Motorcycle rental in Madrid

Motorcycle rental in Madrid starts from €25 a day for a 125 cc commuter, and the middle of 67 day-priced models sits at €70. Below: how the price climbs from 125 cc bikes to big adventure tourers and Harley-Davidson baggers, which bikes a car licence lets you ride, and what to check in a quote before you compare two offers.

What a day on a rented bike costs

Every motorcycle in this section is priced by the day, so the daily rate is the common unit for comparing them. The spread is wide: the cheapest bikes start at €25, the most expensive at €300, a factor of twelve between the two ends of the range.

Five price bands across 67 models

The Rent-Trip section on this page brings together 67 motorcycle models from 15 brands. Grouped by starting day rate, they fall into five bands of very different size:

Two numbers summarise the table. Twenty-eight models — more than four in ten — start below €60 a day, so a capable mid-size bike does not have to be expensive. And the average, €90.90, sits well above the €70 median, because a handful of big tourers at €160–300 pull it up. If you want to know what a "normal" motorcycle costs here, the median is the better guide.

Why the same class can cost twice as much

Engine size explains part of the price, but not all of it. The BMW F 900 GS, a 2025 bike, starts at €75 a day, while the BMW F 850 GS, its predecessor, starts at €120. The BMW R 1200 GS Adventure from 2008 starts at €70, the R 1300 GS Adventure at €88 and the R 1300 GS at €150. Newer is therefore not automatically dearer: the rate depends as much on who offers the bike, how it is equipped and what the price includes as on the model year. Model years are stated for 42 of the 67 bikes, from 2008 to 2026, and 11 of them are 2026 machines.

The practical lesson is simple. When two offers for similar bikes differ by €40–50 a day, the gap is rarely the motorcycle itself. It is usually the kit, the cover and the deposit, which is why the sixth section of this guide lists the questions that turn a headline rate into a comparable total.

Day, week or month

Bikes in Madrid are offered in three modes: by the day, for a week or a month, and always ridden by you rather than with a driver. Weekly and monthly rates exist on the market, but this section quotes starting day rates only. If you plan a week or more, ask for the weekly figure directly rather than multiplying the daily one by seven — a long rental is a different price, not a sum of short ones.

Licences: what a car licence covers and what it does not

For motorbike hire in Madrid, the licence question decides which half of the range is open to you before price or taste comes into it.

125 cc on a category B licence

In Spain a motorcycle of up to 125 cc can be ridden on an ordinary category B car licence, provided the licence has been held for at least three years. That rule is what makes the 125 cc class the default choice for visitors who do not hold a motorcycle licence. A car licence issued two years ago does not qualify, however light the bike; three full years is the threshold.

The new 7-hour course

The Spanish traffic authority, the DGT, has confirmed a mandatory course for car-licence holders who want to ride 125 cc motorcycles. It lasts seven hours: three hours of theory and four of practice. The requirement applies to new riders and is not retroactive, so drivers who already meet the three-year rule are not asked to take it. Because the rules are changing, confirm with the rental office which conditions it applies on the day you book.

Bikes above 125 cc

Anything larger than 125 cc needs a motorcycle licence of the matching category. In this section seven bikes are marked as A2 versions — among them the Kawasaki Z650 A2 ABS, the Zontes X350 and the Honda CB500X — and they are the ones to look at if your motorcycle licence is an A2. For the big adventure, sport and touring bikes, check the licence category the rental office asks for before you choose the model, not after.

The 125 cc class: the cheapest way onto two wheels

Six motorcycles in this section are 125 cc nakeds, and together they form the entry point to riding in Madrid: light, easy to park and open to car-licence holders with three years' experience.

Six 125 cc bikes from €25 to €33

The whole class fits inside an €8 band. The difference between the cheapest and the dearest is less about the engine, which is the same size throughout, than about style and age: the Honda CB125F is a plain commuter from 2016, the VOGE 125 RS a 2026 bike, the Yamaha XSR 125 a retro-styled roadster. On a three-day rental the gap between the bottom and the top of the class is €24 in total.

