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Hi Warthog, I reckon I must be one of the very few people who actually rents out a sidecar! Classic Motorcycle Rental for details. It rents out quite often, very popular for weddings etc, but it is the only bike on the fleet which has been crashed, it got about a mile before the rider braked, swerved and went in the ditch!
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I think Russia would be possible, but more of a logistical/red-tape challenge due to the visa requirements. As for the target audience, I don't know... I think the idea could appeal to two main groups: firstly bikers who have never tried an outfit and could now do so, in a novel location, without the commitment of buying one or, secondly, existing sidercar riders for whom shipping/riding their rig over here and hence riding a rig over here would normally be financially prohibitive. The latter, I would expect to be found in a customer base over in North America. As shown by Andy's vote above, EU based sidecar owners would probably just opt for riding their own. Regarding the choice of bike, I think Urals are the best bet: new ones are pretty solid, and they'd be well-looked after. More powerful rigs woiuld be MUCH more expensive to get hold of/build. There is also the additional danger that inexperienced riders would then use that extra power and do themselves real harm: at least Urals encourage people to trundle along, rather than nail it everywhere!! They would also make riding the gravel roads and forest trails mroe enjoyable and these make up about 50% of Estonia's road network! Either way, that is the importance of the votes for me: I start to see the real picture, not just what I can imagine! |
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And the word of warning!:funmeterno: Your point about ditches does reinforce the need for a morning of structured training. I guess that is a bit easier to sell if they have 5 days in the saddle, than just the one day! Nice to know outfits can form part of a successful rental firm: but can they be the basis for one? :helpsmilie: |
I had the same question when I set up Classic Bike Hire, would it make any money? Luckily I didnt set it up to make a profit, and I have achieved that objective (no profit) every year so far! The other funny thing was that I put my old commuting bike on hire, a 2000 Ducati 900SS, very cheap, a giid basic bike. It hires out more than any other bike! (There is a reason, it is the only one with electric start, people have forgotten how to kick a bike!) I would look at a mix of bikes, some 2 wheelers, some with a chair. You'll need to think about insurance as well, there was only one broker in the UK who would hire bikes rented by the day, but the deal offered was reasonable. No idea what it is like in Estonia! (Happy memories of visiting Tartu many years ago, not on a bike)
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Insurance, along with advertising will probably be one of the big expenses, but I'll leave that to my friend who is fluent in Estonian, whilst I am not!
A mix of bikes could be good, but if one firm already exists, in such a small market, we may need to opt for the Urals only! Eithe way, that would be for further down the line: right now getting a fleet of 3 bikes will be a challenge! Unless the bank manager can be persuaded! |
Hacks - ADVrider
Here is a link to some sidecar action in the states. Some folks are obviously interested in hacks. |
I've only ridden an outfit once (about 10 km in Denmark) and was terrified. But I would be interested in the idea - it's unusual enough to grab interest from a wide range of people. Seasoned sports-tourers might see it as 'something different', and regular outfit riders might like the idea of a fly/drive thing in a country they might otherwise never get to.
Yes, I'd give it a go. In fact, a Ural has been about half-way down my wish-list for a few years now. Good luck. |
Hate to suggest this, but follow the link to ADVrider posted above. There is a very active thread about Urals (amongst all the other Ural threads there). Go into it with your eyes open, one mans easy to fix classic is anothers maintenance over sensitive badly made POS.
Of the real long distance riders Hubert (apologies can never remember his full name) gets along with his but has contacts at the factory and no time constraints, while the chap currently in Indonesia would sleep easier if he went for the gallon of petrol and match solution. This is the huge advantage of the rental solution offered at the very top IMHO, when it breaks I assume you just climb into the support vehicle and the tour will be paced at what they will excel at. No need to try and get a 50 mph vehicle 2000 miles away before you can change the oil and start to enjoy it Andy |
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