The wife and I are considering flying to Australia and renting a bike there for 2-3 weeks. Where do you rent a bike in either Perth, Darwin or Sydney for less then 200/day? I could practically buy something, ride it for 3 weeks, then throw it in the ditch for less than they want for a rental. Don't really want a Harley, doesn't have to be a beemer. Needs to be able to handle 2up with gear though. Any good info?
up for this post.. planning to go to australia too.. :) I just found this Motorcycle parts bargain ,, that inspired me to ride my bike again..
Riding in Oz is really a good time. Please be aware if you are not accustomed to driving on the "wrong side of the road" it takes some acclimatization. I spent a month in Australia- 6 different cities between mid March and mid April this year. I have rented from garnersmotorcycle.com they are pretty much the big guy in Oz for bike rentals, and I have rented from ozmoto.com If you're going to the Perth/Freemantle area the city is moderately congested and really beautiful. Last time I was there I stayed about an hour away from Perth at a place called the Vines Golf and Wine resort. Really nice rooms and kangaroos casually roam the entire property. Not my sort of place ($400 a night) but the mining rush in Perth has all the hotels in Perth and Freemantle constantly at 100% so if you plan to stay in/near Perth book your hotel as soon as possible. You will not be able to find a hotel if you wait. Sydey traffic can be a bear and generally not too much fun on a motorcycle, but they have some good sites to see just try to avoid rush hour. Have a pint at the "Man of War" pub, its the oldest pub in Australia. I had a little SV650, a Ducati Monster, and a triumph speed triple for rentals in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth. But they have KLR's and BMW's etc for the die hard adv rider. that would be in your budget. Ozmoto is a much smaller company than garners (I picked up my bike from the garage at the owners home). You might be able to get them to come down on their price if you did some sweet talking over the phone. They also gave me a "motorcycle Australia map" for free, and let me drop off the bike hours after the standard time for no charge. Also- I brought all of my own riding gear with me (Jacket, Helmet, boots, gloves, everything. This was a bit of a headache (that bag weight 50lbs)- Its just something to consider when planning the trip. The rental places will rent gear but that can really add up. I would encourage you to look into Melbourne and Brisbane as well. Really beautiful cities with alot to offer. The SV650 This was on a road called Mount Glorious outside of Brisbane and maybe the best motorcycle road I had ever been on, OK- Top 5- The Great Ocean Road (12 Apostles) Beach of Phillip Island- Home of the Penguin Parade:
Also, as a Sydney-sider, please be aware that in and around Melbourne & Sydney there are LOTS of speed cameras, and the Highway Patrol Police in NSW & VIC are primarily used for revenue raising. A really chilled Canadian friend of mine who based himself out of my place bought a Mazda station wagon for $800 that struggled to do a top speed of 100 (65mph). He went on a surfing odyssey up & down the coast, when he got back there were 17 speeding fines waiting for him. Also, in the last 3 years Sydney drivers have become a little more dangerous as far as motorcyclists are concerned. I've noticed an increase in hostility towards riders on the roads, with people having no qualms about tailgating me and it seems drivers have far less awareness of bikes than even they used to. Sydney's a beautiful place to see, we have a stunning harbor and our waterfronts & beaches really are beautiful (especially out of the way ones like Balmoral, Tamarama, Bronte; and on the North side Manly, Queensliffe, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Avalon, and the road out to Palm Beach is beautiful) but be warned - everything is expensive. Buying food or drink at Petrol Stations or smaller convenience stores will cost you at least twice what it does in the major supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths, Franklins) and often, you will find eating out at certain places in Sydney is cheaper than buying the food from a supermarket and cooking it yourself. If you want a few road ride suggestions around the Sydney Basin though, let me know what kind of thing you're looking for and I can google map you a few of the ones I do...
I've also used http://bikescape.com.au/ on a few occasions when I've travelled up to Sydney to catch up with mates. On occasion you can get a cheap rental on a bike from one of the companies if you're returning it to it's home city but you've usually got to complete the trip within a specified time.
I ended up buying a bike in Victoria when I was there in March this year. I will be there the month of October to ride, eat, sleep.. repeat! Stay tuned for photos Lauren
You can go to this website http://www.bikeroundoz.com/default.asp and click on the "Rent a motorcycle" link and pick your destination. I have no affiliation with them other than I used bikeroundoz for a trip in 2010. You get a better price break the longer you rent from them (7 to 13 days is less than $200 per day depending on which bike you choose).
Bbear..... I presume you will b attending the island for the GP... Race day is spectacular!!! Part of the bi-annual pilgrimage for 2 wheels - the classics in January being the other... If you are around the gippsland area on the Friday/sat before the race you could join our group for some dual riding.... We are riding down from Canberra ... Enjoy & let us know if you want ride suggestions.... There are so many hidden road/track gems 2 be found Pete
I travelled around Oz for a year a little while ago. I flew into sydney and brought the first bike in budget that i thought would suit me well. I got a Yammaha XT225 on the road for Around 2300aud which was kind of pricey. Made a rack and side bags from the hostel's bunk-bed ladder, milk-crates and cable-ties. Worked (with a working holiday visa) all up the east coast, rode to darwin and worked on the bike in a huge export yards. sold the bike (which by now was rooted) for 800aud. So 1500aud for the year plus consumables (tyres, clutch kit, etc), so about 28aud a week or 4aud a day. One of the funnest and cost effective trips I've done. If its only for a short time why not look in the Australia flea market for a bike where you wanna be and suggest a buy back from a seller? Or do the same on ebay?