Motorcycle or scooter at 125 cc

A 125 cc scooter does the same legal job on the same licence and starts slightly lower — the scooter section for Madrid opens at €20 a day for a Honda PCX 125. The choice comes down to how you ride. A scooter with automatic transmission and under-seat storage is easier in stop-and-go traffic and for short hops between neighbourhoods. A 125 cc motorcycle with a manual gearbox, larger wheels and a more upright stance is more stable on faster roads and more engaging if you intend to leave the city. In my experience, riders who plan even one day outside Madrid are happier on the motorcycle; riders who stay inside the ring roads are happier on the scooter.

What a 125 can and cannot do

A 125 cc bike is honest about its limits. It handles the city, the urban motorways and calm country roads well, and it is light enough for a rider returning to two wheels after years away. It is not the right tool for long motorway stretches with a passenger and luggage, where a larger engine is both safer and less tiring. If your plan includes a long day out of town with two people on board, look at the mid-size bikes in the next section — many start at €35–50, only a little above the 125 cc class.

A2-friendly and mid-size bikes for the city and the sierra

Between the 125 cc commuters and the big tourers sits the busiest part of the range: light and mid-size bikes from 250 to roughly 950 cc, most of them starting between €35 and €75 a day.

Seven A2 bikes from €34

Seven models are marked as A2 versions: four nakeds and three trail bikes. The nakeds are the Benelli BN 302 R ABS, Kawasaki Z 250 SL and Suzuki Inazuma 250, all from €35, and the Kawasaki Z650 A2 ABS from €42. The trail bikes are the Zontes X350 from €34, the Honda CB500X from €50 and the Kawasaki KLE 500 from €55. The 250–350 cc bikes are a sensible next step up from a 125 for riders with a fresh A2 licence; the CB500X and KLE 500 are the A2 choices for anyone who wants a taller, more comfortable riding position for days out of town.

Ten mid-size nakeds from €43 to €75

The naked class is the largest single group outside the adventure bikes and also the most tightly priced. Ten models start between €43 and €75 a day:

• €43–47: KTM 790 Duke, BMW F 800 R and Kawasaki Z900.
• €50: BMW F 900 R, Ducati Monster 797, Ducati Monster 937, Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 and Yamaha MT-07.
• €55–75: Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 at €55 and Ducati Streetfighter V2 at €75.

Five of the ten start at exactly €50, so the choice inside this class is about character rather than budget. The Yamaha MT-07 and the 2026 Ducati Monster 937 are the easy, forgiving options; the Kawasaki Z900 and the Ducati Streetfighter V2 are for experienced riders who want more power. For a first day on a large bike in an unfamiliar city, the gentler machines are the better pick.

Classic and retro, sport and supermoto

Two bikes cover the classic look: the Yamaha XSR700 from €45 and the Triumph Bonneville T100, a 2013 machine, from €65. Both are relaxed to ride and suit unhurried days rather than fast mountain roads. The sport bikes sit higher: the Aprilia RS 660 from €70, the BMW S 1000 RR from €110 and the Ducati Panigale V4 AM73 Edition from €115, with the Ducati Hypermotard 696 supermoto at €95. These are machines for riders who already know what a superbike asks of them; in city traffic their riding position and heat are tiring, so plan to spend most of the day on open roads.

Where mid-size bikes make sense

The value of a mid-size bike shows once you leave Madrid. The Sierra de Guadarrama to the north-west and the classic day trips to Segovia and Toledo all involve a mix of motorway and secondary roads, and a 650–900 cc bike covers that mix comfortably with energy to spare. For a single rider on a day trip, a €50 naked or a €50–55 A2 trail bike is, in my view, the best balance of price and capability in the whole range.

Adventure, trail and touring bikes for longer rides

Adventure bikes are the backbone of the range: 19 of the 67 models are adventure or adventure-touring machines, and another seven are trail bikes. Above them sit the sport-tourers, the full tourers and the American baggers.

