THE INDIAN BIKING SCENE (PART I)

The Indian biking scene in its early years had a local manufacturer Rajdoot, which catered for whatever little biking needs the market had. Other than these bulky and low powered bikes, there were only small mopeds in the two wheeler category. 1961 saw the launch Yezdi, made in collaboration with the Czechoslovakian manufacturer Jawa. This twin cylinder bike based on the BSA Goldstar became synonymous with strength, power, go anywhere ability and every enthusiast and milkman had one. Another twin cylinder bike launched was the legendary Yamaha RD350 in the early 80s (hey that coincides with my birth year, coincidence!!!). It was not only the Yamaha name, but the 32bhp power of the 350cc two stroke mille and the exhaust note sent all boys and their list of girlfriends (well a RD ensured you had a long one) going crazy. But even though these bikes were great, their high cost and fuel guzzling meant they never set the sales chart on fire in a country where the economy was rising after having taken the brunt of two wars and died a natural death in the face of what is described ahead.

So, in stepped Honda and forged an alliance with a local manufacturer, Hero motors. This particular alliance would go on to become the largest and one of the most trusted biking brands in the country (Honda seems to do it everywhere it goes). It hit the bull’s eye by meeting the needs of the average Joe with 100cc single cylinder, 4 stroke bikes which were cheap to buy and ran that extra mile on every single drop of fuel. The important thing here was that as these were the first 4 stroke bikes in the market (and were the only ones for a long time), their refinement and low maintenance costs were unparalleled. Another Japanese manufacturer stepped in through an alliance named TVS Suzuki. They too released some low capacity 2 stroke bikes. It also released the first 5 speed bike in India (though the RD already had 6, beat that!), the Suzuki Shogun. It had moderate power delivery, a stunning all black and red colour scheme (including the engine & exhaust) and was perfect for burning tarmac/stunts.

Meanwhile Yamaha launched the RX100, which still according to many people was the perfect enthusiasts bike ever released in India till the 21st century. It had awesome pick up and the most amazing exhaust note which still makes people weak in the knees. So no surprise that it went on to become one of the biggest success stories here. With time its engine was upgraded (in size), but the subsequent models never had the appeal of the original RX100 and went out with the demise of the 2 strokes. All along, there was another manufacturer named Royal Enfield. This British firm now under Indian control made 350cc, pushrod engine powered bikes inspired by the Triumph Bonneville. But no, they did not sell as retro bikes, on the other hand, due to their ruggedness, amazing abuse tolerance along with decent power, they found use in all military and police garages becoming their hot favourite (the military still uses them).

To be continued…

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