Haute Wheels

As a child, part of Habib Faisal's joy in spending his summer holidays in Bhopal was watching one of his uncles, the owner of a bike-maintenance shop, at work. "Anyone with a Yezdi was treated like a king. And once the bike was fixed, they would start up the engine and listen to the sound, which was unique to this brand," he recollects. This fond memory made the director give Arjun Kapoor's character 'Parma' in Ishaqzaade a Yezdi bike to ride.

While Faisal's decision may seem whimsical to some, several biking enthusiasts across the country will second his choice. Yezdi bikes, which have been out of production since 1999, continue to evoke nostalgia and enjoy a loyal following even today. There are active fan clubs in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Goa, Pondicherry and so on, where members organise drives. "I started a club for Yezdi bike owners in 2003 with a friend. We undertake a ride every month," says Hiren Chanda, 33-year-old Mumbai resident .

Automobile expert Kartik Ganesh attributes this following to the technology behind Yezdis, which are considered tough and extremely reliable. They were manufactured by Ideal Jawa, an Indian company that was a joint venture with Czechoslovakian bike manufacturer, Jawa, in 1960. "Jawas could run on any fuel, from petrol and kerosene to vegetable oil and aircraft-grade fuel. These bikes were designed during World War II. The idea was to move troops across rough terrain with whatever form of fuel was at hand. This gave them cult status across the world," explains Ganesh.

Soon after their launch in India, Jawas and Yezdis gave stiff competition to Rajd­oot and Yamaha and the immensely popular Enfield. Ideal Jawa first brought in som­e Jawa models and later started making Yezdis, based on similar technology.

In 2007, Amrit Appaiah of Bangalore met three Jawa/ Yezdi owners. "In 2008, we registered 60 bikers but close to 140 people turned up. The number has increased and we now see over 500 Jawas/Yezdis taking part in our yearly event," says Appaiah.

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