Withidchai and Boom from Thailand - Mount Fuji & Hakone

Dear Rental819

Thank you very much all for the kind service and arrangements.

From the moment we sent an inquiry until we returned the motorcycle it couldn't have been better.

The staff is so friendly and has a great service attitude in mind. And the motorcycle was in perfect condition. I was very impressed. If I have another chance to visit Japan I will definitely contact Rental 819 again.

Please pass my GRATEFUL REGARDS AND BIG THANK YOU to the staff at the shop too.

Yours sincerely,


Boom and Withidchai

Emma and Tim from New Zealand - Honshu

On the spur of the moment, Emma and I rented a Yamaha FJR1300AS from Rental819 in Ikebukuro for several days. The booking process was remarkably easy, and I was really impressed at how we were forwarded plenty of information in advance about the rental process, road rules in Japan, and the bike itself (including a PDF of the FJR1300 user manual!).

Picking up the bike was very straightforward – we chose jackets and helmets, checked over the bike, paid the rental fee, packed the panniers, and got on our way. I had initially been concerned that a Japanese rental company might not have appropriately-sized gear, but the shop had several viable options.

Over the course of seven days we covered about 1500km. To give an idea of how far you can comfortably travel, our route was:

Day 1. Tokyo-Hamamatsu (250km)

Day 2. Hamamatsu-Nagoya (115km)

Day 3. Nagoya-Kyoto (130km)

Day 4. Rest

Day 5. Kyoto-Katsuyama-Kyoto (400km)

Day 6. Kyoto-Nara-Nagoya (200km)

Day 7. Nagoya-Tokyo (350km)

We had initially planned to do the trip by train, but the rental fee, toll fees, and fuel costs added up to be only marginally more than that of two JR rail passes.

When we booked the bike, I hadn’t been aware that June/July is a ‘rainy season’ in Japan. We were lucky enough to have pockets of excellent weather; whenever we got caught in the rain, though, it was relatively safe to soldier on, given that Japanese roads are extremely well-engineered, and drivers seem to be reasonably level-headed.

Other visitors to Japan will be oblivious to the existence of the small towns, farms, and landscapes that we were privileged enough to ride through. The Shinkansen might be convenient for intercity travel, but nowhere near as fun as a bike, and can’t get you in to those out-of-the-way places that can make a vacation unique.

Josep from Spain - Tokyo, Hakone, Izu

Josep from Spain rented a Harley Davidson Street 750 to take weekend trips from Tokyo and he wrote a great article about it! This is an extract:

"It finally happened, after all this years riding my Harley Davidson in Europe, and my trips to Japan, I could combine the two aspects of my trips for a weekend ride on the Central Japan roads. An experience that was for long time in my bucket list, and it’s still at the top of my list. Why? Even before returning the Harley Davidson at the Rental 819 store, I was already planning the next road trip.

On the first day, I took the Hakone mountain roads and enjoyed, almost alone on the road all the way to the lake Ashi. At this point, I started to see more fellow riders around the road. After some sightseeing around the lake and the shrine, I went for lunch to a small local restaurant next to the lake. In front of my table, there was a map of the whole Hakone area and roads, which led me to my improvised afternoon trip to Odawara castle, only half an hour from the lake and the chance to enjoy more mountain road before going home.

Second day, I planned to get even further. The ocean skyline was awaiting on a really bright day. Passed again through Hakone on the Expressway and got on the road to take the Izu skyline parkway. A scenic road that goes all the way North to South of the Izu peninsula. The views were splendid, and even that the whole ride took one hour non-stop, I wasn’t tired at all. I was way too motivated for it to be tired. My last stop was at Mt. Omuro, an old volcano, used as a scenic tourist spot."

Looking forward to use your services again on my next trip.

Greetings,

Josep

You can read the whole article on this blog: Hype in Tokyo

Daniel from Canada - Fuji and Izu Peninsula

Daniel rented his dreambike, a Ducati Streetfighter, and his girlfriend rented a Ducati Scrambler to do a tour around mount Fuji and Izu peninsula:

It was great, we got to experience everything we expected and more! All the staff at Rental819 and the stores were wonderful to work with! Will rent again for sure!!

Conor from USA - Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi

Conor from the US rented a MT07 from our shop in Ikebukuro to go to visit Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi. December and January is cold, but it is when the sky is more clear and Mount Fuji can be viewed better ;)
He sent us this nice comment and video:

The MT07 was such a great bike, and I was lucky enough to catch the mountain unobscured from lake Kawaguchiko.

Thanks to Rental819 for being a great bunch of guys. I'll definitely be back with some friends in a few months!

Here's a small clip of the trip:

I'll miss u, Fuji-San. 😢🗻 #yamaha makes a killer bike. #nsx #mtfuji #travel #fujisan #ridemotorcycleshavefun #japan #beautiful #washedout Thanks to #rental819 for being a great bunch of guys.

コナー マクイヌさん(@_cmcqueen)が投稿した動画 - 2016 1月 13 6:19午前 PST

Matthew from Canada - Motegi Moto GP

I am back home after an excellent weekend. I still can't get over the noise of the Moto GP bikes... 

I wanted to thank Rental819 again for all their help and advice with choosing a shop and a bike.  The Ducati Hyperstrada was really nice and comfortable on the highway.  Everyone at the shop was pleasant, and we managed to get back roughly in time.

Next year we will definitely use Rental819 again if we are going back to Motegi Moto GP.

