Jupiter’s MotoShare

How's that old saying go? If it flies, floats or, ahhh, something else I forget, you're better off renting.

Chris Miles, founder of Jupiter’s MotoShare in Brooklyn, New York, thinks the same might apply to motorcycles. And if you live in a big city with good public transportation where you don’t need your own wheels every day, he may be right. For a yearly fee, you can join Jupiter, then take a nice BMW, Triumph or Ducati for a spin whenever the spirit moves you (within limits), while Jupiter takes care of all the fussy details like maintenance and insurance, not to mention storage, which can be a big deal in places like NYC. Jupiter can even provide riding gear.

Minimum buy-in is $1381 per year ($200 to join and $98 a month ), which buys you 10 points, or 10 day rentals (holidays cost you two points per day; 1000cc and 1200cc bikes will cost you 1.5 points per day on weekends; and don’t forget there’s a two-day minimum each ride). Realistically then, you’re looking at five two-day rides a year with the least expensive plan, which works out to $138 a day, which is cheapish compared to what most rental outlets get for a Harley. Sounds like a deal if you’re just getting started in motorcycles, dilettante-style, and not sure what you want. Maybe not so good for those of us who require our motorcycle on site, to look at and polish when we’re not riding.

The business model is sort of like ZipCar’s, but since motorcycles are in slightly less demand than economy cars, things are starting off slow. So far Jupiter’s only location is in Brooklyn, but with plans to spread into other locations to meet demand.

Contact information: Jupitersmc.com; (718) 788-2585.