Motorcyling in america?

Question

im spending 3 months in america soon and i have a full english motorcycle license, can i goto america and get a cheap bike to use i dont care what it is and still ride it do i need insurance, mot or road tax like in the uk. Is my english license all i need?

Answer 1

Your EURO compared to the US Dollar will convert very well over here in the US right now.  Some Harley Davidson Motorcycle dealerships will lease or rent motorcycles.  In Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA there is one that rents bikes, but I do not know the rates.  Or you can buy one, it all depends on how much you want to spend and the type of bike you want.

You probably want a touring or cruiser type of bike.  The problem you have is the word "cheap" - you don't wanna find yourself stranded someplace you are not familiar with if your bike breaks down on you.  Unless your a good mechanic and tote some tools with you.  Up here in Michigan, USA the price is about $3.65 per gallon of gas.  The price of gas has come down from the $4 mark recently.

If you rent a bike the rental company will provide you with an option to buy insurance.  If you buy a bike, you will need to get insurance from an insurance agency.  But, yes you will need insurance regardless if you rent or buy.

Answer 2

yes to insurance and you can buy more from person/ company you rent from. is it cheap?  it depends on what you think cheap is.

Answer 3

Your current valid drivers license form England will suffice here in the United States. You will most definitely need to purchase insurance at the time of leasing the bike form the leasing agency. This is the law as well as all bike leasing policies.....There is no motor  road tax other than toll roads that you will find in some metropolitan areas and crossing over some bridges....Any other taxes you will encoutner are rolled into the price of the gasoline that you buy. I realize that gas over here is cheap compared to what you guys pay in Europe..Prepare to pay around 3.75-4.00 USD oer US gallon...depending on what area of the United States you are traveling in...That will cover the price of premium gasoline. In July I paid 4.62/gallon for premium gas in Oregon and right now in Illinois I am paying 4.09/gallon for BP Amoco premium..The price varies by region.

Spending three months touring the United States at this time of the year leads me to beeive that you will be touring around the Suthern and South Western States. It will be too cold and weather coniditions are subject to change too violently up north at this time of the year. Would be very interested in knowing if you will be keeping a diary/blog and how we can tap into it and follow along with your travels...I travle all over the USA and would like to get a foreigers perspective on what he sees here.

Answer 4

the thing with most rental places anywhere is that they are all local... you will have to return the bike to where you picked it up, not much for national bike rental companies.

lots of other good points but one thing the yanks all missed in pointing out is that their gallon is 1/5th smaller than an imperial gallon