[ACMohan]

Though my Bajaj Chetak may not be old enough for being considered as a vintage scooter, it holds a vintage value for me and my family. Everyone has a deep emotional attachment with their first vehicle, the one on which they used to travel as a child.
This is the story of one such scooter.

The scooter served us well till my father bought a bike in 2001. Eventually he gave up riding the scooter due to back pain. He then decided to sell it rather than leaving it to bite the dust. We were offered Rs 10000 (which was a great deal at that time) by the mechanic who used to work on it. But selling the scooter was totally unacceptable for me and my sister. It was priceless for us. And when the mechanic guy arrived, we couldn't resist our tears and insisted on keeping it with us. At last, Dad decided not to sell the scooter.
The scooter was left untouched in the porch for few months and then moved to backyard of our house. Even though the fuel tank was emptied and oil was poured in the cylinder, the engine was stuck when we tried to fire her up in 2006. With the help of a local mechanic, we managed to start her up. It was badly in need of an engine rebuild, as the engine produced so much rattling. And it took yet another 6 years to start the much needed engine rebuild.

6 years later...

Later during the 2012 vacation, the engine was rebuilt. Gaskets, packing, oil seals, clutch plates, and all cables were also replaced with new ones. Our rusty old petrol tank was replaced by a spare tank obtained from our mechanic. The front seat was in a bad state as its spring was broken. A used seat was bought and was refurbished. The carb was cleaned and filter was replaced. The carbon deposits in the exhaust were torched.

Gaskets and Packing kit.


Oil seal


Clutch plates

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, me and my cousin decided to give her some colors. Fascinated by the two tone color scheme of Lambretta and Vijay Super, we decided to paint it red and white. Rattle cans were bought and some left over paints were used. It was a complete DIY. Though it lacked the finish and bling factor of a professional paint job, it looked good and gave her a new life. But the scooter still lacked a valid RC.

Coat of Oil primer

DIY paint job

3 years later....

While flipping through the pages of an old album, chetak in its original fern yellow color caught my eyes. So I thought of giving it a proper paint job. But the RC issues refrained me from doing that. And on one fine day, while going through the newspaper, I saw an article on 'One time settlement' for tax pending vehicles. So I made up my mind to get it done this time.

Paint was stripped using chemical method.


This was later gas welded.


After the coats of primer and surfacer.


After the paint job


Side cover with new aluminium beading. All rubber beadings were replaced. New foot rest was fixed.


Spare wheel and rear seat fixing




Tire walls painted white. Chrome mirrors fixed

Thanks everyone.

PS
This is an imported scooter BTW

[Gannu_1]

Moderator's Note: Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorbikes section. Thanks for sharing!

[Blow Horn Ok]

Good to see the chetak being rescued. A relative of mine had kept the same scooter in our backyard for 15 years and recently he sold it off at merely Rs. 1500/- to a scrap dealer. Now I feel I should have rescued it. IMO, the look without rear seat and stepney frame and wheel looks more classic than the current original set up. I would suggest to get new set of tyres (If tyres of activa's or other scooters would fit) with modern patterns without white walls just to add a bit of style.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by ACMohan

Attachment 1392305

Love this picture. Kudos to the restoration - I did like the two tone paint job to.

Only suggestion from my side - please lose those white wall tyres - they are not looking good. Also, personally, I liked it without the pillion seat and the spare tyre.

--Anoop

[ACMohan]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

Good to see the chetak being rescued. A relative of mine had kept the same scooter in our backyard for 15 years and recently he sold it off at merely Rs. 1500/- to a scrap dealer. Now I feel I should have rescued it. IMO, the look without rear seat and stepney frame and wheel looks more classic than the current original set up. I would suggest to get new set of tyres (If tyres of activa's or other scooters would fit) with modern patterns without white walls just to add a bit of style.

Thanks. Will consider buying a new set of tires.
It looked good without the stepney and frame. But as it was due in for a retest/inspection, I had to retain the current original setup.
Without the rear seats, it didn't look good from the rear and side. So the rear seat was fixed.



And without the stepney and frame, it wasn't safe for the pillion rider. Moreover, my father insisted on keeping the original setup.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Love this picture. Kudos to the restoration - I did like the two tone paint job to.

Only suggestion from my side - please lose those white wall tyres - they are not looking good. Also, personally, I liked it without the pillion seat and the spare tyre.

--Anoop

Thanks Anoop. Some more works are pending. I couldn't find the rubber beading for the aluminium rails on the floor and the 'BajajChetak' emblem needs to be riveted. I'm thinking of adding a bit of chrome too. I'll consider buying a set of new tires at that time.

Here's another shot of the two tone paintjob.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by ACMohan

Thanks Anoop. Some more works are pending. I couldn't find the rubber beading for the aluminium rails on the floor and the 'BajajChetak' emblem needs to be riveted. I'm thinking of adding a bit of chrome too. I'll consider buying a set of new tires at that time.

Do you really need that emblem? I think the debadged look suits the bike better. If I were you, I will keep the bike as it is - no more chrome, no emblems, but yes, I will add the rubber beading for the aluminium rails on the floor.

--Anoop

[ACMohan]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Do you really need that emblem? I think the debadged look suits the bike better. If I were you, I will keep the bike as it is - no more chrome, no emblems, but yes, I will add the rubber beading for the aluminium rails on the floor.

--Anoop

I just want to keep it in the original state. That's the only reason. Of course, the debadged look suits it better. A bit of chrome in the front, around the body colored beading (as you can see in the pictures) may look good for darker shades.

