The beleaguered Lucio Cecchinello Racing (LCR) Honda Team will be giving a one off wild card ride to Ben Bostrom, the 37 year old AMA Superbike Champion at the upcoming MotoGP race this weekend at Laguna Seca in Monterrey, California, USA. The team’s regular rider Toni Elias is usually dead last in races and LCR is giving his second motorcycle to Ben Bostrom to boost the numbers on the grid. Apart from that, the purpose of providing the ageing Bostrom a ride as a wild card is unfathomable.
Yearly Archives: 2011
Shuhei Nakamoto who looks after the racing activities of the Honda Motor Company has firmly indicated that the future of the works Repsol Honda MotoGP team will have only two riders in it in the form of Casey Stoner and Daniel Pedrosa. This means that the third Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso and along with Marco Simoncelli (who is in the Gresini Team but rides a factory spec Honda since he is directly contracted to the factory) are set to loose their rides. Nakamoto has also indicated that apart from the work team of two riders there will also be room for only two more bikes to satellite teams. This means that either LCR that runs Toni Elias now is likely to lose Honda backing or that Gresini will get only one motorcycle with the former looking the more likely scenario especially given the fact that Toni Elias is consistently last on the grid. Currently there are six Hondas and six Ducatis on the grid of seventeen. Next year with Honda cutting back on two bikes and with the participation of Suzuki still an unknown MotoGP faces the prospect of having only fourteen motorcycles without the participation of CRTs (Claiming Rules Teams) whose future is yet to be decided.
The Chevrolet Beat’s diesel fuel version from GM has been anticipated for sometime now. There have been many scoops of the car carrying either the XSDE (Xtra Smart Diesel Engine) or the TCDi (Turbo Charged Direct injection) badging. It seems that GM has settled on the TCDi nomenclature for the diesel engine and webzines are suggesting that the launch of the car is slated for the 25th of July, 2011.
Picture Courtesy: AutocarIndia.com
Bajaj Auto Limited has been having a bit of tough time with the Govt of Maharashtra over tax structures and refunds that it is entitled to from the latter while the Govt has slapped yet more demands on the auto major from Pune. Given this backdrop the automobile press is quoting Rajiv Bajaj as having said that the next plant which the company is planning, is likely to go to Gujarat which is being seen as the next automobile destination after Tamil Nadu. Already Ford, Maruti Suzuki and Hero Honda are known to be considering Gujarat as the destination for new plants while Tata has already taken the Nano plant to that state. Prior to that General Motors and Asia Motor Works have set up plants in Gujarat.
For months now spy pics of mules of the Tata Safari Merlin have been doing the rounds of the internet. It seems so long ago that one saw the first picture of the Tata Merlin (disguised) that we gave up believing that there was any such thing at all in existence, just like we have given up on the Yamaha whatever it is supposed to be. But some good news has started trickling in with the Tata Safari Merlin being caught undisguised but only from the back. The good news is that it is not just a face lift but also a derriere lift. Beyond that you judge for yourself.
Picture Courtesy: Motorbeam.com
Dost is the name of the first child of the joint venture between Ashok Leyland and Nissan and its looks are quite er, um, hideous. This vehicle is likely to see a national launch soon and reports also suggest that it could spawn a passenger version like the Tata Ace and the Mahindra Maxximo did. Not too many details are available as yet about the Dost, but once some come in we will bring them to you too.
Close on the heels of the news that Sheeja Mathews of Bangalore bought herself a Harely Davidson comes the news that the number of women owners of Harley Davidson {and therefore its woman power (Frau Kraft like horse power is pferde starke)} has doubled. This time the new Harley owner is from neighbouring Hyderabad and goes by the name of Kasthuri Deodhar and she has bought herself an Iron 883 model. We say more Frau Kraft to Harley Davidson
Picture Courtesy: Indian Cars Bikes.in
Bikers are a funny sort. They do things that only they are perhaps capable of comprehending and say things that would embarrass normal people no end. There was this chap who just got married (and he was still in his wedding regalia with yellow sacred race on him along with garlands with his wife also still in wedding regalia and they were married for a few minutes only) and promptly introduced his new bride as his “second” wife. There was shock and horror on the face of the poor girl and her proud father who seemed to think that they were cheated into getting into a matrimonial alliance with a feller who was already married once!!!! But his biker buddies to whom he introduced his new bride thus were not in any state of confusion; they knew perfectly what he meant. The chap who was among the first in the group of friends to be going the marriage way was reassuring everyone else that he remained committed to his first wife which happened to be a Yamaha RX-100. But the brand new father in law did not know and looked fairly panic stricken.