Trail bikes from €49 to €75

The trail class is compact in price. The Benelli TRK 502 X starts at €49, the Aprilia Tuareg 660 at €60, the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure at €70, and four bikes — the BMW F 900 GS, BMW F 900 GS Adventure, Ducati DesertX and Yamaha Ténéré 700 — at €75. These are tall, light-feeling bikes built to handle rough surfaces as well as asphalt; the 2025 Ténéré 700 and the 2026 DesertX and F 900 GS Adventure are among the newest bikes in the section.

Adventure bikes from €35 to €150

The adventure class has the widest internal spread of any group. At the bottom, the Benelli TRK 502 starts at €35 and the VOGE 900DSX at €55. In the middle are the Triumph Tiger 800 XCa at €60, the BMW F 800 GS and Suzuki V-Strom 1000 at €70, the Ducati Multistrada V4 S Radar at €85 and the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure at €88. At the top come the premium models:

The spread confirms what the first section showed: a 1000 cc Suzuki V-Strom at €70 and a 645 cc Suzuki V-Strom 650 at €100 are not priced by engine size. An adventure bike from the lower half of this list carries two people and luggage perfectly well; the premium models add electronics, comfort and newer engineering, which matters most on multi-day trips.

Sport-tourers and full tourers

Five sport-tourers cover fast, comfortable road riding: the Kawasaki Ninja 650 from €45, the Yamaha Tracer 700 from €50, the Yamaha Tracer 7 GT from €70, the Kawasaki Versys 650 Tourer from €100 and the Honda NT1100 from €160. Above them are three full tourers built for long days with a passenger: the BMW R 1250 RT from €160, the BMW K 1600 Grand America from €200 and the BMW R 1300 RT from €210. For a couple planning several hundred kilometres a day, these are the bikes that keep both riders fresh.

Harley-Davidson baggers at €300

Four Harley-Davidson tourers — the Street Glide, Road Glide, Road Glide Ultra and Electra Glide Ultra — all start at €300 a day, the top of the range and twelve times the price of a 125 cc Honda. They are heavy machines of 1,746 to 1,923 cc where the engine size is stated, best suited to experienced riders who want that particular style of touring. Their weight makes them hard work in Madrid's centre; they belong on open roads.

What the day rate usually includes and what to ask

When you rent a motorcycle in Madrid, treat the starting day rate as a headline, not a total. The same figure can include riding gear and full cover in one offer and exclude both in another, so the questions below matter more than a €5 difference in the rate.

Helmet, gear and cover

Some rental offices in Madrid include a helmet, gloves and a jacket in the rate — the jacket subject to availability — together with comprehensive cover and roadside assistance. Others charge for each item separately. Ask whether a helmet is included, whether there is a second helmet for a passenger, and what the cover includes and excludes. If you bring your own helmet and gloves, ask whether the rate drops.

Deposit and card holds

Deposit terms vary as much as the rates. Some offers from private owners ask for no deposit and no card hold at all; others hold an amount for the duration of the rental. Ask whether anything is held, how much, on which type of card, and how many days it takes to be released after the bike is returned. Compare deposits model by model: the terms for a 125 cc commuter and for a premium adventure bike or a Harley-Davidson are rarely the same.

Questions that make two quotes comparable

• The unit: is the figure a day rate, and does it change for a week or a month?
• The licence: which licence category does the office require for this exact bike?
• The kit: are helmets, gloves and a jacket included, and for one rider or two?
• The cover: what does the cover include, and is roadside assistance part of it?
• The deposit: how much is held, and when is it released?
• The bike: which model year will you actually receive?

Only when two offers answer all six questions in the same way does comparing the headline rates make sense.

Key points before you book

Six figures to keep in mind

• Range: 67 models start between €25 and €300 a day, with the middle at €70.
• Budget: 28 models start below €60 a day, including capable mid-size nakeds and A2 trail bikes.
• Car licence: a category B licence held for at least three years covers 125 cc motorcycles; the new 7-hour course applies to new riders only.
• Entry class: six 125 cc nakeds start between €25 and €33; a 125 cc scooter starts at €20.
• Adventure: 19 adventure models start between €35 and €150, and engine size does not predict the rate.
• Top end: full tourers start at €160–210 and the four Harley-Davidson baggers at €300.