to Thailand and ride to Laos from there... but this would be expensive or so I hear.

Thanks again...

Nick

Bike Hire
 

DON'T DO THAT!! A friend of ours had a smash and was blamed for all the issues and almost died and foreign people are NOT INSURED so it cost thousands to have him flown back to the UK.

You should get from your home country a worldwide travel insurance, and make sure it is valid, when you ride a motorcycle with the cubic capacity, that you plan to ride, AND that it covers your medical costs, including a possible medi-evac flight without a cost limit. Doesn´t cost too much either.

It is true, though, that foreigners are often seen as the ´guilty´ ones, if an accident happens, and that, combined with the language barrier, can lead to very problematic situations. (But that does in no way affect the need to get the travel insurance for yourself.)

To the OP: sorry, I don´t know about rentals in Laos, as I´ve only been there on bikes rented from Thailand... But that route from Vientiane to Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang really is one of the most beautiful roads I have ever ridden in my life!

pecha72...
 

Thanks for the info...

At this point and time, looks like my only option is to rent in Thailand and ride into Laos. Where did you rent your bikes from when you went into Laos?? Do you have a contact?

Thanks,

Nick

Hi, actually all rental bikes, that I´ve ridden in Laos, belonged to a friend of mine, who lives near Bangkok. He run some great tours around the region with small groups 5-6 years ago, so he was always with us, when we crossed the borders with the bikes. Could have been very different, if we´d been there without him. I really don´t know how it would work with an authorisation letter in this part of the world (..don´t expect them to speak any English at the borders!)

Unfortunately my friend´s health has become very bad in the past couple of years, and so he has had to give up this business at least for now. But I think there should be some options in Chiang Mai, who rent bikes, and have done something like this. Go to gt-rider dot com website, and you should find them.

Pecha72- Chiang Mai Bike Rental
 

Pecha72, I was able to contact someone in Chiang Mai. He is willing to rent me a Ninja 250 or Honda 250 and will allow me to take it into Laos. However, he is asking that I put down a 4000.00 deposit on the bike. This is insurance that I will return the bike to him.

At this point, I don't know if I have any other choice but to take this offer. I really want to pull this trip to Laos off... but I don't see any other way to do it. I am sorry your friend is ill and I truly hope he gets better soon. Too bad, he is not well enough to assist me in this matter.

Anyone else out there... Please I still need help. Any other options at all? Please let me know.

Jules bike hire in Vietianne is a great guy and has a great selection of bikes,we have used him twice

I hired a bike from Jim at remoteasia.com a few years ago. No problems with the bike and the riding was fun. I rented an enduro but don't remember if he had other times of bikes.

Pirate63 and motoreiter
 

Pirate63 and motoreiter - thank you both.

But as mentioned above... I am looking for a street bike. Something like a CBR250 Or NINJA 250. I have contacted Jules and RemoteAsia, however both only have Dirt Bikes or Classic Bikes. I want a street bike and will not be doing any off road this time.

I do like off roads and dirt bikes but NOT for this trip. Do you have any other contacts in Laos or in Thailand (Nong Khai) where I can rent a street bike?

Again thank you every for all the feedback. I appreciate all the help so far and hopefully I will still be able to pull it off.

Thanks,

Nick

I would think that a "Classic" bike would be a road bike...I guess you are looking for a full-on sport bike?

Given the relative lack of paved roads, and the fact that probably 99% of people that rent bikes in Laos want to do some off-tarmac riding, I'd be surprised if you find any sport bikes for rent, but good luck!

Man...I do not think you will like those Laos roads on a street bike.
Go the Honda Baja, get a map and get off that main road.

motoreiter and JD_303
 

@ motoreiter

I am sorry if I was not clear with my questions/inquires. Yes, I am looking for a Performance Street Bike... IE... Ninja 250 or higher for my trip. Again, thank you for all the good info so far.

@ JD_303

LOL... Yes, I may have to take the Baja 250 route at this point. This will be my first time riding in Laos and I don't know how agressive I will want to ride. At this time, I would prefer to just cruise on the main roads and limit my rides between Vang Vieng and Vientiane. Maybe next time or next year, Laos seems like a great place to go off road on.

Thank you all again. BTW - I just purchased my airline tickets yesterday to Laos, I will be there at the end of November and all the way to the end of December.

Nick

Attention All HUBB Readers...
 

All...

I am still looking for someone/contacts for a bike rental in Vientiane... Private party if need be. I need a performance bike (Honda CBR 250 or Ninja250) for a 2-3 week period. Please let me know if you can help in anyway.

thanks,

Nick