Rent and ride a Royal Enfield in San Francisco

A Dubbelju Royal Enfield on the Marin headlands over the Golden Gate.

The Royal Enfield Bullet conquered the Himalaya Mountains. Now a man who has ridden Royal Enfields there will let you rent and ride one on the streets of San Francisco and the neighboring back roads of Northern California.

Wolfgang Taft has added Royal Enfield Bullets to his fleet at Dubbelju Motorcycle Rentals, 689A Bryant St., San Francisco.  They've been in business since 1991, offering not only great motorcycles but great rides to motorcyclists.

If you're considering buying a Royal Enfield, Dubbelju even offers a deal that lets you apply your rental fee to the purchase price.


Dubbelju's San Francisco rental fleet.

How did this happen? Let Wolfgang introduce himself:

"I have explored most of Europe on two wheels, either on my BMW R50/2 or my old '58 H-D Pan Head. The Pan Head took me through the desert in Northern Africa in the late '80s...

"On some recent trips to Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand and India I had the opportunity to ride the famous 500cc Royal Enfield Bullets. I fell in love with the Bullet and had to add this classic bike to Dubbelju’s rental fleet.

Wolfgang and Bullet last year in Tibet on the way from Kathmandu to Lhasa.

"Endless twisty back roads right in our backyard will create the perfect stomping ground for the Bullet. The steep hills in San Francisco are icing on the cake for this classic bike, which is made in almost the same way since 1955. Regardless if you are riding up to Mt. Everest Base Camp or Mt. Tamalpais, you will bring home some unforgettable memories riding on this piece of history."

Dubbelju claims to be the oldest motorcycle rental shop in San Francisco, and the one with the biggest variety of bikes:  BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, KTM, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Triumph and, starting in spring 2011, the classic Royal Enfield Bullet.

Rental price includes unlimited miles, free trip planning, liability insurance and 24-hour emergency service.

"As motorcyclists ourselves, we know your needs, we know the area, and we have ridden the roads we recommend. We’ll get you rolling in the right direction and make sure that you return home with only the best of memories," Wolfgang writes.

Renting a Royal Enfield will cost the same as it would if you chose a Triumph Bonneville: $149/day including liability insurance and unlimited free miles. Prices drop if you go three days or more.

The rent-buy deal with San Francisco dealer Munroe Motors is called 100/100. The customer rents for $100/day and gets 100 free miles (additional miles are 25 cents/mile). If the customer decides to purchase a bike after his rental, Munroe will credit his rental price of $100 towards the purchase of a new or used bike from their fleet.


A younger Wolfgang aboard a 1954 Model 20, 500cc AJS in 1971 near his home town of Stuttgart, Germany.

Unfortunately, I forgot to ask Wolfgang the meaning of the name "Dubbelju" and he's away from email at the moment. I asked his assistant Cherie, who replied:

"Wolfgang always says that 'Dubbelju' is the German phonetic for the letter 'W' and that when the business was started both his and his partner’s name started with the letter 'W.'

Would you have guessed that?