How to Hire Royal Enfield in Manali...?

It is a thrill to ride a Royal Enfield to Rohtang Pass and it is further a feeling out of the world to ride a Royal Enfield all the way to Leh from Manali via Manali – Leh Highway. In the past I have noticed that for almost all the adventure lovers, it has always been a topmost question – How and where to hire or rent a Royal Enfield in Manali Well, I have few points worth mentioning here on this topic...

First and the foremost thing, there are several tour/travel operators/mechanical workshops/mechanics in Manali who offer services for renting or hiring a Royal Enfield in Manali region. Just make sure that you test the Royal Enfield thoroughly, understand the terms and conditions and always try to make sure that you rent them after seeing the Royal Enfield rather over phone. There has been mixed response of travellers after booking Royal Enfields over phone with few ugly instances being reported as well.

Cost to Hire/Rent a Royal Enfield in Manali

Generally, the cost of hiring a Royal Enfield range about Rs 700 – Rs 1500 per day per Royal Enfield. Of course the exact rental price depends upon the model, make (bullet, Enfield) and condition of the Royal Enfield you choose.

As for security deposit, be ready to shell out anything ranging from Rs 10K – 15K (for non-local hire) or may be more and it totally depends upon the dealer in question and Royal Enfield you select. The security deposit is much less if you plan to hire the Royal Enfield locally i.e. may be a ride to Rohtang Pass. You will need to deposit one of the original identity proof of yours like passport, pan card etc along with the money in many cases.

Important Things to know for hiring a Royal Enfield in Manali

§         First and foremost, the conditions of the Royal Enfields are not that good after being battered in the hostile conditions for several years. So, if you have your own Royal Enfield, then do prefer shipping it at any day as compared to hiring a Royal Enfield. Though things are changing but again you need to pay more on the front to have Royal Enfields with good condition.

§   You should have a valid driving license in order to hire a Royal Enfield. Some amount of experience of riding in the hills will be an added advantage as always.

§         Do not ever book Royal Enfields over phone or internet and always prefer hunting the right Royal Enfield once you reach Manali. You must test several rental shops and see what everyone has to offer. You never know, you may get an out of the box solution right away. Booking it over phone or Internet do not leave you with many options or you do not have much control over what is offered to you.

§        Some dealers provide too old Royal Enfields and you should know how to avoid selecting such Royal Enfields, so as to minimize the chances of being stuck in the middle of nowhere. Beware of such dealers. So, quite important that you have the mechanical understanding of the basic parts of the Royal Enfield so that you can detect any fault or tentative age of the Royal Enfield after inspecting the parts.

§   Whenever you hire a Royal Enfield, then spare a day for testing the Royal Enfield locally (may be a run to Rohtang Pass) and getting any necessary fixes done right there in Manali itself or replace the Royal Enfield with some better version. This will minimize the chances of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. The breakdown can result in several risks and dangers. Example: Consider a breakdown at chilly location of Taglang La where even the oxygen content is low, you are suffering from AMS, help hard to find and in all you are left with an option to tow the Royal Enfield in truck/pickup whenever one arrives and agrees. Ehhh!! Not so good feeling. Hence, it is very important to test the rented Royal Enfield thoroughly and select the perfect one for you.

§         It always helps having some mechanical knowledge for doing basic fixes/repair of the Royal Enfield. You never know when you need such skills on these rented/hired Royal Enfields.

§        Do not forget to carry extra spare parts(at least basic ones for sure) even if you are going on your own Royal Enfield, forget about hired Royal Enfields. Always make sure that the renter provides you with basic toolkit, at least single rider helmet, spare tube and other common spares like chain links, spark plugs or whatever they can offer. Try to get as much as you can. Rest you can buy yourself. It will further minimize the chances of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere.

§         If you are OK with the budget then carry a backup mechanic with you, if possible. Of course, you need to carry the basic spare parts as well. Some people also take an entire extra backup vehicle (car) to carry luggage, spare fuel, spare parts and mechanic. It is definitely a safeguarded approach but carrying extra mechanic and vehicle will add to the cost factor to a great extent. Hence, you need to decide judiciously whether it fits in the budget or not.

§        Most of these hired/rented Royal Enfields offer a pathetic mileage and hence it is always better to play safe and carry sufficient amount of spare fuel after analyzing the fuel efficiency of the hired Royal Enfield on the test run. Never count on what a renter says.

§         Make sure that the RC, Insurance and PUC (Pollution Under Control) documents related to rented/hired Royal Enfield are provided and they are up to date and valid enough. After all you do not want to land in some dismal situation on your life time trip.

§   Make sure that you have in written what needs to be done in case of you crash a Royal Enfield or damages some or other parts of it. Generally, the Royal Enfield will be transported to the nearest garage and the cost incurred for the repairs done need to be paid by the one who rented the Royal Enfield. Also, check out the other intricacies (terms and conditions) as well like who will bear the cost of transportation or what happens in case the Royal Enfield goes non-repairable state etc.

§         I guess many of the renter do provides Royale Enfield’s that does have luggage support as well as space to carry jerry cans. You may not find these things on other Royal Enfield modals though.