Is anyone interested in touring the UK by bike?
My university professor is retiring, and he is thinking of starting a bike tour business. I am testing the market for him as a favour - it won't be my business.
The idea is that the customer would fly out from SA with just tshirts, undies and toiletries. Choose the bike you want, 'buy' the bike, pay for insurance (it is mandatory and expensive, but the business would give you some options), rent a sat-nav, helmet, jacket and gloves, put your stuff in a pannier, leave your suitcase in the company locker, and just ride wherever you want. When you return the company will 'buy' the motorcycle back less any wear and tear. There would be recovery and a replacement machine if the bike broke down.
If you want to buy kit, then boots, helmets, gloves and sat-navs are cheaper here than in SA.
How much you pay for a bike would depend on what you want. Two weeks on an old but good CB500 might set you back £100, and there would be a range of late model bikes like BSA, BMW and VStrom as well as a BMW R1200GS and even the BMW R65 shown below.
You would take care of the petrol and accomodation. Everywhere takes credit cards, and there are a lot of hotels and B&Bs in the UK. Camping grounds too if that's your game. The business would compile some guide books of recommended routes filled with scenic routes, twisty roads and B&Bs from £25-£60 per night. The routes could be in Wales (scenary and speed cameras), Yorkshire and the Lake District (scenary and few speed cameras) and Scotland (lots of scenary, few people, some speed cameras). Of course you could just pick up a sat-nav and ride anywhere you want!
Does anyone think this is something they would like to do?
In case you are wondering about the weather, I chose to buy a bike and not a car when I came over here to study. After four years on the road in sun, rain and snow I wouldn't change my decision. Here are a few reasons why...
Scotland
Yorkshire Dales
Lake District
Scarborough
The R65 in the Peak District
My university professor is retiring, and he is thinking of starting a bike tour business. I am testing the market for him as a favour - it won't be my business.
The idea is that the customer would fly out from SA with just tshirts, undies and toiletries. Choose the bike you want, 'buy' the bike, pay for insurance (it is mandatory and expensive, but the business would give you some options), rent a sat-nav, helmet, jacket and gloves, put your stuff in a pannier, leave your suitcase in the company locker, and just ride wherever you want. When you return the company will 'buy' the motorcycle back less any wear and tear. There would be recovery and a replacement machine if the bike broke down.
If you want to buy kit, then boots, helmets, gloves and sat-navs are cheaper here than in SA.
How much you pay for a bike would depend on what you want. Two weeks on an old but good CB500 might set you back £100, and there would be a range of late model bikes like BSA, BMW and VStrom as well as a BMW R1200GS and even the BMW R65 shown below.
You would take care of the petrol and accomodation. Everywhere takes credit cards, and there are a lot of hotels and B&Bs in the UK. Camping grounds too if that's your game. The business would compile some guide books of recommended routes filled with scenic routes, twisty roads and B&Bs from £25-£60 per night. The routes could be in Wales (scenary and speed cameras), Yorkshire and the Lake District (scenary and few speed cameras) and Scotland (lots of scenary, few people, some speed cameras). Of course you could just pick up a sat-nav and ride anywhere you want!
Does anyone think this is something they would like to do?
In case you are wondering about the weather, I chose to buy a bike and not a car when I came over here to study. After four years on the road in sun, rain and snow I wouldn't change my decision. Here are a few reasons why...
Scotland
Yorkshire Dales
Lake District
Scarborough
The R65 in the Peak District
