[MVM]

Any vintage artefact has an irresistible charm of its own. My love for vintage bikes helped me find a kind old man who graciously allowed me to ride his pride and joy. A man who had owned this bike for the last 44 Years.

The bike in question was a 1978 Yezdi Model B 250.
(Just the name "Yezdi" gives me goosebumps.)

I had expressed my love for Yezdis previously on Team BHP.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...daily-use.html (Is a Classic Yezdi or Jawa still a viable option for daily use?)

After realising that a Yezdi is not the best first bike especially when I wanted my first bike to give me a trouble free experience I decided to purchase a Hero HF100. But the Yezdi bug never died. The sight of a Yezdi always excited me. But I decided to stay an admirer from afar. Believe me when I say that I love my HF 100 very much but it is no Yezdi. Around 2 weeks back I was speaking to one of our family friends when he revealed to me that he had requested his uncle to allow me to ride his Yezdi. I was surprised and overjoyed at the same time. I was surprised that a man who had owned and loved his bike for the last 44 years was allowing a stranger to ride it. That is something I would've been reluctant to do if I was in his place.
After going to uncle's house we began chatting about his experiences with the bike and discussed all the minute details. He told me that he had done over 1lakh trouble free kilometres on the Yezdi. Uncle reminisced about how he used to get the points tuned and go on rallies with the bike. The bike was bone stock except for a respray and a new headlight housing. Uncle even had the original owner's manual for the Yezdi. Uncle's wife loved the bike equally and their house was peppered with photos of the bike. The Yezdi was a part of their life. Uncle then took off the covers and there she was.






What a beaut!
Uncle then proceeded to tickle the carburettor a few times, pumped thrice and gave one hard kick which released the symphony into this world.

Uncle then asked me if I wanted to give it a ride. I had come for this very reason but was apprehensive to ride it. I requested uncle if I could start on my own. Starting the bike on my own gave me a sliver of confidence to ride it.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pKw1bVttdq4?feature=share

What followed can only be described as Happiness. I took the bike for a 1.5km ride and it was a breeze to ride. I had never ridden any bike apart from my HF100 before this but I was familiar with the gear pattern of a Yezdi. The way it cornered was like nothing else. I didn't feel any of the weight. The other aspect of riding a Yezdi is the looks you get from people on the road. It really felt like nothing else. I didn't know where to go nor did I know where I was going, I just wanted to keep riding the Yezdi. Uncle spotted the gleam in my eyes after the ride and told me that he'll let the people he knows to look around for a good Yezdi and told me to enjoy life when I still have the chance.

I know that I'll buy a Yezdi one day and that day may come in a few months or a few years but I'll buy one for sure.

[V.Narayan]

Timeless. I loved the smell of the exhaust with its unburnt gases. That sound was for me the sound of insane jealousy. In my MBA days only one student in both years together had a bike and it was a Yezdi with its classic Czech engineering. In those days it was uncommon for a mere student to own anything beyond a pedal bicycle. Inability to shift to 4-stroke engines to comply with tighter exhaust pollution rules and fuel efficient competition in part contributed to the demise of this company in 1996

[anjan_c2007]

Thanks for the thread to discuss our Jawa and Yezdi memories and good to read about your encounter with a neat example.

Like Henry Ford (1863- 1947) who documented that he made the “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black" statement during a meeting in 1909 for the Model T, perhaps the Irani's could have uttered similar words for the Jawa/Yezdi. The Irani's deviated but rarely, offering bottle green, light grey and maroon shades.

The bike is very cool with its rider, who just gets swayed away with the splendid machine as the OP says. It's 129 Kg kerb weight can be sensed only while manually parking or handling it. I had a chance to drive a 1964 Jawa and a 1974 Yezdi. I had newly learnt driving a scooter, but these two owners were quite magnanimous to allow me drive these. The uneven road surfaces could be travelled with better ease as compared to the scooters.

