The Bullet

Royal Enfield CEO Siddhartha Lal is shifting cogs quicker than ever. Having recorded a consistent growth rate of over 50 per cent in the last two years, his revered motorcycle brand’s still gunning for a greater market share at a time when global motorcycle sales are in a slump. Yet, going by his recent moves, Lal’s work has only just begun.

- Parth Charan

Siddhartha Lal isn’t given to false appearances. As custodian of Royal Enfield – the world’s oldest motorcycle brand – he wears a heavy crown, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. In any other scenario, an entrepreneur of his heft would choose a relatively sombre setting for a rendezvous point. Not Lal, who prefers to meet at Royal Enfield’s apparel store in Khan Market, New Delhi. He casually strolls in, dressed in an RE branded T-shirt, gladiator sandals and camo joggers, sporting his trademark curls with facial scruff that appears to have been nurtured over a long, contemplative cross-country motorcycle trip.

The store itself has a traditional British biker café aesthetic, though Lal informs me that there was a time when the average Royal Enfield showroom wasn’t much more than bricks and mortar, with a couple of chairs thrown in. It’s hard to picture such a dystopian setup. There’s a glistening, bobber-style custom bike propped atop a large marble counter, flanked on all sides by the latest Royal Enfield merchandise, apparel and accessories that milk over a century’s worth of classic British motorcycling glory. This is just one of 675 Royal Enfield stores across the country. The subtext? Business is good.