[Mr.Ogre]

Hello Everyone,
I will be in Mumbai for almost 45 days in October this year, and I have lot of places to visit across the country during that period.

I love to tour on motorcycles, and I have done fair amount of touring in India and Australia on motorbikes.

I was riding Ninja 650 and Yamaha R3 before I left the country in 2019.

I am looking to rent a motorcycle (Ninja 650 and above category) while I am there and it will be really grateful if I can get some recommendations (websites, dealers, individuals looking to rent their bikes etc.).

I tried to google and I see a few websites, but I am not very confident as I don't want it to be another Zoom car like saga.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and recommendations.

[GTO]

Don't know of any reliable options at all. There used to be Rebel Rides (we had rented a Harley-Davidson from them), WickedRides etc. but they all seem to have shut down.

I don't think the business is sustainable due to lack of demand, abuse of these expensive machines and general fraud levels in India. I remember self-drive rental car companies doing a background check on their customers because many would rent a car & then swap out expensive components for their own cars, or for sale in the open market.

Out-of-the-box suggestion: Approach one of the big dealers & negotiate a buyback. Buy the bike, complete your tour and then sell it back to him (or anyone else) for 1-lakh lesser. Even if it's 1.5-lakhs lesser (worst case or a quick sale), it's 3.3k a day which will be your typical rental cost for a good condition big motorcycle.

[Axe77]

Hey. I saw your post in the morning and messaged the Rebel Rides owner. It has indeed shut down and they only do tours now. I asked him if anyone else is renting superbikes and he said most of them shut down after covid so none that he’s aware of.

Fundamentally also, I’m not sure how viable the business was to start with for many of the reasons mentioned by GTO above.

One option could be to speak to one of the major used bike dealers - the biggest in Bombay that come to my mind are Bullet Raja and Aazam Khan. See if you can negotiate a buy back price with them (new bike dealers are unlikely to agree to something like this but used bike dealers are much more open to such proposals). Personally I’m a stickler for recording registrations (whether I’m a buyer or a seller) and am loathe to see the practice of used bikes trading hands without RC change. But this is a reality I believe of this market and you could consider whether you want explore an option like this. You might be bearing some insurance related risks if you fail to register a transfer properly though so you need to take a considered call.

Another option. Buy a zoom car or similar for your scheduled travel in the country and maybe see if you have the option to do a short tour with one of the reputable touring companies using their bikes if you feel like some saddle time. I know XplorEarth rents out GS 310s for their tours and they’re doing Zanskar in October. Their trips are also compact - 7 days odd usually, end to end. There are several others as well including the ex Rebel Rides owner who now runs tours.

[JayPrashanth]

Bangalore has Royal Brothers. They have a wide range, and are fully operational in Bangalore.

Cheers,

Jay

[SID7115]

This particular space has a very niche customer base, so this may not be as viable as it is outside India.
There aren't many who do this. In fact, even my Uncle who has good riding experience in the UK, wanted to rent something like a BMW F850 for touring in India, but we couldn't find any options.
Buyback is a good option if you're keeping the bike for a long time. But be careful about the RC details and the vehicle details.
Also, I've heard that Royal Enfield does rentals in many cities. You can check their website for more info. They're the safest choice when it comes to long distance riding and are trusted by many riders.
If you can help yourself to a rented Himalayan or Interceptor 650, nothing like it.
Cheers to your exploration

[windrider]

If I was in your shoes, I would avoid touring on a superbike and get a a Himalayan/ktm or something similar. Reasons being, you haven't ridden in India since 2019, so getting used to the traffic and general chaos on our roads will take time, which you dont have. Trust me it's a lot worse than 2019 and handling an underpowered vehicle will be easier than a superbike.

You mentioned you plan to travel extensively during your stay in India, so in case you drop your bike, face any mechanical issues, availability of spares and service will be a big pain. Even in big cities, sometimes spares take a couple of days to arrive or you will have to find OEM spares and get them changed at the service centre and all of that is a big hassle when you are travelling, especially if you are going solo.

You plan to rent a bike and it will be a lot easier to find a well maintained lower cc bike than a superbike, which the owners may skimp on maintenance due to the exorbitant costs. So stick to bikes that are popular and have widespread service network which can be repaired at any local garage/svc within a couple of hours. Cheers and safe journey

[Mr.Ogre]

Thanks for your responses. I was in India last year, and did ride my friends Ninja 650 for the time I was there.

Yes, traffic sense has become worse, but I had no issues adapting.

I took your suggestions and have asked my friend to check with some used superbike dealers. I am also trying to reach out to some showroom guys I knew to see if I can rent their media/test ride bikes.

I think KTM 390 Adv is the bike I would prefer this time.

[Mr.Ogre]

It indeed is a tough task trying to get a superbike on rent, and I can see the reasons why. And thank you everyone for your responses and suggestions.

