I'll try to be fair but there are a lot of issues the rental shop could address. I rented a XR150L & a CRF150L for a 2 week trip of Northern Luzon. 1 week prior, my buddy dropped out and his booking was cancelled with no charge. Nice. On arrival at 8.30am at the dropped pin, I saw no sign of the company. Eventually a resident confirmed the blank green doors were the rental shop and shouted for the staff to wake. A sleepy young lad appeared to reveal about a dozen motorbikes under a tarpaulin shelter. Paperwork completed and cash handed over, I saw my motorbike. The tyres horrified me. I explained that with the recent typhoon/landslides, I doubted that these tyres would be any good, let alone survive 2500 km. After speaking with staff, they offered me the CRF150L, (with new tyres) but it would take an hour. I used the hour to obtain a local SIM card and the young lady was very helpful to me, even registering it her name. The CRF arrived and one look at the chain made me think this would not be any better. But with the aid of an adjustable, a rusty screwdriver and a coin, I went about "fixing" the CRF. Chain adjusted & oiled, sticky/tight throttle oiled, clutch adjusted & lubed, floppy mirrors tightened, all before installing my GPS. I presumed the CRF would be rented at the same cost of the XR (9 vs.12k/day), to which I was told no! That's when I lost it - started to rip off my GPS, snatched my cash back, and vowed to get the bus to Angeles to rent there. Another phone call and eventually I got my way and had it for the same price. I started to load up, only to realise that the motorbike had no back rack (as promised), and no tie down points any further back than the helmet holder and exhaust mount. The after market exhaust was also aimed perfectly to melt my new PVC waterproof luggage. I still had a 6 hour ride to meet my mates and it was noon, so had to strap on my bag, with the one bungee I had and a piece of wood to deflect the hot exhaust gas, and head out. My nuts touching the fuel filler cap as the bag had now been pushed forward on the seat so much, there was no room for me. And then I noticed the real problem once I hit a major highway - the chain guard and guide had been removed to facilitate to fitment of a 52 tooth rear sprocket. I could barely hold 80km/hr without the engine screaming its head off. 70 became my sympathetic max speed, and I just had to accept everything else on the road would continually be overtaking me. The buses, Oh, joy. I did ask if I could change the sprocket, which I could (at my cost), but then finding one became impossible, as the CRF is not as common as the XR. During the 2 week ride, in the mountains, the lower gearing became acceptable, but constant chain adjustment was necessary every morning if I didn't want the smallest of speed bumps to derail the chain. Honda fit chain guides for a reason. In fairness the motorbike settled, and I learned to live with it the way it was. I purchased a new backpack on day 2 and left my PVC one at the hotel, which gave me backache, but at least I now had use of the whole seat, and my nuts appreciated this. The engine was reliable enough, however, 1k in, a grating noise from the front confirmed my suspicions that the pads were shot. Honda confirmed this and changed them in seconds. I sent an email to the rental shop and they were happy to reimburse those costs (which they did). At the end of the rental, the rear pads were on their last legs too. When I returned the motorbike, it was fairly simple, and after a quick check, my deposit was handed back in full. I gave the rental shop 3 stars because I did not get the motorbike I expected, and any genuine motorcyclist would not allow their own motorbike to be as poorly maintained as this one was. Use this company by all means, but suggest you ask for pics of your actual machine. Bring everything you need to ride as bungees and helmets are not really available. Bring tools as well, and allow extra time, as the only workshop is the street outside.