One of the chappies in the group of friends decided to up the ante by spicing up the story. He said that before the now newly married guy acquired his first wife he had a mistress who happened to be his maternal uncle’s first wife!!!!!! Right at the time when the new bride had decided to take off the garlands and throw them to the ground for marrying into such a crooked and immoral family, good sense prevailed in the bikers gang and another offered to explain not only the fact that the first wife was an RX-100 but also the fact that his mistress who was also the uncle’s first wife was a Jawa 250 motorcycle of the 1959 vintage. This revelation brought palpable relief to the faces and tormented souls of the new bride, her father and her family. And now it also brings us to the main course; the content of this article which is all about the Jawa/Yezdi legend and folklore.
Rewind to the time prior to the 1980s, actually the mid-point of that decade. Owning even a two wheeler, let alone a car was not possible for everyone. There were three scooters to choose from: the Bajaj 150, the Lambretta from Automotive Products of India and the Vijai Super (it started life as the Vijai Deluxe). (The last named was also a Lambretta; Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s government bought out the entire plant of the defunct Innocenti Scooters of Italy along with the designs that the company had. That new entity was called Scooters India and went on to produce Vijai scooters for the victorious hockey team that had just won the World Hockey Championship in 1975 under the captaincy of Ajit Pal Singh. The story is that the scooter was thus named to signify the victory of the Indian Hockey team at the highest level). In the motorcycle segment too there were three to choose from; the Enfield Bullet (350cc four stroke), the Jawa (250cc two stroke with two exhaust ports in one cylinder-this bike later on became the Yezdi) and the Rajdoot (175cc two stroke) which was actually based on a DKW motorcycle from the 1920s. The Bullet was probably a year or two younger in its vintage as was the Jawa. The three motorcycles tell us three different stories.
First, the Rajdoot. The Rajdoot was made in India by Escorts Ltd who then sold their business to Yamaha who then like the American forces in Abbotabad quietly took the Rajdoot to some remote corner of Uttar Pradesh and gave it a quiet and quick burial so that no one would ever remember it and pay homage to it in the future. So the Rajdoot died a death about which we have no clue. Then, the Bullet. While the Japs and the Chinese believe in reverse engineering, we Indians went in another direction called reverse purchasing. What was actually Enfield India went on to assume the mantle of the original company which was a British relic and became Royal Enfield Motors and continues to produce Bullets like Godzilla its “little” off spring or the Signourney Weaver tormenting Alien that not only refuses to die but continues to procreate. The Bullet has old faithfuls who will follow it to the depths of hell if required. The third, the Jawa/Yezdi has been retired to graze the pastures peacefully and there are those good old yeomen who continue to service and look after the heavy horse that once served them loyally, faithfully and reliably.
One such pasture is Mangalore in Karnataka where this year the International Jawa Day was celebrated on the 10th of July, 2011. To most people Mangalore is the poor country cousin of Bangalore, but that is not true. Mangalore has its own proud heritage and has its own community of automobile afficionados who love and look after their automobiles with the same passion and pride that automobile afficionados in other parts of the country and world do.
Mr. Sudhir Bhandarkar an enthusiast and a member of the said community had this to say about the event to Riot Engine. “International Jawa Day was celebrated at Mangalore today the 10th of July 2011.It was a fun-filled get together of 12 Jawa and 22 Yezdi bikes.Led from the front by Shawn Fernandez and Arun Shiri, the club members started assembling from 3 PM. By 4 PM, which was the starting time, there were 25 bikes.
Remainder trickled in within next hour. We went on a ride around the city starting 5:30 PM. Traffic police were of immense help; we were escorted by two police bikes leading the way and two police jeeps following the entourage”. He further added, “There were 12 Jawa and 22 Yezdi bikes at the show. Oldest owner (incidentally with the oldest bike as well) was Mr A P Bhat (69 yrs of age with his 1964 Jawa). Other old model Jawas belonged to Deepak Rao (1965; inherited his father’s Jawa) and Henry, a renowned Yezdi mechanic (1967 model)”.
Mr. Shawn Fernandez whose name you find mentioned by Mr. Bhandarkar wrote his feelings in his blog which is titled “Enigmatic Ravings” (www.enigmaticravings.blogspot.com).