As a child, I would fiddle with the home visitor's machines. The scooters were cool as the seats could be reached to climb upon with ease and get seated there . There were quite a few of a scooter's components that children could fiddle and play with the best being the switchgear. But the Jawa/Yezdi seats were too difficult to climb. And it's switch gears were very few. Below the petrol tank, other than the more visible engine block, everything had aluminium covers. Hence, arrival of a visitor on such a bike would be a killjoy for me and friends during childhood.

The cost was around Rs 4,800 in the 1960's during the licence raj, only to rise to Rs 5,200 during the 1970's. And in the 1970's these were fitted with interchangeable wheels. The earlier ones didn't have this option.

But it was always available readily, when most scooters had 10-15 year waiting lists. Everyone wanted to become a scooterist and few opted to become bikers.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by MVM

The other aspect of riding a Yezdi is the looks you get from people on the road

I know exactly what that means. I have a '67 model Jawa and that's what it does: Turn heads. It announces you from a mile away.

Originally Posted by MVM

I know that I'll buy a Yezdi one day and that day may come in a few months or a few years but I'll buy one for sure.

May come as damper but i heard that they stopped RC transfer of 2 strokers.

[boniver]

Nice thread. I love 2 strokes (remember being one of the few people in your earlier thread who encouraged you to get one), but I've stopped riding others' 2 strokes now. Once I ride a different bike, I get a strong urge to own that bike. It first happened when I rode BHPian prathiik's RX100 in Nov '21. I was so blown away by the bike that I had to get one, and bought one in Dec '21. I eventually restored it, but never got around to using it much and then sold it last month. Don't want that to happen again.

I was in Gurgaon for 3 months, and I toyed with the idea of getting a pre-1972 Jawa as that would put it into 'vintage' category and I'd be able to ride it in the NCR. However, I soon moved back to Calcutta so the plan didn't go through.

Hope your dreams come true, soon!

Originally Posted by srini1785

May come as damper but i heard that they stopped RC transfer of 2 strokers.

Is this confirmed? Which RTOs have been affected by this? I successfully got an RC transfer done for a 2 stroke in Bangalore earlier this month.

[MVM]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

That sound was for me the sound of insane jealousy.

Thank you for your response sir. This is exactly how I feel whenever I see someone riding a Yezdi sir.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Inability to shift to 4-stroke engines to comply with tighter exhaust pollution rules and fuel efficient competition in part contributed to the demise of this company in 1996

I also read somewhere that they were having labour issues and the onset of Japanese bikes made the situation even worse for them.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Thanks for the thread to discuss our Jawa and Yezdi memories and good to read about your encounter with a neat example.

Thank you for acknowledging my post sir.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Like Henry Ford (1863- 1947) who documented that he made the “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black" statement during a meeting in 1909 for the Model T, perhaps the Irani's could have uttered similar words for the Jawa/Yezdi. The Irani's deviated but rarely, offering bottle green, light grey and maroon shades.

I too have read that statement by Mr. Ford. This bike too was originally in Jawa Maroon but I think there was some issue during the repaint.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The bike is very cool with its rider, who just gets swayed away with the splendid machine as the OP says. Its 129 Kg kerb weight can be sensed only while manually parking or handling it. I had a chance to drive a 1964 Jawa and a 1974 Yezdi.

Absolutely how I felt riding the bike sir. It just felt right. I find the seating position to be a little cumbersome in my HF100 due to my height but the Yezdi felt like it was built for me.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

As a child, I would fiddle with the home visitor's machines. The scooters were cool as the seats could be reached to climb upon with ease and get seated there . There were quite a few of a scooter's components that children could fiddle and play with the best being the switchgear. Hence, arrival of a visitor on such a bike would be a killjoy for me and friends during childhood.

Thank you for sharing your lovely memories sir. I sometimes jokingly tell my parents that they should've had me first instead of my sister because I would have loved to be alive at a time when these bikes were tearing up the streets.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The cost was around Rs 4,800 in the 1960's during the licence raj, only to rise to Rs 5,200 during the 1970's.

