[ACMohan]

Yes! I restored another Bajaj Scooter (Restomod to be apt) . This is how it started. So, when my uncle saw my dad’s restored Chetak (The blue one- here’s the link (Restoration of my '86 Bajaj Chetak), if you haven’t read her story yet), he became vocal on the memories of a similar scooter of his. In his eyes, I could see the enthusiasm and a strong desire to get the scooter restored.

One fine evening, dad informed that my uncle was on his way, with something special for me. Guess what! He came with his same old scooter, but in a cargo auto as its brakes were jammed. I couldn’t inspect the scooter thoroughly as it was already dark. So the first thing, I did the next morning was to examine its condition. Upon thorough inspection, it was found that it had a badly rusted mudguard and some other minor issues like missing fuel tap lever, broken lights, cables etc. Also the scooter was a newer version of the Chetak- yes, the one with a fiber horn cast (with turn signals integrated to it). This made me skeptical about its restoration as it lacked a vintage/retro look. But I couldn't ignore my uncle's desire to see his scooter restored. So I decided to get this done.



The scooter with all its accessories/ extra fittings and the spare tyre. This is how I got it.

Since we already had a restored Chetak close to its stock condition, I planned to restomod this one. We started the restoration and left the mod part for next stage. We followed almost the same procedure as the previously restored scooter. The clutch, brake shoes, all gaskets, seals, cables, rear suspension bushes, fuel hose, front wheel bearings along with axle were replaced, fuel tank was cleaned and fuel tap lever was fixed. And now the scooter was running again with a slightly throaty exhaust note (due to a leaking exhaust).



After the removal of badges, spare tyre and other extra accessories like the grab handle etc. The turn signal section on the fibre horn cast was removed and the seat was modified to a smaller one (dropped this idea later).



Fiber horncast was removed and relays/flasher relocated.

Now to the second stage, the modification part!

The scooter lacked a vintage look mainly due to its plastic horn cast. So to replace that, a salvaged metal horn cast was bought. The scooter was then taken to body shop for the much needed body repair.



The salvaged metal horncast with chrome horn.



The metal horncast was welded and the rear indicators on the side covers was removed and the socket welded. The rusty old mudguard and all other rusty bits were taken care of.



The stock single seat appeared too large for the scooter when the spare wheel was removed. Fascinated by the café racer seat setup, we decided to make a frame out of metal (May change to a fiberglass one later). Yes! A Café Racer Scooter! It was hinged at the front and locked to the frame with a latch. (More on this later)

Paintjob.



Candy red and Berry red. The darker one is berry red. Candy red looked too good in shades and at night. However it was too bright and flashy during broad daylight!



The preparation before paintjob



After the base coat



Some more prep work.



After the final clear coat.



Seat from the blue chetak was fixed and the scooter was taken home.

Parts



Beading, headlamp, speedo cable, brake light switch, speedometer (the older one was damaged beyond repair), Rear shock bush and new carb float assembly.



Black mirrors and bar end turn signal lights. (Planned to fix round bar end mirrors to make it more of a café racer style. However, since it’d rotate with the throttle and gear selector, that plan was dropped)



New combination switch (the older one's contacts were worn out), throttle cable.

Assembly

Once the painting was completed, we brought her home for the final assembly stage.



Wiring was corrected. New combination switch and bar end turn signals were wired. Ignition key cylinder was relocated to headset. Headlamp was replaced with a new one.



Love!



Parts to be reassembled. The seat frame was given for upholstery.

PROLOGUE: A Bhpian's Wish

Indeed, your wish did come true, Asish_VK and I've kept my word.

Originally Posted by ACMohan

Asish, the scooters in the pictures look great though. But, I wanted to keep it in the original form. If I had another Chetak, I would have done that for sure.

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Agree with you guys,
I totally understand it, Forgot about the fuel filler cap
As a restoration, what you did is perfect. Wish you get another Chetak to do what I said

And finally, here's the finished scooter.

We've strictly followed a Red/Black theme and that's why chrome was avoided. (horn being the only chrome thing in the scooter now.)



Notice how the seat makes the scooter look small.













Cafe racer inspired seat. It doesn't give the comfort of the stock seat but it's not bad either. And the riding position has improved, I think.







This is how it looks with a rider. The seat surely gives the scooter a leap forward stance. The helmet doesn't match the scooter, though.



