Kuldip Purohit, Co-Founder and Business Head, Royal Brothers, shares with us the journey so far, the challenges they faced and what lies ahead for this motorcycle rental company.

Purohit says, “Royal Brothers signifies brotherhood and brings a sense of belongingness. We wanted to showcase our brand as one which can be trusted like a brother and provides safety and comfort like a brother does.” He further explains that they wanted to use the term ‘Royal’ in some sense, possibly because one of their earliest achievements was securing a wide range of Royal Enfield motorcycles for their fleet, and also because the team members were all of the same age – like brothers in arms.

Speaking about the challenges the team faced in securing an RTO authorisation, Purohit said, “We took almost six months to procure the first licence in Karnataka. As the officials were not aware of the procedures and the bike rental scheme, we had to educate them about the Central Government’s scheme and the State Government’s role in processing the application.”

When asked if Royal Brothers was a passion product for a team that enjoyed motorcycles or more of a lucrative business opportunity, he said, “Royal Brothers was started with a passion to change the way the industry behaves. Even after 100 years, the rental market is still unorganised and is not treated as an industry. We wanted to change the unorganised sector into an organised one.” He further added by saying that the co-founders and employees are all passionate bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts; their common goal to serve people made it a lucrative business in the process.

Commenting on the recent Covid-19 ordeal, Purohit said, “Covid19 was a challenging and stressful period. Even though it’s not fully over, we believe we have been able to manage it well and will continue to do better in the future. Lockdown was announced suddenly and we had a lot of our assets deployed with customers and on the roads. The first month was difficult, but thanks to the team’s dedicated efforts, we were able to recover the vehicles from the customers and get them back to our yards.”

To ensure customer safety, all rental bikes are checked and sanitised before delivery. The company also makes sure that the assets are regularly washed, cleaned and sanitised, and a proper temperature log of the executives is also maintained.

Elaborating on how the company managed to cut losses when there was no revenue from bookings during the lockdown period, the co-founder spoke about Royal Brothers X, a long-term subscription model, conceived during the second month of lockdown. This enabled customers to book a vehicle for up to nine months and in-turn generated some revenue for the company to sustain the blow.

Commenting on the efforts that go into maintaining and servicing a large fleet of two-wheelers, the business head claimed that they would get the service done at the OEM service centres in the initial days when they had five motorcycles. Going ahead, the Vehicle Health Management team (VHM) was formed with the sole responsibility of maintaining the quality of the fleet across all 23 cities.

The VHM also determines when to retire a particular asset based on a certain number of KMs on the odometer or the number of years on particular models. Market factors also play a crucial role in the discontinuation of certain models in the Royal Brothers’ fleet.

Royal Brothers recently established a touchpoint at the Bangalore International Airport, making it one of the first bike rental companies to do so . Speaking about the operation, Purohit said, “The project took more than six months to materialise. We had a lot of restrictions due to Covid and also the way airports function. We had to procure a lot of approvals from various teams and authorities to begin with. Also, the vehicle models and their maintenance at the airport required a new set of SOPs which we had to develop specifically for the airport. All our executives were trained as per the airport security, functioning and operating guidelines.”

Taking innovation a step further, Royal Brothers has been working with Ather to spread awareness on EVs by facilitating test rides at select locations across Bangalore to help people understand the capabilities of the vehicle.

In these trying times of pollution and rising fuel prices, this initiative strengthens the need for eco-friendly mobility. Furthermore, the company offers Ather scooters in its fleet alongside other prominent EVs. “We believe in sustainable development and would like to play our part in a greener mobility solution,” he adds.

Speaking on the secret behind the company’s success, Purohit says, “Everything looked challenging in the beginning; however, we were determined to succeed. My personal motto is – If there is a problem, find a solution.”

“We have worked round the clock on the feedback of the customers and that has brought us success. The easiest way to figure out the loopholes and lags in the business model for a service-driven business is to listen to its users. We followed the same and kept making changes on a regular basis,” he adds.

Commenting on Bangalore, the metropolitan city of blossoming entrepreneurs and countless start-ups, Purohit says, “Bangalore is Love. We all love the city and believe that there is no other city in the world that could have given us what this city offered us. Bangalore and its people are not averse to new ideas and offer full support to budding entrepreneurs.”

In Royal Brothers’ case, he says, Bangalore has grown over the years and so has the acceptability of bike rentals in the market. He appreciates residents whose entrepreneurial spirit knows no bounds. “There is no dearth of talent in the city. One can find capital, talent, guidance and mentors in abundance,” he concludes.

When asked on what lies ahead for Royal Brothers and if we could expect a gradual inclusion of four-wheelers in the fleet, Purohit said, “We are not looking to move into the four-wheeler category anytime soon, but also not ruling out the possibility. Currently, we want to focus on the two-wheelers and make Brand RB the largest in SE Asia.” (MT)

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Chennai-headquartered mid-sized motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield brought its street culture platform, HunterHood, to Kochi on 8 August 2026, combining music, art, skateboarding, urban sports and creative expression. The sixth edition of the event followed previous iterations in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Shillong and Lucknow.

Inspired by the Hunter 350 motorcycle, HunterHood serves as a platform for street-inspired cultures, gathering communities of artists, musicians, dancers, painters, urban sports enthusiasts and designers. Prior to the main event, Royal Enfield hosted a Community Pre-Jam on 7 August in collaboration with Loop Skatepark to engage local skaters and street communities.