My mother's uncle was an avid biker and used to live very close to Yadavgiri. He has owned both a Jawa and a Yezdi. His Yezdi was bought for ₹6000 in 1975 and sold for ₹12000 in 1999. My mother tells me about how as children their alarm every morning was the siren of the Jawa factory.
When I told him that I was writing an article about JAWAs he shared some of his stories with the bike.
Thatha had once ridden from Malleshwaram (in Bangalore) to Mysore in a mere 1 hour and 45 minutes, touching speeds of 130 kmph on the YEZDI. He had close to 18 accidents on his Jawa and Yezdi put together and in all the cases Thatha and the bike came out with minor injuries.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

And in the 1970's these were fitted with interchangeable wheels. The earlier ones didn't have this option.

I did not know about this at all. Thank you for sharing sir.

Originally Posted by srini1785

May come as damper but i heard that they stopped RC transfer of 2 strokers.

That would be tremendously disappointing. Please share some more info about this if possible.

Originally Posted by boniver

Nice thread. I love 2 strokes (remember being one of the few people in your earlier thread who encouraged you to get one), but I've stopped riding others' 2 strokes now.

I can never forget that sir. I was overjoyed when I saw someone whose thread I loved reading was responding on my own thread.

Originally Posted by boniver

Once I ride a different bike, I get a strong urge to own that bike. It first happened when I rode BHPian prathiik's RX100 in Nov '21. I was so blown away by the bike that I had to get one, and bought one in Dec '21. I eventually restored it, but never got around to using it much and then sold it last month. Don't want that to happen again.

I'm sorry that happened sir. The only other time I was this desperate was when I wanted to clear my entrance exams. Do you still own the Max 100 sir?

Originally Posted by boniver

Hope your dreams come true, soon!

Thank You very much sir. I'm praying that they will.

[boniver]

Originally Posted by MVM

Do you still own the Max 100 sir?

Don't call me sir, I'm probably around your age

The Suzuki is very much around, with some cosmetic changes. It was my first bike with my own money. Now in Calcutta, and despite having no daily commute, I've already used it for 600 odd kms this month itself.

[mygodbole]

Wow, nice original post. I agree, would NOT have allowed anyone to ride my machine. Brought back a lot of memories and pushed me into digging up a photo of my Yezdi. Pic taken sometime in 1992. No helmet!


I rode this bike from 1990-1999, lousy mileage, but FUN, FUN, FUN! Learnt to tune the bike myself. Cued the idle to one notch over choking, had to half-open the petrol tap (cock), at full open, it would choke. For full power and speed, had to fully open petrol tap.

Usually rode at speeds between 20kmph and 40kmph (Yes, Pune traffic even then was a nightmare). But occasionally, would get the opportunity to really ride like the wind. A friend who sat pillion was stunned when we rode from Lonavala to his home in the heart of Pune in just over 55mins, starting from Lonavala at 3.30pm. This was in 1993-94, on the old highway, full of other vehicles.

Had fun doing dadagiri with this machine, since I am built more like Asrani than Dharamendra. Bikes were no problem and even the Maruti cars of the '90s would be wary.

Work took me to the Middle East but the hankering was always there. Cut to 10 years later and after testing a whole number of bikes, I settled on the Triumph America. One ride and I was back on my Yezdi ... very similar handling except this was a baby-cruiser at 850cc. Helmet mandatory.

That is a story for another day.

[MVM]

Originally Posted by boniver

The Suzuki is very much around, with some cosmetic changes. It was my first bike with my own money.

Pleased to know that. Please don't ever sell it.

Originally Posted by mygodbole

Wow, nice original post. I agree, would NOT have allowed anyone to ride my machine. Brought back a lot of memories and pushed me into digging up a photo of my Yezdi. Pic taken sometime in 1992. No helmet!

Thank you very much sir. Glad that my post could help you recollect your fond memories.

