[IQBAL VEERJI]

Hi , About 6 to 7 years back I used to see in mumbai a Bajaj autorickshaw with major modifications ,viz.

1. Rear portion had rear hatch of Maruti Omini.
2. It was painted in mettalic colour.
3.It had proper doors and glasses with winders.
5.Music system.
6.2 to 3 Fans for driver and passengers.
7.wheel covers.
8. Absolute quite exhaust.
Over and above the owner was a fat lady always sitting in the centre of the rear seat.She had a uniformed driver to drive that rick to her office somewhere in town.
At many times she used to ask silly questions during interviews about her vehicle, like can someone give me a idea how to install AC in this RICK without additional engine or the engine for the AC on the roof just because she was fed up of heat and dust and fans around her .
It has been long long time I saw that rick.

[rohanjf]

When I was a kid (20 years ago), I knew a Mr. Lobo in our neighbourhood in Mangalore, who used to drive his own autorickshaw. He was a businessman and his business partners used to drive cars like Cielo and Maruti 1000. But this man was so fond of his autorickshaw that he had painted it light and dark shades of pink and named it pussycat (no pun intended).

According to him, autorickshaw was safer than a motorbike, and as fuel efficient and maintenance-free as motorbike. However, he was forced to use it only for commuting to his business office and not to go out with his family. His family wouldn't go with him in his rickshaw :-)

[Gansan]

There is a physically challenged sub-staff in our office who drives his own auto to work every day. It can be seen parked among the other cars! He is too bulky to use a three wheeled scooter and since his left leg is severely affected by polio, can't operate the clutch in a car. His financial position may not allow him to have a car anyway. Having operated a hand pedalled tricycle for years, his upper torso is massively developed and operating the controls of the auto is child's play for him! All things said and done, initial cost apart, no car can match the operating costs of an auto.

[Klub Class]

I'm hooked to this thread. Though OT, I would like to share this with you all.

For the record, my father is a Paediatrician and he works in a small private hospital near our home. The hospital owns an autorickshaw and it's primarily being used by the gynecologist for her personal errands, say for buying vegetables, dropping her children at school and what not! Yes, she finds herself more happy being in the auto than in her Honda City

Personally, I prefer an used car over the autorickshaw, for the sheer driving pleasure it offers.

Originally Posted by IQBAL VEERJI

...I used to see in mumbai a Bajaj autorickshaw with major modifications ,viz

You should have taken a pic of that autorickshaw and shared with us in the 'weird and wacky' modifications thread!

[rajeev k]

Came across this Lambretta make auto rickshaw used for personal transport and is in trim condition, Is a 1977 model one.

[gautamkhadse]

Originally Posted by Revvhead

if i'm not mistaken, Bharat Dhabolkar has one, with chropme exhausts and and quite spiffy looking!!

Since you mentioned it ,heres a pic of the custom auto rickshaw .. looks awesome . And its aptly named WORLI DAVIDSON !

Source : The trick is to get a rick - Economy and Politics - livemint.com

[Raff]

Hi folks,
I haven't really posted that much on here as I've been away from your amazing country for quite some time now. To rectify this I am heading over for a two month visit beginning around the 21st of this month.

I had planned to arrive in either Kolkata or Delhi if possible but being the cheapskate that I am I will instead be flying into Trichy. As I think it's always better to look on the bright side this will give me a chance to see alot more of India.

I have been down that way before a few years ago when I took part in an organised rickshaw rally (you may have seen mention of it on TV??) funnily enough this also ignited a bit of a passion for these wonderful little vehicles.

In my home country (Australia) we don't really have many shaws at all, however there are a trickle of Vespa Apes that are just about the same machine when all is said and done. Since that rally I have managed to get hold of almost two and a half of the Ape upon which your front engined Bajaj rickshaws are based.

Now I understand that the poor FE shaw has been superceded somewhat by the RE models and that in some areas owners of front engined shaws were ordered by the government to destroy them. (I believe this involed chopping them up into a few pieces?) I am however hoping that there are still some alive and kicking as well as the possibility that some of the parts (engine, differential, chassis etc) are still laying around getting up to no good.

So anyways, to cut a long story short, I could really use some help in getting my hands on at least one complete FE shaw. (I gotta get from Tamil Nadu up to Delhi somehow...) I could also really use a couple of spare engines and other bits as well.

Now you may wonder why in the almighty's name I would want to bother with these little things, well basically I really want to set up a business back in Australia using older style 3 wheelers to sell coffee, ice cream and food. If I manage to get hold of a few extra rear trays I can easily chop and change the rear of each shaw to perhaps use in advertising and even weddings if I have the rear seats and canopy for them.

I am also quite interested in a version of the Ape known in Italy as the Pentaro, this was basically a shaw that towed a trailer behind it rather than having either a tray or rear seats. Funnily enough there just so happens to be a company in India that makes these monsters.

http://maharashtra.all.biz/auto-trac...ng-kit-g356773

http://trade.indiamart.com/details.mp?offer=2593532691#

http://www.indiamart.com/awachat-ind.../trailers.html

So basically, my plan is to arrive in Trichy (or possibly Chennai) and then make my way to Wardha where the company in the links above is located. I am hoping with just about all of my heart that the folks at Awachat Industries won't laugh me out of their premises without even a couple of Chais and a biscuit thus making my dream just that little bit harder to realise.

Now obviously getting a complete Auto-Track trailer exported back to Australia would be prohibitively expensive but if I can manage to purchase say the parts used for hitching said trailer to the rear of the threewheeler as well as the rear axle and everything that surrounds it I can then fabricate the rest back home in Australia.

Ever since I took part in the rally I have had the regular daydream of attaching a sort of caravan to the rear of a shaw and using that to travel ever so slowly around Australia. Now while I can do this using a shaw on it's own (check out the pic linked below...)

http://lambrettista.net/2013/10/18/d...ort-and-style/

Now while something like the above would be brilliant, I think I could make something a tiny bit roomier if I used one of the auto track trailers above. I know it is a pretty crazy idea but I have been obsessing over this for a while and am determined to get it happening.

Soooooooo, to sum up (I didn't really make it that short did I??) If any kind souls could help me to aquire an older Bajaj FE shaw I would be eternally grateful. As I plan to film and document this whole crazy thing you will also have a chance to get yourself on Australian and hopefully Indian and international TV.

So, please, please, please ,please If you happen to have any information that might help me I will be grateful long beyond eternity (Y)

[ashwinprakas]

Any idea what FE these modern Rickshaws return?

Lack of sleep got me contemplating about the possibility of touring across the country on a machine that is rain resistant, and the Auto was the first to come to mind.

With cheaper 4 wheeled options about such as the Qute do autorickshaws still stand a chance when it comes to touring India without getting wet?