The main stage featured performances from Kerala's independent and hip-hop music scene, including Tribe Mama MaryKali, Ranj x Clifr, GABRI, MC Couper, Baby Jean and Dabzee. The Community Stage presented rapper Ameekha Liyana Ansar, DJ Dsco Patrol (Nihell), street culture collective We Are The Boom and Chenda Melam percussion performances.

Skateboarding demonstrations were conducted by the Fly Squad Skateboarding Community and Kovalam Skate Club. Live graffiti, visual art and interactive installations were created on site by HH Art Spaces, Alan Pappy, Trespassers, SquidWorks, Karthik Venugopal, Samriddhi Arora and Om Chopra. Additionally, Kerala-based artist collective Trespassers completed a ten-day mural project focused on local youth culture and riding.

The event incorporated interactive workshops covering skimboarding, football, cricket, basketball and graffiti. Custom motorcycle builds were displayed by XLNC Customs, JD Customs, Garuda Machina, Kunwar Customs and Eimor Customs. The venue also featured an illuminated tunnel installation incorporating lights, Malayalam conversations and cinema dialogues to replicate the experience of riding through the city.

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India Yamaha Motor has announced the return of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition for the R15 V4 and MT-15 Version 2.0 motorcycle models. The release, the company says, responds to customer demand for the company's racing-livery options.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition models display liveries inspired by Yamaha's racing division across the fuel tank, side panels, and tank shrouds. The R15 V4 MotoGP Edition is priced starting at INR 176,050 ex-showroom Delhi, while the MT-15 MotoGP Edition begins at INR 177,230.

Alongside the special editions, Yamaha updated colour variants across its FZ product range. The FZ-S Fi Hybrid receives an Ice Storm colour scheme, while the existing Matte Black version gets updated graphics. The FZ-S Fi line gains a Metallic Black finish.

Pricing for the updated FZ range starts at INR 129,880 ex-showroom Delhi for the standard FZ-S Fi, with the FZ-S Fi Hybrid variant priced at INR 139,200.

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Studds Accessories, one of the leading two-wheeler helmet manufacturer, has launched its latest product the Raider Youth, a full-face helmet designed for younger riders and adults requiring smaller head sizes at prices starting INR 1,175.

The release marks the introduction of a dedicated small-sized full-face model into the company's product line-up. The Raider Youth is an ISI-certified helmet that provides chin and lower-face coverage, moving beyond the open-face helmet designs that have traditionally dominated the youth and small-head-size segments in India. It is offered in two sizes: XXS (520 mm) and XS (540 mm), catering to children, teenagers and female riders or adults with smaller head dimensions.

The product features an outer shell constructed from ABS material paired with an expanded polystyrene (EPS) liner. The ventilation system uses top exhaust ports to channel airflow through the interior, while additional hardware includes a scratch-resistant quick-release visor, micro-fibre inner lining and a quick-release chin strap mechanism.

Sidhartha Bhushan Khurana, Managing Director, STUDDS Accessories, said, "Young riders today are more aware of style, comfort, and safety than ever before, and parents are increasingly seeking products that offer enhanced protection without compromising on usability. The Raider Youth has been developed to address these expectations through a purpose-built full-face design that delivers greater coverage and confidence for young riders. Its vibrant colour palette, modern styling, rider-focused comfort features, and trusted safety credentials have been brought together to make helmet usage both appealing and reassuring. We believe the Raider Youth will resonate strongly with young riders and their families while encouraging the habit of safe riding from an early age."

The initial launch comprises the Unicolor variant across 12 finish options, including solid, matte, and chameleon finishes: White, Black, Cherry Red, Flame Blue, Lavender Pink, Pastel Green, Petrol Blue, Dark Pink, Chameleon Pink, Chameleon Blue, Matt Black, and Military Green.

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Hero MotoCorp, the world’s two-wheeler manufacturer, has appointed Anuj Dua as the new Chief Business Officer – Premium Segment to oversee its motorcycle and scooter operations in higher-displacement categories.

Dua brings experience from previous executive roles across Hero MotoCorp, Royal Enfield and Bajaj Auto, where he managed global product strategy, brand development and market expansion.

In his new role, Dua will manage product portfolio expansion, strategic partnerships, retail network development and customer engagement initiatives, including community events and branded merchandise across performance and lifestyle segments.

In FY2026, Hero MotoCorp expanded its product line-up through the introduction of models including the Glamour X, Xtreme 125R, Xtreme 250R, Xoom 160, XPulse 210 and the Harley-Davidson X440 T. To support these offerings, the manufacturer expanded its dedicated Hero Premia retail and service network to more than 130 stores across India. The standalone outlets feature specialised sales personnel and dedicated service bays.

Dr. Pawan Munjal, Executive Chairman of Hero MotoCorp, said, “The global mobility landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, led by rising consumer aspirations for premiumization including curated premium experiences. At Hero MotoCorp, we are responding to these transformative shifts with a future-focused strategy that combines innovation, design excellence, performance engineering and deeper customer engagement. Our expanding premium portfolio, retail transformation and motorsport initiatives are integral to this strategy, accelerating product innovation, strengthening brand aspiration, and reinforcing our position as a globally admired mobility brand which is proudly Made in India.”

At present, the company manufactures its premium range from its facility Neemrana, Rajasthan, which incorporates automated assembly lines and digital quality control systems. The vehicle platforms integrate electronic architecture supporting over-the-air software updates and rider assistance systems.

Additionally, the company utilises its Hero MotoSports division to evaluate chassis dynamics, electronic systems and powertrain durability for application across its commercial production models.

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