Sincerely,

Matthew 

Alexandra from New Zealand - Mount Fuji and Izu Peninsula

  
An Adventure of a lifetime... (ok, until next week)! Two days, one hot ass Ducati Monster 696, 30 years of experience and a road. Ohh yeeeeeeaaaahh baby! Riding a motorbike around Japan has been a driving force of me getting onto bikes in the first place, so this achievement has left me grinning like a little fluffy furball.
 

Starting off with the best motorbike rental outlet in JAPAN- with over 100 shops, and English speaking staff, I rated them the best equipped and well suited to me as an English speaking foreigner wanting a two wheeled adventure. With super slick, new, high performance machines, competitive pricing and comprehensive insurance, lets have a big drum roll for the superstars at RENTAL819!!

   

HANDS DOWN SUPERB TO DEAL WITH. Special mention going out to Adrian, Yosuke & Kohsuke at Ikebukuro and the mechanic from Hatogaya who setup the GPS and Ducati :) They helped me put together a route on Garmin navigation, sort out the highway toll charges, get kitted out in spunky Dianese moto-gear, book a Ryokan and Onsen AND get a brand new 2015 Ducati Monster 698.

I tossed up between the new Yamaha MT-09 and the new Ducati's, but settled on the Duke for a few reasons. Experience had taught me about getting into all sorts of little situations can be more cooly navigated when you are not having to fight your machine. On motorbike trips there are always adventures inside the adventure!! Gravelly side roads, multiple short notice u-turns, possible inclement weather, steep inclines and the fact that I was doing this solo, were all thoughts that helped me on my decision. Plus I was keen to try out the new Ducati's engineering.

Weather in April in Tokyo is a mixed bag. One day sunny and 23 deg, the next, 3 and snowing!!! I even checked to see when the full moon was (I bet $$ on this trick and always book my snow adventures around this date as it brings clear skys and reliably settled weather) but alas it was a new moon. SO I stuck my finger in the air, waved it around a bit, missed the weekend and landed on the 23rd/ 24th.... and ca-boOOM- I was blessed with THE BEST you could get. Warm, sunny and ab-so-lutely-bloody-purrrrfect.

Riding in Japan is magnificent. The road charges are expensive, and I advise you carry lots of change in a handy to access pocket- because your going to need it at the toll routes. Most windy runs have mirrors on the corners, which is pretty neat. The highways are superb, well policed and there are speed cameras (that shoot from the front...  ^=^ ......)... but with your wits about you and good decision making, you can have a blast! 

I pulled on all my skills and resources, absolutely can't even put in words how much fun I had, and HIGHLY recommend you come and play RIGHT HERE.  ^=^

To read the full article check her blog:
http://www.moenamoxham.com/blog/2015/4/26/rental819-ducati-and-amagiso-ryokan-

Michael from USA - Honshu

The bike was in perfect condition (Honda NC750X). I made about 1,600km: from Tokyo to Fuji, few lakes and passes around the mount, then to Kofu, Takayama and Kanazawa through the small winding roads and passes. From there I rode to Kyoto and then back to Tokyo, sidetracking to the Izu peninsula and it's mountain and coastal roads.

It is incredibly easy to ride in Japan, the roads are excellent, the drivers are unbelievably polite and careful and everyone drives responsibly. Did not see any car accident too.

Few advices: My trip happened in November 12 - 22. It is getting a bit cold in the mountains especially after 3 - 4 pm. Need to dress appropriately or ride in the warmer part of the year. The foliage time was mostly over in the mountains too. I have not booked any hotels in advance - just rented it from my phone over the Internet at the end of each day where it happened to be. Had always been able to find something in vicinity of 10 miles for $30 - $80 /night except Tokyo and Kyoto. Well, it is possible that in season the situation with the hotels can be different.

The country is beautiful and the food is great, plus a lot of interesting places everywhere. Between the few English road signs and the google maps on the smart phone (plus Bluetooth head phones) I had no problems finding my ways. I do not speak or read any Japanese at all. 

Joe from USA - Honshu

We had an excellent motorcycle trip in Japan. The BMW R1200RT we rented was like new (2,100 km) and the staff at Rental 819 BMW Yokohama were friendly and helpful.

We rode about 1,700 km making stops in Chichibu, Yuzawa, Kanazawa, Norikura, Kofu, and Shuzenji. The highlight of the trip was riding the area around Mt Fuji as we rode from Kofu to Shuzenji.

We hope to ride in Japan in the future with friends from the USA and will definitely rent from Rental 819 again.

Aloha, Joe

Bryan from Australia - Tokyo & Kyoto

During a recent trip to Japan, at the last minute I decided I would like to ride a bike for a day. With only little more than a days notice, the helpful team at Rental 819 was able to hook me up with a sweet MT-09 and a helmet and send me on my way for a day of adventurous Tokyo riding. With the help of my trust compass and the setting sun, I had a ball of a time getting used to the amazing Japanese way of life on the roads.

Then a few days later when I was in Kyoto I decided to ring up the 819 crew once more and this time get a bike for three days, so I could sample some of the sights and tackle some of the twisty stuff around Lake Biwa.

I was not disappointed! This time with a little more warning, I was able to walk into the Kyoto store and steal away with a ZX14-R (that I fell in love with) and had the most fantastic time of my whole trip. The roads around Kyoto and Lake Biwa are like a bikers Disneyland. Breathtaking. And the crew at Rental 819 was able to make it happen for me.

I will definitely be hooking up with them again next year when I travel the length of the gorgeous island of Japan in 2015.

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