Originally Posted by mygodbole

Cued the idle to one notch over choking, had to half-open the petrol tap (cock), at full open, it would choke. For full power and speed, had to fully open petrol tap.

That's a nice way of controlling the power.

Originally Posted by mygodbole

Had fun doing dadagiri with this machine, since I am built more like Asrani than Dharamendra. Bikes were no problem and even the Maruti cars of the '90s would be wary.

Very similar to how I felt riding this bike. I felt much cooler than I truly am.

Originally Posted by mygodbole

One ride and I was back on my Yezdi ... very similar handling except this was a baby-cruiser at 850cc. Helmet mandatory.
That is a story for another day.

Your bike is an absolute beauty sir. Do you know where you Yezdi is now ?

[MVM]

Updates on my Yezdi Hunt

Uncle introduced me to his mechanic and I went and test rode one of the bikes he had for sale. The bike was a 1988 Yezdi Deluxe. The bike felt put together and the gears shifted smoothly but it had a questionable history. It has had 4 prior owners and has acquired some questionable modifications along the way. Since I will be keeping the Yezdi for a very long time uncle felt that my bike should be in a slightly better condition than the Deluxe was in. Uncle also told me to be extremely patient and not make any decisions on impulse. I have put ads on the Yezdi Facebook groups too. Still on the hunt for the perfect steed.

Let's hope that the quote below is true.

"When you want something with all your heart, the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

[aargee]

How easy or difficult is to believe that this little boy seated on Yezdi is making this post?

The registration was TMS 4780 & served my Father well from 1974; sadly we had to sell the motorcycle in 1991.

Quiz - Who knows about this kind of cylinder head

[MVM]

Originally Posted by aargee

How easy or difficult is to believe that this little boy seated on Yezdi is making this post?

Amazing. Thanks for sharing this photo sir. For all you know this bike might still be on the road. I tried running the registration number through the Vahan portal and there weren't any results.

Originally Posted by aargee

Quiz - Who knows about this kind of cylinder head

If I'm not wrong this cylinder head is called the Flower head (also called the porcupine head) as opposed to the more common head with parallel fins. This cylinder head was sold stock on the Yezdi B 250 and on the Oilking.

[srkriz26]

Originally Posted by srini1785

I know exactly what that means. I have a '67 model Jawa and that's what it does: Turn heads. It announces you from a mile away.

May come as damper but i heard that they stopped RC transfer of 2 strokers.

Yes. RC transfers and few RTOs aren't providing FCs easily. Had to sell my 35-year-old RX100 as they literally told me it would be impossible to get the next FC.

[splitinfinitive]

After almost two years of waiting for parts and general mechanic and my laziness, she's come home! This was the Yezdi Roadking my Uncle got my late Mausi home as a bride on in 1991. I rode the bike for a few months in the early 2000s, but then moved cities. Uncle stopped riding in 2005 and the bike was derelict since then. My Mausi tragically succumbed to a long illness in late 2020, and I decided to get the bike revived as a tribute to my Mausi who loved it a lot. Looks stunning even now, and boy is that engine ever so reliable - starts with one kick and smooth like butter.

[khan12]

Originally Posted by splitinfinitive

After almost two years of waiting for parts and general mechanic and my laziness, she's come home! This was the Yezdi Roadking my Uncle got my late Mausi home as a bride on in 1991. I rode the bike for a few months in the early 2000s, but then moved cities. Uncle stopped riding in 2005 and the bike was derelict since then. My Mausi tragically succumbed to a long illness in late 2020, and I decided to get the bike revived as a tribute to my Mausi who loved it a lot. Looks stunning even now, and boy is that engine ever so reliable - starts with one kick and smooth like butter.

Has this been converted to CDI or does it run on its original Point System?
BTW you should consider joining the Jawa and Yezdi Club of Hyderabad, They do monthly rides in and around the city, Would keep the Roadking running and you'd get to meet similar Enthusiasts.