It’s every bike lover’s dream to ride a luxurious cruiser like a Triumph or the ultimate Harley Davidson motorcycle in India today. These powerful machines have known to be the object of fantasy for anyone who really likes bikes and riding be it in the city or on cross-country trips. However, getting our hands on one of these luxury bikes is not really easy for us in India as it is in the western countries where all you need to do is produce some documents, pay and you are all set with your dream bike date for the day! Well, three friends from Bangalore are looking to bring precisely that, in Bengaluru, India!
Presenting Wicked Ride; Ride a Harley for a Day:
Varun Agni, a Post Graduate in Telecommunications from Maryland, Vivekanand HR a Chartered Accountant and Anil G, a Cost & Works Accountant. Three people from completely different backgrounds got together for one common bike. Biking! “All of us are really crazy about bikes and biking and bikes like the Harley, the Triumph had always been an aspiration for us and that is how Wicked Ride came into being.” Their company Wicked Ride offers luxury bike rentals in Bengaluru. They offer many different luxury as well as budget options ranging from the classic Royal Enfield Bullet 350 to the drool worthy Haley Davidson Iron 883 for a day!
Their first bike was the Continental GT café racer. It graced Wicked Ride on 3 April 2014. Since then, they’ve added the Harley Davidson Iron 883, Super Low 883, Street 750; Royal Enfield Classic Chrome, Desert Storm, Thunderbird; Triumph Bonneville to the collection.
It currently has Harley Davidson Iron 883, Super Low 883, Street 750; Royal Enfield Classic Chrome, Desert Storm, Thunderbird; Triumph Bonneville in its collection.
Vivekanand says, “The idea came to us while we were thinking on how to realize our dream of working on innovative ideas together. One fine day we suddenly had the thought of pooling in some money together to own a good, powerful bike. But the EMI of these luxury bikes was known to be pretty high so we decided to share the bike and even rent it out in order to cover a portion of these expenses. This is when we thought of converting this informal renting into a proper business idea.”
The team then started working on their market research and understood the pros and cons of running such a business which is fairly unique for the Indian market and then ran a pilot based on their findings to further understand the market.
“We did multiple surveys during our initial pilot period to understand what bikes should be a part of our fleet. We also had to understand the various rules and government regulations involved in the business.” adds Vivekanand.
Pricing Model
The rental tariffs ranges from Rs 2,500 to Rs 10, 000 per day depending on the bike. The best past is that there’s no cash deposit required of any kind. There is, however, a limit of 250 kms per day with 10% extra on the rental per extra 50 km. However, this limit is not applicable on the Royal Enfield motorcycles.
The rental procedure is quite simple – interested customers can simply get in touch with the team via it’s website or Facebook page stating their bike preferences, location, etc., and someone from the team will get back to them. In terms of documents, all one needs is a valid driving license. However, users will have to sign a waiver taking responsibility for any damage to the bike.
The Road so far and the Big Future Plans
Currently, while Varun handles Wicked Ride on a full time basis, the other two are taking care of their respective practices along with the Startup. The team has many ambitious future plans in mind for Wicked Ride and from the looks of it, they look really promising! For instance, one of their unique concepts is a Bikeathon, a completely personalized vacation on bikes. Riders will not only be able to enjoy personalized expeditions but also be provided with support vehicles & kits along with a comprehensive end-to-end plan for the vacation. They are also planning special trips for female bike riders including a full-fledged bike ride consisting only of women to the Mecca of Indian bike riders, Leh!
Vivekanand adds here, “Our plan is to provide all the facilities that exist in the west but are not available to the Indian consumers.” The basics include allowing riders to pick up bikes from one city and drop it in another and also provide outstation bike deliveries as a means of expanding the business. While the trio is not too keen on the franchise model, they are keen on getting prospective investors to help them open their own flagship stores across various metros.
Our Take
Riding and driving luxury cars has always appealed the Indian audiences by and large and the same also goes for bikes. People have always felt a sense of prestige and status in riding or being on board the erstwhile Mercedes Benz and not the Audi’s, Lamborghinis and Porsches! The same fascination has also applied to Harley Davidsons and Suzuki Hayabusas here. As such, while there is a lot of promise on what Wicked Ride aims to do, only time will tell how it all goes!
Also Read: This Kochi Based Startup Converts 2 Wheelers Into Gearless Bikes By Flicking A Switch
