Motorcycle Loan Calculator: Estimate Your Payments

Estimate your motorcycle payments and compare financing options in one easy step

Updated on: May 30, 2025

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How to use our motorcycle loan calculator

Deciding on a Harley Davidson for the open road or a Kawasaki for everyday commutes starts with one question: Can you afford it?

Our motorcycle loan calculator helps you estimate your monthly payments and confidently plan your next purchase. Equipped with the numbers, you’ll walk into the showroom ready to negotiate your best deal.

Loan amount: This is the total amount that you’re going to borrow. If you plan to roll taxes and fees into your loan, include those expenses here, as well as what you need for the bike itself.

Estimated interest rate: Your loan’s annual percentage rate (APR) tells you how much interest and fees you’ll be charged on your loan. Motorcycle loan rates are typically a bit higher than auto loans, making it even more important to shop around and compare offers.

Loan terms: Your loan term is the amount of time you have to repay your debt. Motorcycle loans are typically between 12 and 60 months, sometimes 84. The shorter your term, the less overall interest you pay. The longer your term, the lower your monthly payments.

Costs of motorcycle ownership

The motorcycle itself isn’t the only thing you’ll have to pay for when you buy your bike. Don’t forget include these expenses to your purchase price:

Safety gear. For most buyers, motorcycle safety gear tends to run in the $400 to $2,000 range. This includes a helmet, jacket, pants and gloves.
Insurance. According to ValuePenguin, the average cost of motorcycle insurance is $399 per year, for full coverage. Your rate could be higher or lower depending on where you live, what kind of bike you have and more.
Regular maintenance. Between oil changes, tire replacements and brake pads, you can expect to pay $450 to $950 per year in upkeep.
Fuel. Gas is probably the cheapest thing about owning a motorcycle. You could expect around 40 miles per gallon.

Get banks to compete for your business and compare loans with LendingTree

LendingTree has been America’s premier loan shopping tool since 1996. Here’s how you compare motorcycle financing from our exclusive network of partner lenders.

Tell us what you need.

Answer basic questions about who you are and how much money you need. We’ll take care of the rest. It’s free, simple and secure.

Shop your offers.

We’ll send you offers from up to five trusted lenders. Compare your offers side by side to see which one will save you the most money.

Get your money.

You can choose a lender and finalize your loan quickly. You could see money in your account within 24 hours, depending on the lender you choose.

How to save money on a motorcycle loan

Get a cosigner

Less risk for the lender means better rates for you. That’s why adding a cosigner or co-borrower can help you get a better rate. The lender can go after your cosigner or co-borrower if you quit making payments. Late payments affect your score as much as theirs, pay on time to avoid an awkward situation.

Make a bigger down payment

A bigger down payment can also get you a better motorcycle loan rate. The bigger your down payment, the less you have to borrow. The less you borrow, the less money the lender will lose if you default on your loan.

Improve your credit

A LendingTree study found that raising your credit score from fair (580 to 669) to very good (740 to 799) could save you more than $39,000 in overall interest over the life of your loans. Although the study only examined mortgages, personal loans, credit cards and auto loans, you can expect similar results when financing a motorcycle.

If you have bad credit, consider improving your score before shopping. Qualifying for financing with bad credit is possible, but these loans can come with rates as high as 35.99% (or higher). As fun as motorcycles are, those rates probably aren’t worth it.

Get free, personalized recommendations on how to improve each of the factors that affect your credit score with LendingTree Spring. We’ll show you how your credit stacks up and what to do to boost your score.

Frequently asked questions

To save the most overall interest, you should finance your motorcycle with the shortest term you can comfortably manage.

If you want a lower monthly payment, a longer term loan will make more sense. The more time you have to spread your payments across, the lower your motorcycle loan payment (but more overall interest you’ll pay).

Use our motorcycle payment calculator to see how different loan terms can affect how much you pay.

Aim to make a 20% down payment on a new motorcycle, and 10% for used. That means a $2,000 down payment could be perfect for a $20,000 used motorcycle. If you’re buying new, $2,000 down makes sense for a $10,000 bike.

A $500 down payment should be enough for a $10,000 used motorcycle or a $5,000 new motorcycle (if you can find one that cheap). For both cars and motorcycles, the general rule of thumb is to put down 20% if you’re buying new and 10% for used.

Based on our unbiased and standardized rating system, the best motorcycle loans come from:

Discover: Best for motorcycle loans with excellent customer service
Navy Federal Credit Union: Best for motorcycle loans for people with military ties
PenFed Credit Union: Best for small motorcycle loans
SoFi: Best for quick motorcycle loans
Upgrade: Best for opening a bank account with your motorcycle loan
Upstart: Best for motorcycle loans for bad credit