Motorbike Rental in General Luna, Siargao

A scooter is how Siargao actually works. General Luna is small enough to walk, but the waves are not: Jacking Horse and Cloud 9 are a five-minute ride from the shop, Tuason Point a little further, and everything north of town — Pacifico, the Magpupungko rock pools, the lagoons — is an hour or more up the coast road. We rent bikes from the same counter as the boards, so you can sort both in one conversation.

The bikes

We keep three types on the fleet, and the right one depends on where you are going and what you are carrying.

The Yamaha Mio 125 is the automatic scooter most visitors should take. It is light, easy to park, cheap to run, and it takes a surf rack. At 7 USD a day or 35 USD a week it is the default answer for anyone based in General Luna who is surfing the town reefs with the odd day trip north.

The Honda 150L is a manual bike with more ground clearance and a more comfortable ride on the rougher stretches of road. If you plan to ride to Pacifico several times, carry a passenger with bags, or you simply prefer gears, this is the one. 15 USD a day, 100 USD a week.

The Honda CRF 250 is a proper dual-sport for people who already ride. It is the bike for inland dirt tracks, the far north of the island and long days in the saddle, at 35 USD a day or 200 USD a week. We only hand it to riders with a licence that covers it and the experience to match.

The full price list for all three is in the table above, shown in USD, CNY and RUB.

Surf racks

Ask for a rack when you book and we will fit one to the scooter. It carries a board up to longboard length along the side of the bike, low enough that it does not catch the wind badly. Strap the board nose-forward, check the straps after the first hundred metres, and ride a little slower than you would without it — a nine-foot board changes how a small bike behaves in a crosswind. If you rent a board from us as well (rental prices here), we will show you how we tie it down.

What you need

• A licence. Bring your home licence and, if you have one, an international driving permit. Police checkpoints happen on the main road, and your travel insurance almost certainly requires the right licence class for the bike you are on. Read that clause before you fly.
• A deposit. Ask us about the deposit when you book and we will explain how it works and what it covers before you commit to anything.
• A helmet. Ask for one when you pick up the bike, and wear it every time, including the two-minute run to the boardwalk.

Fuel and range

Bikes go out with fuel in the tank and come back the same way. There are petrol stations on the main road in General Luna and in Dapa, and most villages in between have someone selling fuel by the litre from glass bottles at the roadside — a little pricier, and fine in a pinch. A Mio will do the run to Pacifico and back on a tank, but fill up before you leave town anyway.

Roads and distances

The main road from General Luna up the east coast and across to Dapa and Sayak is sealed and in reasonable shape. Side roads to the beaches and inland are a mix of concrete, packed coral and sand, and they turn slippery in rain. Rough riding times from the shop:

• Cloud 9 boardwalk and Jacking Horse: about 5 minutes
• Tuason Point: about 10 minutes
• Magpupungko rock pools: about 45 minutes
• Sayak Airport (IAO): about 45 minutes
• Pacifico: about 90 minutes

Times stretch in heavy rain and during the contest fortnight, when the road through town fills with vans.

Riding safely

Motorbike accidents are the most common way visitors get hurt on this island, and almost all of them are avoidable. The roads are unlit at night, sandy at the edges, and shared with dogs, children, chickens and coconut trucks that do not brake for anyone. Ride slowly. Do not ride after drinking — tricycles run all evening and cost almost nothing. Wear shoes rather than flip-flops when you leave town, put sunscreen on the backs of your hands, and if you have never ridden a scooter before, tell us. We will put you on the Mio and spend ten minutes in the yard before you go anywhere near the road.

Bikes and boards together

Most people who stay with us for a week take a bike and a board for the same period and pay the weekly rate on both. Check the surf forecast the night before, and if the town reefs look small or crowded, ride north. We will tell you which spot is worth the fuel, and if you are staying in one of our rooms the bike is parked outside your door.

Ready to ride? Message us on WhatsApp with your dates, which bike you want and whether you need a rack, and we will have it fuelled and waiting at the shop.