What’s in a ‘Yawa’? – The 9th International Jawa Day
“10th July, 2011 and one more year – well not for me in that way, but for something that touched a lot of people all over the world! The Jawa motorcycles! Ok, the people who ride the Jawa motorcycles? Ok ok, forget the Hondas and the Yams and the BMWs and what nots, not heard of the Czechoslovakia manufacturing unit, the biggest Eastern manufacturing unit that has a capacity of manufacturing 100,000 motorcycles annually? And hey its pronounced “Yawa”……….Rules were simple. Helmets were to be used and not just carried, stick to a respectable speed of 45 km/h and ride in staggered formation, so any traffic overtaking us or oncoming can easily pass, while each rider falls in behind the other”! He further wrote, “We rode on through town, past signals and people and traffic! Our pilot rider, a police man on a 100 cc bike, was pretty proud of towing all the large motorcycles behind him, and he did an excellent job! Cars other 2 wheelers were immediately prompted to move to the side or stop completely, stubborn buses were immediately glared down (or glared up at), hell yes, the red signal at the main junction meant nothing and we mowed through, with all policemen strategically placed, halting all onrushing traffic! The Jawas and Yezdis had won their place! This was no fast paced rally nor was it a chanting mob of alcohol fired youngsters! These were the motorcycles of yesteryear s, throbbing and roaring in unison all in formation, elderly riders with their prized possessions, younger generations with their rides, different from others! We rode serenely at a steady pace and the public gawked! We bliped our throttles and everybody in the malls turned to watch. Motorcycles – old and aged, some before we were born but still strong and steady – no wonder they called them the ‘Forever Bike’!”
What words!!! The Jawa/Yezdi is indeed a Forever Bike. The Indian Ideal Jawa factory is closed, this model of bikes are no longer made even by the original Jawa Company but owners and their progeny ensure that the bikes remain in running condition and use them proudly. Some of the owners are gone but the bikes are still there; a legacy cherished by the members of the family who continue to maintain the family heirloom. This is a romance of epic proportions and love story that far exceeds the intensity of Romeo & Juliet, Laila & Majnu and any other that you can think of.
Our most sincere thanks to Mr. Sudhir Bhandarkar and to Mr. Shawn Fernandez for the information and the link to Mr. Fernandez’s blog. Keep up the great work people, it is people like you who make the difference to an automobile that is now out of production. You are preserving a heritage and a piece of history for posterity. And paraphrasing AC/DC’s lyric we say “For those who really rock, we Salute You”.
God knows what romance Honda has for us Indians. We prefer to buy their bikes in droves. It all has something to do with the Hero Honda CD 100 the fill it, shut it, forget it bike. The Honda brand carries a very strong image even when Honda went solo. The Honda CB Shine dominates the 125cc segment. The Unicorn though not dominating like the Shine still has a strong brand value and now it emerges that if you want a Unicorn you have to wait for six months, that is just 3 months less than the waiting that you have for the Honda bestselling scooter the Activa for which you wait 9 months. Don’t you think that is a funny coincidence? The gestation for a human baby takes that much time. So if you are buying an Activa you plan it just like you would for your baby. That is not yet with the Unicorn though, but who knows with growing demand and limited production capacity, you may also have to plan a Unicorn.
The 250cc segment in the Indian two wheeler market is seeing some action these days. This was once the bread and butter segment for Indian manufacturer Yezdi who made the Jawa 250cc under licence. The smallest motorcycle was the humble Rajdoot which had a 175cc engine. Then there was the Bullet which was all of 350cc. Even the smallest scooter engine capacity was 150cc. Then in the first wave of economic liberalization in the mid 1980’s motorcycles with 100cc capacity were given concessions and thus started the 100cc story in the Indian motorcycle market, a story that sees the refusal of the consumer to move away from that cubic capacity. Anyway, with the launch of the Kawasaki Ninja 250R and more recently the CBR250R from Honda, the focus of the bike enthusiasts has moved to that segment. Of course, there are bigger bikes from Kawasaki, Hyosung, Harley Davidson, Honda and Yamaha but those are too niche for the common man. Towards the beginning of this year Suzuki previewed the GW 250 with two cylinders but producing only a modest 26 PS of power. Now the news comes that the production of the motorcycle has started in China. The question then is will it come to India? Logic dictates that it should, but companies have their own way of assessing markets so who knows. At the unveiling of the bike in Indonesia, Suzuki said that India was definitely under consideration. But that was then, and this is now, so we do not know if there is any change of strategy. It must be said that most of Suzuki’s small capacity Indian made motorcycles have not done well while their best seller is the Access 125 cc scooter which has a waiting period of up to 3 months.
Picture Courtesy: Bike Advice.in
