EuroRider
Junior Member
An unique way to enjoy riding and traveling.
For years I (I am European) have traveled across South East Asia, sometimes for work, but most of the time with oxygen tanks strapped to my back and ready to jump into warm waters from the side of a boat. Something always seemed to be missing during my travels though, and finally I found what I was looking for.
I was about to spend a three-day business trip in Singapore, and to my delight I found out that a new business had opened in Singapore that specializes in Harley Davidson rentals and does guided tours on said motorcycles. The whole country is a metropolitan jungle, and without a guide can be tricky to drive in. Singapore has been somewhat infamous for not providing rental services of large motorcycles.
The company offers to rent and sell appropriate riding attire before going to the basement to rent out the motorcycles. I knew the climate would be warm for riding and that sweating was inevitable, and this fact is not easily avoided whilst riding on the back of a roaring motorcycle.
The temperature in Singapore is practically always about 30 degrees Celsius. The climate in the country is treacherous because of the constant urge to ride in just a t-shirt, but then your arms automatically get sun burnt. Since the evenings are also warm, a biker’s attire usually consists of a t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of good riding shoes.
Nothing left to do but start riding. A couple of German HOG-tourists joined our guided tour (which started at dawn) as well, so the group was just the right size and looked pretty good too. The bike quality was a great surprise, as the company offered practically brand new Harley Davidson Dyna Fatbob models for us to ride. Custom bikes are a good choice for the tropical climate.
Singapore hides a number of hidden roads and city riding. Our riding destination, however, was Singapore’s neighboring country Malaysia, which can be traveled to from Singapore via the causeway bridge in just half an hour. The first couple of cross roads were a bit challenging, but they’re easy to get used to when following the local traffic.
The impressive skyscrapers of Singapore greeted us at the beginning of our journey, and we were immediately enticed to take some memorable pictures of the city. The journey continued in a small formation towards the border patrol, where crossing the border happened surprisingly smoothly, as the rental office had already completed the needed paperwork.
Malaysia greeted our group warmly. I personally had a slightly skeptical view of the roads of Malaysia, but my expectations were immediately crushed when we managed to start riding the highway on our large wheels. The condition of the roads was exceptionally good; the highways were wide and practically deserted. I wondered about this out loud to our guide, and as my answer I got a wide smile and a gentle nod. Our journey crossed through exotic palm forests and idyllic Malaysian rural villages, as well as by the ocean shore, while seeing a couple of staring monkeys along the way.
Riding in Malaysia is technically easy and the roads are mostly in good condition and practically new. Caution should be taken though, as sometimes there are large and deep potholes in the roads.
After a delicious Malaysian lunch, the Dyna’s roared back to life and we slowly started making our way back towards Singapore. We passed through border control impressively quickly once again, and we managed to get some more road behind us before returning to the company’s office to return the motorcycles. And the fact that there are multiple bars and bistros just around the corner from the office really completed the end of our journey.
Six hours of riding was a great experience, and personally I have never ridden in the tropics on a proper motorcycle until then. It was wonderful that in such a short time we managed to ride in two countries with constantly changing scenery.
Motorcycle rental and riding in Singapore is safe and the majority of driver’s licenses are accepted. The only requirement is that the person renting the motorcycle has to have some experience riding heavy motorcycles, and that they are at least 27 years of age.
For years I (I am European) have traveled across South East Asia, sometimes for work, but most of the time with oxygen tanks strapped to my back and ready to jump into warm waters from the side of a boat. Something always seemed to be missing during my travels though, and finally I found what I was looking for.
I was about to spend a three-day business trip in Singapore, and to my delight I found out that a new business had opened in Singapore that specializes in Harley Davidson rentals and does guided tours on said motorcycles. The whole country is a metropolitan jungle, and without a guide can be tricky to drive in. Singapore has been somewhat infamous for not providing rental services of large motorcycles.
The company offers to rent and sell appropriate riding attire before going to the basement to rent out the motorcycles. I knew the climate would be warm for riding and that sweating was inevitable, and this fact is not easily avoided whilst riding on the back of a roaring motorcycle.
The temperature in Singapore is practically always about 30 degrees Celsius. The climate in the country is treacherous because of the constant urge to ride in just a t-shirt, but then your arms automatically get sun burnt. Since the evenings are also warm, a biker’s attire usually consists of a t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of good riding shoes.
Nothing left to do but start riding. A couple of German HOG-tourists joined our guided tour (which started at dawn) as well, so the group was just the right size and looked pretty good too. The bike quality was a great surprise, as the company offered practically brand new Harley Davidson Dyna Fatbob models for us to ride. Custom bikes are a good choice for the tropical climate.
Singapore hides a number of hidden roads and city riding. Our riding destination, however, was Singapore’s neighboring country Malaysia, which can be traveled to from Singapore via the causeway bridge in just half an hour. The first couple of cross roads were a bit challenging, but they’re easy to get used to when following the local traffic.
The impressive skyscrapers of Singapore greeted us at the beginning of our journey, and we were immediately enticed to take some memorable pictures of the city. The journey continued in a small formation towards the border patrol, where crossing the border happened surprisingly smoothly, as the rental office had already completed the needed paperwork.
Malaysia greeted our group warmly. I personally had a slightly skeptical view of the roads of Malaysia, but my expectations were immediately crushed when we managed to start riding the highway on our large wheels. The condition of the roads was exceptionally good; the highways were wide and practically deserted. I wondered about this out loud to our guide, and as my answer I got a wide smile and a gentle nod. Our journey crossed through exotic palm forests and idyllic Malaysian rural villages, as well as by the ocean shore, while seeing a couple of staring monkeys along the way.
Riding in Malaysia is technically easy and the roads are mostly in good condition and practically new. Caution should be taken though, as sometimes there are large and deep potholes in the roads.
After a delicious Malaysian lunch, the Dyna’s roared back to life and we slowly started making our way back towards Singapore. We passed through border control impressively quickly once again, and we managed to get some more road behind us before returning to the company’s office to return the motorcycles. And the fact that there are multiple bars and bistros just around the corner from the office really completed the end of our journey.
Six hours of riding was a great experience, and personally I have never ridden in the tropics on a proper motorcycle until then. It was wonderful that in such a short time we managed to ride in two countries with constantly changing scenery.
Motorcycle rental and riding in Singapore is safe and the majority of driver’s licenses are accepted. The only requirement is that the person renting the motorcycle has to have some experience riding heavy motorcycles, and that they are at least 27 years of age.