I was able to get in touch with one of the managers of a showroom from whom I had purchased my Duke 200, Ninja 300 and Ninja 650.

He said he will try to arrange a 390 (Duke, adv) and to reach out to him 2 weeks before my travel.

During my last visit I rented a Duke 200 from one of the local vendors. Everything was ok for the initial 2 days. On the third day, the bike refused to downshift from 3rd gear, while I was 200 kilometers away from home.

I showed it to a road side mechanic and he asked to get in touch with showroom. However, I managed to reach home riding the bike.

Next day, my friend offered his Ninja 650, and it was business as usual.

I don't mind trying zoom car or similar platform, but after having read bad reviews I don't want to waste my time and energy and ruin my vacation.

Also, my preference is always a motorbike over car when I am alone, as I find I can save lot more time riding a motorbike. Yes, it takes me an hour or so to get used to the traffic and all the honking - having lived in Mumbai my entire life and commuting through the entire length and breadth from Activa's to Pulsar's to Duke's to Ninja's its not an issue.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

Bangalore has Royal Brothers. They have a wide range, and are fully operational in Bangalore.

Indeed. Just heard of Royal Brothers from someone else as well and also came by this website linked below. Perhaps you can call them both and inquire. You can always fly to Bangalore to start your rental from there I suppose.

https://twistthrottle.in/#fleet_section

[Mr.Ogre]

Originally Posted by Axe77

https://twistthrottle.in/#fleet_section

Thanks. They do have a good variety and prices look ok. Any idea if they are good, bad, ok?

I think I will fly down to Bangalore, stay with my brother a few days and rent the bike from them for my trip.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Mr.Ogre

Thanks. They do have a good variety and prices look ok. Any idea if they are good, bad, ok?

I think I will fly down to Bangalore, stay with my brother a few days and rent the bike from them for my trip.

No idea on any of these aspects. In fact, not even as to what is the extent of availability of these bikes on ground. If your brother is in Bangalore, might be best for him to pay the place a visit in person perhaps to get all details and also see the condition of the bikes first hand.

[shankar.balan]

Self drive rentals in India are prone to poor maintenance and bad usage patterns by largely irresponsible people who really couldn’t give two hoots about ‘someone else’s’ property. And most of these companies being ‘short-cut artists’ motivated purely by money and profit, will definitely cut corners and skimp on routine maintenance and replacement of worn out parts - oil changes, filters, tyres and all.

This is why I personally would hesitate a lot before renting a self drive vehicle in India. Best to do all this and enjoy the experience in some country where the people’s responsibility and standards of care and maintenance are better. The last thing you want is to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with no recourse in sight.

[aqualeo2040]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Self drive rentals in India are prone to poor maintenance and bad usage patterns by largely irresponsible people who really couldn’t give two hoots about ‘someone else’s’ property..

+100 to that.
Along with the improper driving behavior, we also have issues with absence of personal hygiene!

We had rented a Brezza in Goa for a week. The first thing I bought at the petrol station was a car perfume (even before we tanked up). Whosoever drove the car before definitely deserves to win the "stinkiest feet' award.


if you are here for 45 days only, there's another option. Get your brother to buy a new KTM Adventure etc. Given the rental rates at Twist the Throttle, you'd be paying close to 80k for a 30 day Rental. Instead, buy a new one (Adventure X costs around 3.8L OTR) and sell it off when you go. The 10% depreciation is still less than 80k. You can easily sell that month old vehicle for 3+, have the peace of mind of a new vehicle.

Also, do consider Xpulse 200. It is a decent milemuncher.

[7.83hz]

They do have a good variety and prices look ok. Any idea if they are good, bad, ok?

I've tried twisted throttle in the past when my friend and I were test riding multiple different ADV bikes.

We rented a KTM 390 Adventure and the BS4 Kawasaki Versys. The KTM was less than 2000 kms old and didn't give us any trouble. Didn't feel as tight as a new bike should tho. This directly translated into how terribly the Kawasaki had been maintained. It had clocked close to 70k kms and belonged to a scrapyard at that point. Square tyres, completely worn out brake pads, misaligned front, there'd definitely been some major damage that wasn't properly addressed. A recipe for disaster tbh. I wouldn't recommend Twisted Throttle from my personal experience of having rented through them.

You must however contact Puneet at pickmymoto chandigarh. I've rented from them twice, BMW G310GS the first time and an F850 GSA to take up to Spiti and back. Immaculate motorcycles and excellent service. Felt like a proper professional setup with backup teams and a few value added services. They can also help you with gear and luggage options.

Last I checked they had a fleet of adv bikes ranging from the G310 all the way upto the 1250 GSA and a Harley PanAm.

Hope this helps!

[winsto_keny]

The only bike rental company which I can suggest is royal brothers. But they do not have big bikes. The maximum they can offer is 650cc twins and super meteor. Apart from that they have Kawasaki Ninja 300. Check out their website and see something suitable for your needs.
Royalbrothers.com