You don’t need to have the stamina of a Gran Fondo cyclist to tour British Columbia on a bike. In fact, you don’t even need to break a sweat. Tour companies in Richmond, Kamloops, Whistler, and Victoria offer a variety of motorized options to let you sightsee in the open air. Here’s a quick rundown.

EagleRider Motorcycles, a large international rental company, recently set up shop in Richmond. Specializing in rentals of luxury Harley-Davidsons, this is the company’s second location in Canada—the other is in Kamloops. You must be at least 21 years old and have a valid motorcycle licence to rent one; bikes are available by the day or the week, starting at $169 per day.

If you’re looking for a multiday vacation, EagleRider offers self-guided tour packages that include three-star accommodation at motorbike-friendly places. For example, the Pacific Coast Motorcycle Tour leaves Vancouver for a three-day drive that takes you through Victoria and then back to the Mainland and through the Fraser Canyon, looping up around Lytton. A three-day/two-night tour leaving from Kamloops circles through Manning Park and Penticton. For details and prices, see www.eaglerider.com/.

What if you can’t drive a motorcycle? Sidecar Victoria lets you come along for the ride. Owner Jay Gillespie doesn’t rent out the Ural 750cc sidecar units; rather, he offers guided tours. Each rig can take two passengers: one behind the driver and the other seated more daintily in the sidecar.

Rates start at $75 per passenger for set routes around Victoria, which range from 1.5 to three hours long. For example, you can cruise the oceanside route along Dallas Road or take the back roads all the way out to Butchart Gardens on the Saanich Peninsula. A full-day excursion on Salt Spring Island is also available. See sidecarvictoria.com/ for details.

Perhaps you’d like to be more than a passenger but don’t yet have the skills to drive a motorbike. Whistler’s Spitfire Scooter Rentals (spitfirerentals.ca/) offers an alternative from its base at the Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel in Whistler Village. With a scooter, those who don’t have their own vehicle can sightsee around the Whistler area more quickly than with a mountain-bike rental.

The company has a fleet of super-cute retro-styled Honda Giorno 49cc scooters. Each carries a single driver, and to rent one you must be at least 19 years old and have a regular Class 5 driver’s licence. (Two-person Yamaha BWS 49cc scooters are also available; these require a full motorcycle licence if the driver is transporting a passenger.) The classic Hondas cost $25 per hour or $120 per day and have enough storage under the seat for a picnic, so you can zip over to Lost Lake or Alpha Lake Parks for an outing. Spitfire also offers two-hour guided tours.

I took one out for a spin last summer as a guest of Spitfire. It was my first time driving a scooter, and it took a bit of practice to get the feel of the bike. But I quickly got comfortable, and scooting around in the sunshine was a fun way to see Whistler from a whole new perspective.

Whether you’re cruising through town or through the trees to a lake, there’s nothing like riding in the open air. When you’re back in your car with the windshield wipers swishing madly in November, you’ll be glad you did.