Buy or rent a bike in Ecuador?

[maomao]

Hello, my fellow riders! I am planning on a 2-week bike trip in Ecuador. I'll probably spend most of the time on paved roads and just a small amount on off roads. In regards to saving budget, would you suggest me to buy or rent a bike?

[shu...]

For a 2 week ride there is no doubt in my mind: rent.

It will be cheaper than buying a bike. Plus you would spend most of your 2 weeks in country trying to find and buy a bike and then trying to sell it.

I have found that for any trip under 30 days, it is much better to fly in and rent.
At 30 days the money starts to even out, but you will still spend a lot of your time buying and selling.

..............shu

[HappyWanderer01]

I recommend www.ecuadorbikerental.com. I rented a bike for a month and the company was awesome. Super friendly and helpful.

I rented the Kawasaki 650DL, best bike for the trip. They have Beemers too.

David E. Garces
Gerente General
www.ecuadorbikerental.com
Mob:+593 98 497 1806
dgarces@sleipnir.co

[SeanF]

Originally Posted by maomao

Hello, my fellow riders! I am planning on a 2-week bike trip in Ecuador. I'll probably spend most of the time on paved roads and just a small amount on off roads. In regards to saving budget, would you suggest me to buy or rent a bike?

Rent, for sure.

I'd trust these guys for a rental. Had a less than stellar experience with their competitors, mentioned above.

Ecuador is a fantastic place to experience on 2 wheels... enjoy!

[LD Hack]

Originally Posted by maomao

...I'll probably spend most of the time on paved roads and just a small amount on off roads.

Agree, rent. Rent nothing bigger than 650cc. I spent time in Ecuador on a 250cc moto, and it give me freedom to explore some of the mountain villages, jungle places, tougher access. 250cc was fine overall including blacktop, actually preferable to me. Made lane splitting in towns easy, easier to find secure parking, nimble, and more.

Besides China motos, Honda is common in South America, Yamaha a little less so, BMW uncommon. XRE300 very common and good choice, XT250 a good choice, also BMW G310 a good option from my bias.

[maomao]

Originally Posted by shu...

For a 2 week ride there is no doubt in my mind: rent.

It will be cheaper than buying a bike. Plus you would spend most of your 2 weeks in country trying to find and buy a bike and then trying to sell it.

I have found that for any trip under 30 days, it is much better to fly in and rent.
At 30 days the money starts to even out, but you will still spend a lot of your time buying and selling.

..............shu

Appreciate the knowledge! I totally agree. Think I'll fly down there and rent a bike for this trip. Have you ridden in Ecuador? I'm planning on visiting most of the country, including the andes highlands, parts of amazon and the coast. Do you have any recommendations for off roads? I probably wanna ride mostly on paved roads and a couple days on off roads should be fun!

[shu...]

I was there for a month in 2015.



I rented from Freedom in Quito. Actually I rented 2 different bikes and was satisfied with both.

A DR650 for 2 weeks of solo dirt riding...








and a G650GS for 2 weeks of 2 -up pavement riding with my wife....


Great country for a moto trip. Court, at Freedom, willingly spent a couple of hours with me, suggesting roads and routes and critiquing my plans.

.....................shu

[maomao]

Originally Posted by shu...

I was there for a month in 2015.



I rented from Freedom in Quito. Actually I rented 2 different bikes and was satisfied with both.

A DR650 for 2 weeks of solo dirt riding...








and a G650GS for 2 weeks of 2 -up pavement riding with my wife....


Great country for a moto trip. Court, at Freedom, willingly spent a couple of hours with me, suggesting roads and routes and critiquing my plans.

.....................shu

Hi Shu! I sent you direct msgs

[cyclopathic]

Originally Posted by Arthskov

I would recommend you to Rent Royal Enfield Himalayan. Because this is a great time to try these bikes.

IMO I would take SWM six days over Himalayan any day.
https://overlandmag.com/features/swm...ys-440-review/

[maomao]

Just came back from my 2 week solo trip… it was really an amazing experience.

[shu...]

Glad you had a good trip. Thanks for posting pics.

................shu

[buckdoesntstophere]

Originally Posted by maomao

Just came back from my 2 week solo trip… it was really an amazing experience.

Hey, great photos! Can I ask who you rented from in the end? Did you just rent and do your own thing or did you go for one of their self-guided packages?

I'm planning a trip for next June and would be grateful for any info./advice

Cheers
Ron

[tohellnback]

If you want to do budget travel with a moto in Ecuador this is not the place to do it, everything is expensive here . It depends on what country you are coming from If you are USA you have US dollars and it is cheaper than USA, But if you are from Canada ,Australia ,New Zealand you are going to pay Dearly, The Exchange rates do not make it a bargain.
I can't figure it out I live in Colombia and it is a way better place 3 times cheaper than Ecuador and more to do and see it is a country that is enormous compared to Equador.
What you pay for a piece of shit 200 cc Chinese bike here is the price of a decent Royal enfield 450 Himalaya in Colombia. I hate to Say It but Ecuador is not a attractive place because of the Cost, the currency is US dollars ,Colombia is pesos and at 5000 pesos to a US dollar you have a lot of buying power and you will have a good time with out draining your bank account

[SeanF]

Originally Posted by buckdoesntstophere

Hey, great photos! Can I ask who you rented from in the end? Did you just rent and do your own thing or did you go for one of their self-guided packages?

I'm planning a trip for next June and would be grateful for any info./advice

Cheers
Ron

From the bike graphics in the photos, looks like he rented from Freedom.

[Peter Bodtke]

I rented from https://freedombikerental.com/ a few years ago. Two ex-pats from the US have an outstanding service. Their team keeps the bikes well maintained and they offer a range of rental options: group tour packages, self-guided with an itinerary and hotel reservations, or a DYI tour and bike rental.