Going bike in time

BANGALORE: It is just like how Chuck Berry sang Roll Over Beethoven in 1956 to usher in an era of a new music genre that would go on to rewrite the history of Western music. Youngsters in the city are echoing the same tune when it comes to bikes. The good old Jawas, Yezdis and Rajdoots are still in vogue, taking us back to the era of polkas, bellbottoms, Elvis Presley and Shammi Kapoor.Lokesh J M is a Facility Engineer with a software firm who is passionate about old bikes. “My first purchase was a Jawa 1965 model in 2007, which was junk when I bought it. I paid almost Rs 45,000 for it and I love it,” he says.When his love for old bikes did not subside, he went ahead to form the Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club with John Samuel, Brian Ammanna and Amrit Appaiah. “This club gives me an opportunity to ride my bike with other like-minded people. We go on breakfast rides 60-70kms away from the city and then head back. This happens every second Sunday,” says Lokesh. He adds that the Club initially consisted of not more than 15 members. Today, the Club has a 300 members. For Abhay Srinivasan, his 1954 BMW bike is his most prized possession. “Well, it belongs to my father. He bought it when he was in college,” he informs. For him, regardless of the rightful owner, the bike is pure nostalgia. “Firstly, it is very old and it still runs. My understanding of bikes began with this one, so it is really special,” says Abhay who takes his BMW bike for a ride once in a week.“People have a big smile when I pull over at traffic signals. Some draw parlance with the Royal Enfield Bullet. I have to explain to them that it only looks like it,” says Abhay.The trendThe common ground on which bikes such as the Yezdi and Jawa (whose manufacturing units are now defunct) are seeing a second coming is because of the fact that they are not available anymore. Royal Enfield, on the other hand, is available.“I think the reason youngsters today are attracted to these bikes is because they want to be different. The only thing stopping them is the money factor. Some of these bikes are sold in lakhs, which is not very affordable to youngsters,” says Chandrashekar Mohanram, a Project Manager at an IT firm, whose 1960 Royal Enfield Bullet is currently valued at `2 lakh. He adds that though these bikes are not fuel efficient, they are highly reliable and practical.“People are always concerned about the fuel efficiency, which does not go beyond 30 km/litre. This makes youngsters settle for the relatively newer models of these bikes,” he added.The problemsAlso, the fact that some of these oldies were 2-stroke bikes attracts youngsters, who are now heavily used to 4-stroke engines. “Who would not love to ride 2-stroke bikes? The problems are availability of spare parts and middlemen, who will rip you off with exorbitant prices,” Lokesh feels.The most vital of all wisdom when you own a vintage bike is to have a loyal mechanic and understanding of the bike’s engine.  “It was tough for me when I purchased a 1964 Jawa for Rs 3,500 at Malleswaram in 2003. I knew nothing about bikes, and got exploited by mechanics. Now, however, I have two dedicated mechanics and the required understanding about these bikes,” says Chandrashekhar.