Most youngsters these days own a two-wheeler. To impress others and create a racy look, many of them repaint their bikes in bright colours, fix psychedelic lights, musical horns, modified silencers, raised handlebars, and other gadgets. In the late 60’s during my teens, the only earthly possession I had was a beastly Hercules bicycle, which was so heavy that perching myself in the saddle while negotiating the steep mountain slopes required the agility of an acrobat.
Being an opportunist, on my eighteenth birthday I persuaded my dad to purchase a motorcycle—a cherished dream for most youngsters then. In those days, a self-starter on a motorbike was a rarity and the two iconic bikes manufactured in India were the 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet, a favourite of elders and the 250cc Jawa, more suited to the younger generation. To kick-start a bullet, a scrawny guy like me would have to consume energy boosters like eggs and milk before making an attempt. Wisely, I opted for a Jawa.
A sleek maroon-coloured machine made in Czechoslovakia was delivered to my home within a week. After a rather nervous and wobbly start, I managed to master the intricacies of bike riding and scraped through my driving test. Very soon I discovered that this motorbike was a dependable machine which was easily manoeuvrable on the bumpy ghat roads. But it also had some glitches like the kickstarter that had to be rotated to function as a gear lever and the the magneto-based headlamp whose brightness fluctuated, making night-riding risky in the forested areas where wild pachyderms foraged. Many proud owners of the bike like me were pleased with its efficacy, though the mileage was nothing to write home about. As the old adage goes: “Boys will be boys” and there was an expert rider who could manoeuvre the bike round a ping-pong table while a match was in progress!
The Jawa and its upgrade, the Yezdi, ruled supreme and whizzed along our roads for over three decades. Sadly, slowly but surely, the fuel-efficient 100cc bikes built with Japanese technology cornered the market finally edging out the old faithful Yezdi in 1996.
The heartening news is that the well-known Mahendra company is planning to revive Jawa bikes in the near future. Now being a senior citizen, I seldom ride a bike. But once the refurbished bike is back in the market, I will certainly don my riding jacket, goggles, leather gloves and helmet to take a test ride just to relive the golden biking moments of my younger days.