FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where should I go?

Everybody, absolutely everybody agrees the South Island is the jewel in the crown of New Zealand.

The highest mountains, glorious rainforests, lakes of azure blue, the hottest and coldest of places, the quietest roads and best curves are in the South. No question ! The South Island should be the focus of any motorcycle trip in New Zealand.

The North Island although more populated has the very beautiful Bay of Islands  and the Coromandel Peninsula that are sub tropical in temperature, have gorgeous beachs, and lush native forest.....Not to be forgotten is the Hawkes Bay wine growing region and then there's Wellington an interesting city on a harbour...Ok both Islands offer a lot to see and do.  Tell us what you want from New Zealand and we can suggest accordingly.

For any motorcycle rental less than 14 days we would recommend the South Island, for 21 days spend 14 days in the South and 7 days in the North. You won’t regret it and a quick look at our tour itineraries will confirm this.

What should I ride?

New Zealand does not have any autobahn or interstate highways so while the riding may not be fast, not much of it is in a straight line either! Very large motorcycles can be more of a hindrance in New Zealand conditions. Here’s a quick guide for the models we have,

Two larger people with luggage: BMW R1150R, R1200GS, R1200RT, Suzuki GSF1200, Honda VT1100, Honda STX1300.

Two medium sized people with luggage: All of the above plus Suzuki Bandit 600, Honda VFR800, Honda 750 Shadow and Suzuki GSX750F.

Two small people with luggage: All of the above plus BMW F650 and Suzuki SV650

Specific styles of bikes are often preferred, so here are a few examples:

Cruiser style - Sitting upright with high handlebars and generally a low seat. The following motorcycles fit into that category. Larger bikes are suitable for long tours with pillion

Honda VT1100, Honda Shadow, 1100, 750 or 600.

Dual sport - Upright riding position with flat bars and a high seat height. These motorcycles are also known as enduro style.

R1200GS, F650GS, Suzuki V-Strom

Lightweight - Specifically suited to people of a short stature or have a preference for lighter motorcycles for example women riders.

Suzuki SV650, Kawasaki GPZ500, Honda Shadow.

How is my Iuggage transported?

All bikes (except 250's & 500's) have hard lockable sidecases either BMW issue or Givi 36 litre saddlebags. Topboxes are available on request. Kawasaki GPZ500 has lockable topbox and soft saddlebags.

There is a limited number of tank bags available, whether these are used or you bring your own, the tanks must be protected with a cover or duct tape. Scratches can be expensive

How safe are the bikes?

All rental motorcycles comply with NZ Government regulations and have passed a vehicle safety inspection. All motorcycles have been maintained to the highest professional standards. There are no short cuts and no cheap fixes. This is our guarantee.

Are there insurance options?

Full Insurance is included in the rental fee and tour cost. This insurance covers accident, fire, theft, third party damage and public liability.
Because of New Zealand's publicly funded accident compensation scheme, no fault insurance is provided to users of motor vehicles.
This means nobody can be sued by any other party involved in an accident in any circumstances. Normal insurance takes care of damage to the vehicles and the New Zealand health system takes care of the injuries.
It's very neat and tidy.
Our insurance cover precludes any cover at all for those under 21 years of age and restricts those between 21 and 25 to 600cc or less.
The bond can be substantially reduced by a bond buyout scheme. 

Can we hire riding clothing with the motorcycle?

Yes you certainly can.  For a small daily fee we can kit you out with a full set of riding gear, style and fit suited to you. 

Do we need Travel Insurance while traveling in NZ?

Yes you absolutely do!  It is expensive initially but Travel Insurance can save you a lot of money if you need to use it.  Here's an example -

You and your partner are riding out on your first day of a guided tour,
and she drops her bike, breaks her arm and needs hospital treatment.

Costs?
1 Damage to the bike means loss of bond
2 No refund for the tour
3 Your accommodationand meals while she is in hospital
4 Airline tickets to catch up with the tour
5 Rental car for transport as she cannot ride

This actually happened to a couple in 2008 and they had no Travel Insurance to cover the above costs, so yes you do need to arrange Travel Insurance before you leave your country.