Budget Bike Rental (self-drive) Options in Bangalore, Karnataka

While Bangalore (Bengaluru) had lots of self-drive car rental options since decades, there was no official bike rental options. Bike rentals are very popular in Goa and Himalayas but such options were not available in rest of the country. Few years ago, wickedRide started, but they focused more on super premium bikes that cost several thousand rupees a day (Read: Harley Davidson Street 750). Their cheapest options – Bullet and thunderbird would cost as much as a small car, so it wasn’t a real economic option. Also they used to operate white board registration, as RTO in Karnataka didn’t seem to have proper provision to register self-drive bikes (Black number plate, yellow letters).

I used to get many inquiries asking if there’re any bike rental options similar to cars- but unfortunately I didn’t have any answer. But now I do.

Fortunately, things have changed, for good. RTO seem to have made provisions for yellow-on-black registrations. Now there’re several companies giving out two-wheelers on rent, at reasonable rates. So instead of paying few thousand for a car, you can conveniently rent an Activa or bullet for your travel needs within the city. Two wheelers are cheaper to rent and run, convenient, take less space and ideal if you are alone or just two. Instead of spending lots of money on Auto/Taxi or having to survive on crowded bus, renting a bike will make your commute more mobile and efficient.

So what are the various bike rental options in Bengaluru? From where can I hire a scooter/bike for daily/hourly usage?

Your options, as far as I am aware, are detailed in this post. I have tried WickedRide, Royal Brothers and ONN Bikes in this list, will try few more in future as needed/possible.

Option 1: WickedRide Premium Bike Rental- Harleys, Triump, RE and more

Office in Jayanagar, inventory includes large fleet of super expensive bikes like Harley Davidson, Triump and so on. On the budget side there’re RE classic, Thunderbird etc. Costs about Rs 1500 onwards per day, fuel extra. Not the most economic option in town but Ideal for long drives or when you want to check out a super bike. Read- Harley Davidson Street 750 review * Wicked Ride premium bike rental experience (The post is 2 years old, expect some changes at present, including a 100 kmph speed limit). Also check- features available in Hero Splendor not available in Harley

More details on their website:   https://www.wickedride.com/

Option 2: Iryd Honda Activa rentals

They only have Honda activa at present, operate out for 4 different locations- daily rent for Honda activa is a decent Rs 360 per day only, includes some 60 kms, beyond which Rs 4 per km will be charged (They will fill the fuel, you don’t have to give back full tank)- fully app controlled. I met their ground staff in Koramangala last week and got to learn a bit about their services. With each bike they will be giving 2 helmets as well, which is great.

Option 3: Royal Brothers

Another new agency, popular for very cheap bullets and activas. Fleet largely consists of half dozen variants of Royal Enfield for about Rs 1200 per day/Rs 50 per hour. Comes with km limit and speed limit (Weekend about 20-25% extra) (Update: Now RB has has lots of superbikes n budget bikes as well on their fleet. I tried their Dominar recently- review here

Bullet can hardly cross 110 kmph and Royal Brothers have set a limit of 90kmph for bullets- easy way to collect some fine- would have been simpler for everyone if this restriction is removed. But great thing about Royal Brothers rental is that they have base in Udupi, Manipal, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Goa and Bengaluru- so you can take a bus or train to these cities and rent a bullet for local usage.

Website: http://www.royalbrothers.in

Option 4: Onn Bikes
Royal Brother's closest rival. Website:  www.onnbikes.com ONN Bikes have some of the cheapest rentals in town- several RE models, Avengers and budget bikes are available. Also ONN BIke's cancellation terms, overspeed charges and several policies are most customer friendly compared to their competition. Read my review of ONN BIke's Avenger Street 220 here, and a comparison of ONN Bikes with Royal Brothers here

Option 5: Wheel Street
wheelstreet.com Haven't tried them yet. Spotted some of their bikes in Koramangala when I went to pickup my Dominar from RB.

Option 6: EeZee rentals

Spotted them on Cleartrip apps- they operate in Mysuru, rentals range from Rs 400 to 1000 per day, no km usage limits, no deposits, only 1 helmet is provided free, pillion- you should arrange

http://www.eezeerentals.com/

Option 7: Roadpanda

Available: Honda Dio/Activa. Avenger Street 220, FZS v2, Thunderbird 500 and RE Dessert Storm, ranging from Rs 400 to Rs 1400. Hourly rentals available, Deposit Rs 2000. No KM usage restriction. Will be given full tank and to be returned full tank. (This is a convenient approach than empty tank to empty tank policy)

Mango Tree Restaurant,
Nataraj Layout, JP Nagar 7th Phase,
Behind Brigade Millennium, Bangalore, 560078

http://www.roadpanda.com/

Option 8: RentnZip

RentnZip claim they are in this business since 2000, but no one has heard of them much. They seem to have two wheelers of all categories- starting from Rs 250  a day (mopeds) to Rs 1200 a day (Bullets). 150cc bikes and 220 cc bikes are also available for Rs 700-1000 a day, discount applicable if booked for long duration. Deposit Rs 2000, fuel at your expense.

Key points to note: 70 kmph speed limit for bikes, 60 for mopeds, per km charges applicable – They will give bike with half litre petrol, you need to fill as per your need and return with same quantity back (a bit difficult to calculate and manage). Beyond 100 km per day, a charge of Rs 2 per km will be payable. Their website has old information and not updated yet to reflect latest policy details

Contact details below, they seem operate from Kodihalli, Banasawadi and Madiwala area only.

Matt Auto Sports India Pvt Ltd
# 28/a, 6th Cross, Leela Palace Road,
Kodihalli, Bangalore-8
Phone: +91 -9844524365 (Old Airport Road) , 9844024365 (Madiwala) and 9513324365 (Banasawadi)

http://rentnzip.in/#

Option 9: DVK Biking

http://www.dvkbiking.com/

Option 10: Book Comfy
http://bookcomfy.com/

Option 11: BikeMania

Option 12: Drivezy

They rent both cars and bikes. Rates appear competitive. https://drivezy.com/

General precautions to take while renting bikes

-          If an agency insists on keeping original passport as security, I see a red light- ideally they should block a deposit on the credit card and shouldn’t insist on physical collateral like passport. Where possible avoid such agencies or cross check with people who have rented from them earlier if they are trustworthy- also check what are your liabilities in case of an accident/damage- All vehicles should have comprehensive insurance and ideally your liability should be capped at a few thousand rupees- if expectation is that you are 100% responsible, you run a risk of losing several thousand rupees in case of accidents. Better to look for alternatives

-          Note that two wheeler riding is more prone to risks compared to a car, as there is no protective cabin around you. Be extra careful.

-          Helmet is mandatory for both rider and pillion- be sure to use one always.

-          Sometimes, renting a car might be a better choice for road trip- read this post and decide which one is better suited for your needs. (Instead of paying Rs 1200 per day for a bike, you can pay Rs 1500-2000 and get a small car like Figo) - check  Zoomcar vs Myles (Carzonrent) self drive car rentals
-          Some of these agencies aren't maintaining their websites up to date. Always recommend calling them once and cross check everything before planning purely based on what is shown in website.

There might be more. Let me know if you are aware of any. The market is just opening up and has huge potential and space for more players. Let us see how this develops.

For cycle rentals in Bengaluru, check this post *