Honda Will Now Let You Rent a CBR1000RR-R Fireblade

[Road Runner]

Did you ever wish you could just rent a Honda motorcycle to try it out? If you’re in Japan, you may be in luck, because Honda introduced its HondaGO motorcycle rental scheme at designated Honda dealers across the country. What can you rent? What can’t you rent is the better question.  

From Super Cubs up to CBR1000RR-R Fireblades, your choice of the current Honda motorbike lineup in Japan seems to be available. Prices will clearly vary, but the scheme is pretty simple. Renting a small-displacement bike for a short period of time costs less than renting a premium bike for a long journey of several days and nights.  

The HondaGO rental program is pretty well-thought-out, and seems built to inspire confidence in even new riders. Minors can’t rent bikes, but new riders can. Insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance using a special HondaGO hotline is included. You can also rent any motorcycle gear that you might not already have, including helmets, jackets, pants, boots, and gloves for an additional charge.  

All in all, it seems to work in a pretty reasonable way. If your bike breaks down, or you have a crash, you need to notify the proper authorities and also call the Honda 24-hour hotline to report what happened. If you don’t do this, you’ll be liable for any charges related to whatever happened to the bike and/or you and your passenger. Also, HondaGO asks that you fill up the fuel tank before returning it, which just seems like a good rule of thumb in general.  

The prices are quite reasonable, especially considering that they include insurance. If you want to take a 50cc bike out for less than two hours, it’ll cost you just ¥ 1,500, or just under US $14. HondaGO’s Premium class includes Gold Wings, CRF1100 Africa Twins, and CBR1000RR-Rs, and those come with premium prices. A Premium bike costs ¥ 16,000 for a sub-two-hour rental, or just under US $148.  

If you want to take a HondaGO bike for a longer trip, there’s the LongGOGO plan that covers journeys over 55 hours in length. Prices for that service range from ¥ 8,500 (or US $78.50) for a 50cc bike, up to ¥ 51,000 (or US $471) for a premium bike. It’s unclear whether track use is mentioned somewhere in the fine print, but Honda seems to have considered most other contingencies, so it’s probably in there somewhere. 

Sources: YouTube, Honda, HondaGO 

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