FAQ
FAQ
Useful Tips for motorcycle riding in Ireland
Drivers Licenses Accepted
Please fill in this form to have your license approved if your country is not included on the list.
Safety
All Irish roads are asphalt / tarmac and the Wild Atlantic Way has undergone significant resurfacing, making for very pleasurable riding. You will of course meet the occasional bump or pothole, but these roads will usually be small back roads where your speed will be reduced anyway. Our BMW’s with their active suspension will eat up whatever terrain you throw at them!
Riding in Ireland demands riders full attention and best suited to those of at least intermediary experience.
We welcome all motorcyclists, however our insurers place some restrictions who can rent our motorcycles.
So anyone between the age of 25 and 72 with a full and valid motorcycle license held for a minimum of 2 years, which has been issued in any of the countries listed above. If your country is not listed, you may complete the above form to do so.
Riders over 72 may be eligible, however, we require pre-clearance from our insurers.
Other license holders may be eligible – please contact us before booking.
If you wish to carry a pillion / passenger, you must be between 30 and 72 years of age.
Our bikes can only be used on public roads. However for those more at home on the dirt than tarmac, some of the mountain roads will feel like a million miles away from your motorway touring making for interesting riding.
Our fleet is maintained to the very highest standards and checked thoroughly before you leave our base. However Murphy’s Law does in fact operate in Ireland (might even have been invented here!) – so in the event of a breakdown, we offer full 24×7 roadside assistance through our insurers breakdown assistance, whose contact details will be given to you before you start your ride.
Please take time to read our Terms & Conditions carefully which we have summarised here. The following explanation of our T&C’s is set out to draw your attention to some of the key points:-
- You must hold a full clean motorcycle license for 2 years or more (Section 12)
- You are responsible for the upkeep of the motorcycle, accessories and riding gear and you will be charged for any damages. (Section 10.3)
- Motorcycling is dangerous – you ride at your own risk as does your passenger. Our insurance covers damage to the bike above your excess and injury or damage to 3rd parties – it does not cover you or your passenger’s personal injury (Section 11.4)
- Bikes are rented with full fuel tanks and should be returned full (Section 7.2)
- You must be competent rider, with experience of riding narrow and twisty roads, used to riding a similar performance bike and ride regularly – over 5,000 km in the past 24 months. (Section 12.1.3)
- When riding our tours, you ultimately are responsible to ensure that the route is within your capabilities, and if not shorten the route or take detours to roads more suited to your capabilities. (Section 26.1 & 26.2)
- If you crash the bike, the tour or rental is finished. We will only provide replacement bikes where your bike had broken down due to mechanical failure. (Section 13.5 & 16.3)
Trip Preparation
You can speed up the process if you:-
- Email us a scanned copy of your license (front and back)
- Let us know in advance what size clothing you require, if you have chosen to rent our riding gear
- Bring your credit card and ensure that it has a sufficient limit to cover your preferred Damage Deposit Waiver.
All rental prices include comprehensive insurance which covers you to ride legally on Irish (and other European Countries with prior permission) on our motorcycles, provided you meet our riders criteria set out in our Terms & Conditions.
If you do not meet this criteria, our insurers may agree to make an exception upon completion of this enquiry form Motorcycle Rental Insurance Requirements
This cover also protects you in the event of an accident for 3rd party liability and against theft and damage, with a first loss of €2,500 for which you are liable. This first loss can be reduced on payment of an additional Waiver Deposit Fee.
Our insurance does not cover you or your pillion for your own personal accident. We recommend you take out your own personal accident insurance.
No it is not possible to use your own insurance for our motorcycles.
We organise private chauffeur transfers for our tour customers from Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre Hotels to Trim.
Of course that is a personal preference, but if you’re used to doing 600KM per day on your highways back home, you might be surprised to see that 250KM will taken you most of the day if you are visiting the scenic parts of Ireland.
We have motorways, but we can’t imagine any reason why you’d want to use them for any distance. If you like to stop for lunch and a few photo opportunities, you’ll be quite happy to park up at the end of the day having done for example The Ring of Kerry.
Taking in Black Valley on your way back to Killarney and you’ll have done around 275KM (170M). These roads are picturesque and quite twisty, so there’s no point in thinking you’re going to average high speeds.
We are situated in the grounds of Trim Castle Hotel which has ample short term car parking.
Travel Insurance is not a regulatory requirement in Ireland nor is it mandatory to ride our bikes, however it is highly recommended. While we don’t provide travel insurance there are a number of companies who will provide quotations for your trip. You should advise the insurance company that you will be riding a motorcycle.
If travelling from USA, this website has a list of insurers who provide cover, however we are not in a position to recommend any specific company.
Equipment
Yes we provide EU approved modular and full face helmets available from XXS to XXXL. We use HJC primarily with some Nolan and Caberg models also.
Bluetooth intercom headsets are Lexin LX FT-4.
We also provide protective jackets, pants, gloves and boots at a nominal daily rate.
Rain suits are also available.
If you are planning on taking a long trip and have your own comfortable waterproof and protective gear, this may be a preferred option.
You can find pricing for our rental equipment on our Rentals Page.
Yes – we are happy to store your luggage in our showroom while you ride our bikes and while we will make sure that it is secure, we can’t take responsibility for it.
Yes we are happy to receive your riding gear in advance. Just let us know so that we can be looking out for your delivery and give your shipping company our telephone number. Alternatively we can provide a full suit of riding gear, boots, gloves and helmet for a small daily rental fee.
Just go onto our online booking form, fill in your proposed dates and select the preferred motorcycle. The system will tell you if it is available or booked out. It really is that simple! You can then if you wish move to the next stage to make a reservation or select the option to have the quote emailed to you.
The daily rate varies how long you require to rent the motorcycle. If you are taking one of our tours, the rental rate is included in the total package.
All our BMW’s are fitted with factory OEM “Vario” equipment,. The top box is included in the rental price which doubles up as a back rest for pillion passengers. Two side panniers are available as rental options (included in Tour package) We also provide inside pannier liners, so you don’t have to detach the whole pannier when you get to your hotel or guesthouse each evening.
Our Suzuki’s are equipped with Top Box and Soft side bags are also available.
The Harley is equipped with two side cases and a tail pack system is available.
The Honda NT1100 comes with two panniers and top box.
The Honda CMX Rebel is equipped with soft luggage for our tours.
We recommend you don’t pack them full before your trip – leave a little room to buy something Irish!
If you already ride adventure bikes and are used to the slightly higher stance, the standard R1250GS bike will be fine.
However if you are under 5’8″ you might be more comfortable on the lowered version, especially if you plan on taking a pillion passenger, as the ride height increases with suspension settings for riding two up. Both bikes handle equally and surprisingly well, especially if you haven’t ridden one of these bikes before, you will soon discover what all the noise is about!
You are welcome to attach your own accessories, provided that they do not scratch or damage the paintwork. Let us know in advance if you have a specific requirement and we will do our best to ensure the bike is equipped as you prefer.