LONG LIVE THE KING!!!. Review on Yezdi Roadking

YEZDI ROADKING/JAWA MOBIKE

Both these bikes be nearly the same. I had a Jawa 250 cc 2 stroke engine, my two friends DV and Sharad had ROADKINGS.

Let me go down memory lane about these bikes.

THE JAWA

I was a young 22 year old Sub Lieutenant, doing my Sub Lieutenants courses at INS Vendurthy,Kochi. way back in January 1972. Just got my stripes after beating the hell out of the Pakistanis in the Dec 1971 war, where I served as Gun Direction Platform Officer on board INS Talwar, in the Royal Rank of Midshipman! Our Division (INS Talwar, Trishul, and INS Vinash) sank 3 ships and set the port of Karachi aflame on the night of 04/05 Dec 1971!! No kidding.

As a gift for our war efforts, my Dad n Mom decided to gift me a Standard Herald! I said no way! I will settle for a Jawa 250 cc, second hand. A senior Subbie was leaving for sea life and I bought his Jawa for Rs 2,500/-. Among my course mates I was the FIRST BIKER!

I knew how to drive a car and a cycle but had no experience of a mobike. My first ride I banked and ran the bike into manicured lawns and bushes of Rear Admiral Kamath , Commander in Chief’s bungalow. Man I was shitting bricks! I was bruised pretty badly.

What do I say about the JAWA. It was a powerful bike, good mileage say 30 kms to a liter, two exhaust pipes, powerful, could do 100 MPH full throttle (Miles Per Hour not KMS). Those days a liter of pertol cost Rs 0.80. Yes Eighty naya paise. Maintenance costs low, my mechanic John, was an expert at servicing and supported the bike well. Two-stroke engine was not an issue then.

My course mate Reggie was the next to buy a Jawa. Together, with Ceaser and Madhu on the pillion, we drove all over Kerela, Munnar, Thekkady, Trivandrum, Alleppy and god knows where. The Jawa never let us down. Madhu still has black and white photos to this day.

Reggie was a hands on guy. One day he decided to strip the bikes for overhaul. He chose my bike first. We opened up the engine, cleaned up all the parts, put it back together. We found 12 small engine items that were lying around after Reggie had re-assembled the engine! Naturally the engine would not kick start. No matter.

Eight months down the line Reggie found an article in “Popular Mechanics” which said you could build a small plane with a 250 cc mobike engine! Again he chose my bike to make his dream plane. He said my bike engine was terrific. Reggie was a dreamer.

At Kochi we had a Naval Air Station. Reggie and I walked into the office of Commodore Flying with a proper appointment. Two Subbies wanting to meet the big Air shot! He allowed us in. We showed him the article in Popular Mechanics. He was amused but pretended to be serious. He summoned the Chief Engineer Aviation, rank Commander. Planes were flying around the air base like crazy.

Commodore Aviation told the Commander, “Take a look at this. These two young bright Subbies(short for Sub Lieutenants) have an idea to build an airplane.”

To cut a long story short…….the Chief Engineer Aviation and his staff shot down the project on grounds that the engine was too heavy and unreliable for flying a plane that we had in mind!! The Popular Mechanic recommended engines that were 4 stroke types. Reggie was devastated!He said, “Nandu, one day…one day…I will fly!”

Thank God Reggie did not build the plane, coz should we have built that plane we would have crashed and died.

For the record Reggie became an ace Naval Aviator, and for many years now he flies Air India Jumbo 747-400 as Captain. He never built a plane though.

THE ROAD KING JUST ANOTHER SPRUCED UP JAWA

No matter, I carted my Jawa to Mumbai after Subs courses when I joined a ship.

DV Singh, Sharad and me, all course mates, linked up at Mumbai. They had brand new ROADKINGS

. DV and Sharad did the rounds of Juhu and Bandra. They were dating Air India Airhostesses! They had smart brand new ROADKING bikes, mine was now beaten up without a stand and I had to use a street lamppost to park it.

Unfortunately Sharad and DV fell in love with the same girl, all coz of JAWA ROADKING!!! The girl could not decide whom to choose.

Believe me this issue was sorted out on the tennis court, by our senior Naval buddies. They decided to hold a tennis match , WINNER TAKE ALL!!!!.

40 of us crazy Naval dudes, including the girl watched this match, held at US Club, Mumbai, cheering for no one.

Sharad won, DV lost. Sharad got the girl and married her!

Hail the JAWA ROADKING!!!!!