Thank you everyone.

PS

• Special thanks to Babu uncle for trusting me and gifting his beloved scooter.
  
• Unlike the last time, some parts were difficult to source. Thanks to my friends Sudhish, Basil and Ebin for helping me with the parts hunt!
  
• Thanks to Mr. Ajayan (Bodyshop), Mr. Jose (Paintshop), and Mr. Shyam (Upholstery) for their effort.
  
• Thanks to my cousins Sarun and Jithu for their helping hand.
  
• And Thanks to my friend Rohini, for helping me put this whole thing into words.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[saisree]

Love the restoration. CHETAK is pure nostalgia and it kindles that tagline “ Buland Bharat Ki... “. Dare to say that the two Chetaks' restoration met the levels of FIATs, Ambys and other classics in this forum.

How is your uncle feeling on getting his ride back in a boyish look? Did you ask him to shed his age and appearance?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Brilliant! I'm not sure if I'm a fan of that thin seat - but everything else looks sweet! So, when do you plan to paint this one?

Leaving a link for your beautiful painting of the Chetak for BHPians to get the reference - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...-drawings.html (The Artworks thread! Paintings, sketches & drawings)

[deep_bang]

Beautiful rendering and making it a retro but yet stylish. No doubt the seat is the most dynamic part of the restoration. But the other like the paint job etc are also done very very nicely.

[Axe77]

This is a really beautiful project - well done indeed. I have a question - doesn't the seat feel too hard for lack of cushioning or not that bad in real life?

By the way, speaking of custom scooter I LOVED what K Speed Customs (Thailand) did with these Honda Cubs. Who better than RacerTV to present the bike in his inimitable style of presentation. Reminds me a bit of our good old Bajaj M 80. Someone could do a similar restoration project using an old M 80.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbHvjRz-ICM

[v12]

Very beautifully executed Mohan!! The cafe racer seat beautifully gels in with the rest of the scooter and indeed does look like a Cafe Scooter.

Axe77 - someone on the forum has made a cafe racer out of a TVS moped. Do check it out.

[ariesonu]

Great effort.
Would love to see the handle bar end lights - in action
You are missing rubber gasket around on side trunk flap
The front number plate patch looks too low. I suppose that it is tape. Make the corners rounded next time to match rounded shape of scooter.
Add a six inch high windshield at front OR full size one.

Regards-Sonu

[arvindmanju]

I was never a scooter fan(especially Chetak), but your red colour scooter looks fabulous and makes me fall in love with it. Great effort put to make it look so adorable, also very beautifully photographed!

[Amrik Singh]

I have '83 Model Chetak. It is perfectly sound Mechanically and Electrically. No body Rust. One reason for its condition is my almost 20 Years working in Middle East while the Scooter took rest at home. I collided with a Car which had stopped abruptly in the middle of the road, in an attempt to cross the road. The Front Wheel Mudguard was damaged and the front suspension fork was bent. Although I did not need this Scooter, yet got it repaired for running errands from market which my Pulsar could not do.
Though I want to restore it fully, I am in a dilemma considering the future of near vintage scooters in India. Would it be worth spending money on Bodywork repairs and Painting just for the affection with the Scooter ? I am a person of few needs and do not have much outing. And there is no one else who would be using it in future either.

[bharatmarch]

This is a beauty. Loved the colour and the cafe racer styling. Inspiring. My Suzuki Fiero year 2000 is under restoration. This post has given me much needed motivation.

[raman.aries]

Hi, I have 2002 model Chetak with me in Trivandrum which needs a bit of restoration. I was wondering where you obtained the spare parts for your scooter from, assuming that you did the restoration in Kochin. I am finding it difficult to source the rubber and plastic parts as well as the speedometer assembly.

Thanks,
Raman

[InsaneSpeed]

Hi Mohan,
This restoration has turned out to be really well. Absolutely loved the color combination and the cafe racer setup. Just one question, incase your uncle decides to go for the longer seat to accommodate 2 riders, is there any scope to do that?

[Mohitkumaar]

Assuming you are planning to do more such mods, I suggest you consider converting next version to electric scooter.

[AlQuazi]

This is Love!!

The idea, the execution and the photos have been very well put together!

I especially love the seat and the red/black theme.

A very well put together project. No surprises that it has come from 'Mods Own Country!'