[aswin ajith]

Hey there,
Tastefully restored Chetak there. Keep her shining for as many years as possible. We too have a 1990 Chetak sitting in the backyard of our home sadly, which used to be my dad's ride. It was repainted back in 2005 and was running till 2012 when my dad decided to go gearless with his Maestro. Since then its not been used. But much to the dismay of folks he is simply not ready to sell it despite mouth watering offers coming from all directions.
OT: Your KL 39 A 7770 Swift looks very familiar to me. I have seen this car a lot of times within Cochin and especially I remember once when I spotted you at MG university couple of years back. I think we have a common friend but just cant remember who and again I didn't know you were a member. Where do you stay ?

[Beco]

Originally Posted by ACMohan

I saw an article on 'One time settlement' for tax pending vehicles. So I made up my mind to get it done this time.

Great job man! I am right now re-building my dad's old Bajaj Super 150 (1983).

I think in Maharashtra; any vehicle older than 15 years, would never be able get re-registered. The local RTOs quite strict about it. Nevertheless, people do not bother and still use much older vehicles. I don't know if there are any such restrictions in Karnataka.

[GTO]

Stylish, very stylish! Congrats on the restoration.

Originally Posted by ACMohan

It was priceless for us. And when the mechanic guy arrived, we couldn't resist our tears and insisted on keeping it with us. At last, Dad decided not to sell the scooter.

Kudos to your Dad . Would love to know of his expression when he saw the restored scooter. Did he take a spin on it to relive old memories?

Originally Posted by Beco

I think in Maharashtra; any vehicle older than 15 years, would never be able get re-registered.

No such rule. You have to renew the RC book & get a fitness certificate - link.

[hamster]

Nostalgic !! Very Nice Restoration. Kudos for that.

A restoration has been running through my mind as well, but not sure whether I will have the time and patience to get my hands dirty. Its my brother-in-law's Chetak and its the same machine, in which I started my LTD(Learn To Drive).
Remember it driving through Trivandrum roads and its lying in Chennai now.
But if I had to restore I wanted to use the seat, which Bajaj offered for its superFE edition (single long seat, instead of twin seats). Somehow liked it very much.
But not sure whether it will be possible for a chetak, since the fuel inlet is located in between the seats.

[vinit.merchant]

Awesome restoration.

Your thread inspires me to start working on my Bajaj Super. It is a 1999 model and will also require a FC done.
There is no spark coming. I even changed the spark plug and tried, even though missing spark is not due to the plug. On previous two occasions I was able to start it on my own DIY, but this time it is lying around since almost 3 years now. I could not start it myself and now I need to hunt for a mechanic who can come to my place and do it. Do not want to leave it at their garage. Never know what might go missing. Also, the super has never been left with the mechanic unattended in its entire life. I would like to keep it that way.

And now I shall go and find a mechanic for it. Just cant keep the urge away, after seeing your resurrected scooter.

Thanks for the inspiration.

[SnS_12]

Amazing restoration. Great Job

Gives me the opportunity to put up pics of my Dad's 92 Chetak which we just restored after the bike was completely destroyed in a fire.

Initially, my dad was not keen on rebuilding it, but when I insisted that I want the scooter to be restored and kept in the family is when he got all pumped up and agreed to do it. Final results as below

Before






After









Chetak with his master

[ACMohan]

Originally Posted by aswin ajith

Hey there,
Tastefully restored Chetak there. Keep her shining for as many years as possible. Where do you stay ?

Thanks Aswin. I reside near Udayamperoor, BTW. Maybe, we can meet someday.

Originally Posted by Beco

Great job man! I am right now re-building my dad's old Bajaj Super 150 (1983).

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Awesome restoration.

Your thread inspires me to start working on my Bajaj Super. It is a 1999 model and will also require a FC done.

Thanks Beco and Vinit. Bajaj scooter parts are still available with the dealers. So the restoration may not be a tough task. All the best to you both. And Vinit, happy to hear that you got inspired from this.

Originally Posted by GTO

Stylish, very stylish! Congrats on the restoration.
Kudos to your Dad . Would love to know of his expression when he saw the restored scooter. Did he take a spin on it to relive old memories?

Thanks GTO. Dad never expected it to turn out like this. He never liked darker shades on scooters. But when he saw the scooter in blue, he started loving it. I could read it from his face.

I've planned a trip with my Dad, soon after the monsoon ends, to relive all those memories.

Originally Posted by hamster

Nostalgic !! Very Nice Restoration. Kudos for that.

A restoration has been running through my mind as well.
But if I had to restore I wanted to use the seat, which Bajaj offered for its superFE edition (single long seat, instead of twin seats). Somehow liked it very much.
But not sure whether it will be possible for a chetak, since the fuel inlet is located in between the seats.

Thanks Hamster. Single seats can be used on chetak with some modifications. I've seen a couple of them like that. Maybe a scooter mechanic can help you. But I personally prefer the twin seat setup as it gives a classic styling to it.

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Amazing restoration. Great Job

Gives me the opportunity to put up pics of my Dad's 92 Chetak which we just restored after the bike was completely destroyed in a fire.

Thanks SnS.
Kudos to you for the initiative to restore the scooter even after it was destroyed in fire. Indeed, it shows your attachment with the scooter.

[motorpsycho]

I rode a Bajaj FE during my engineering days and once I got my Bike , dad decided to sell the scooter for a paltry sum of 3000 RS, there was nothing wrong with the scooter. Now looking back, I regret letting my dad sell the scooter. Whenever I visit my hometown I keep an eye out for my scooter hoping to buy it back and may be restore it if needed.