Edinburgh Here We Come

[bearsfan]

Found out today that I will be going to Edinburgh in April 2024.

Have been watching YouTube videos and some trip diaries from forum members which has been super helpful but still have so many questions and hoping someone can offer some advice, tips etc….

Girlfriend and I would love to rent a motorcycle and travel around Scotland however I am not sure if time will allow a NC500 adventure or not. I think we will be there for a week however some of that stay will require us to stay around Edinburgh for work acitivities.

My current question is regarding planning and packing.

I have looked at some places in Edinburg to rent a bike and we think we would pack our helmets and gear. I read somewhere that helmets must be ECE 22 rated - I don’t see that sticker on our helmets? ( Sedici Strada and a HJC i10) Do we need to rent helmets or can we use ours? Hope we can use ours since both outfitted w Cardos.

I am looking at purchasing the Moskomoto Mule Bag to haul our gear and purchase a insta360 to capture the memories. Both expensive - overkill? .

Any recommendations, tips or observations? Best way to pack, what to pack vs what to rent, etc…. or any insight is greatly appreciated?

 

[20774]

I found this, although it is ~5 years old. Seems the ECE might be required:

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?93682-Helmet-certification-for-Europe

 

[83014]

My wife and I had a great experience with Celtic Rider, https://www.motorental.ie/motorcycle-rental-tours-ireland/. They list a couple of tours in Scotland that may suit your needs. We rented a new R1250GS and all the gear. We plan to use them for our future trips to Scotland. A couple of days in Dublin prior to your motorcycle tour is a nice addition. Have a great trip.

Doug

 

[collingsbob]

I’ve been to Scotland 4 times since 2018, once by myself when I rented a Kawasaki 650 Versys and rode the NC500++…and 3 times with my wife in a rented car. I’m on a waitlist to ride the NC500 again in May, 2024..
Edinburgh is a very walkable city with lots to see, great pubs and some wonderful food.
pm me - you are welcome to pick my brains.

Here’s a couple of videos I’ve put together of the first two of our trips..

https://youtu.be/lVo2NWgRRKo?si=rt_zptu403B1ROC9


https://youtu.be/t-MFvRXVTiw?si=IidoGmq3cnJqAije

 

[Visian]

Don't worry about your helmet, no one ever checks.

We (wife and I) have been to Scotland - once by car and once by moto.

We stayed at The Scholar... a hotel that is on the UofEdinburgh campus. It was cheap, clean and full of interesting academics from all over the world.

Other than the main tourist attractions, we didn't do much else in Edinburgh. We sure toured the daylights out of the rest of the place, though... for four weeks.

fwiw, April could possibly be too early to ride there... Scotland is very far north... and it rains a LOT!

On the bike we took a Beach's tour (highly recommended, best in the business, but they only go to the UK rarely) did a large part of the NW500, and a lot of non-urban riding.

Regarding a gear bag, Beach's gave me this gear bag for the tour:

This bag has rugged handle and wheels, a couple of dividers (gear on bottom, clothes + helmet on top) and side pockets, and is distinctive. Be sure the gear you put in it weighs no more than 50 pounds.

ymmv, but when we went nearly 10 years ago there were no places to rent a motorcycle there.

Ian

All three of these roads were epic. We rode out from Inverness on 838, turned nth, then south to Ullapool.

 

[collingsbob]

There are no places to rent a motorcycle in Edinburgh. There are, however places in:

Cupar - https://www.cupar.co.uk/bike-hire.php

Kirkcaldy - https://www.kdykawasaki.com/bike-hire.php

Dalkeith - https://rentamotorcycle.co.uk/rental-prices/


Inverness - a few places…

 

[kickstandsup]

We did Scotland in 2014, rented from the BMW dealer in Edinburgh, looks like they still rent, and do tours as well.

rentamotorcycle.co.uk

This is meta description

rentamotorcycle.co.uk

Had a great experience with them.

FWIW, if you're planning on doing some sightseeing in Edinburgh, I'd do that first, then rent the bike for touring. That way, you can be sure the gear you're bringing shows up. If the airline misplaces your checked gear and you do the tour first, you're kinda screwed. If you do sightseeing first, you've got some time for the stuff to show up...

The Highlands are stunning. And Edinburgh itself is worth at least a few days exploring on foot. You'll have a great time.

More photos here: https://kickstandsupat7.blogspot.com/2014/10/scotland-july-2014-we-did-2-week-trip.html

 

[ebell]

If you have time, head south into the Borders and North Northumberland.

 

[ackme]

Hey @bearsfan (my condolences btw), You may have already bought the Mosko bag - looks like typical Mosko design, execution and price - and might be big enough for two of you. I did a trip to Scotland last April w/ no moto time and a trip in the fall to the Alps for a moto tour.

Because we were doing other non-moto portions of the Alps trip I sent my gear ahead to be stored at the starting hotel. I got a big rolling duffle off Amazon that was plenty big at 120 liters for $65. It held up fine but I am sure it is not the quality and for sure not the versatility of the Mosko. The key thing was that it was under the airline size limit for checked luggage so it did not cost extra on the flight home.

Regarding the Scotland trip; we loved it. Beautiful country, great people. Edinburgh was a blast. If you get a chance check out the local music scene. The Royal Oak on Infirmary St is very cool. Overall just remember Billy Connolly's words; there is no bad weather just inappropriate clothing.

Here is a picture from our boat trip on Loch Lomand;