10 Yezdi Laws!

Here are some of my golden rules:

1. Spend some time alone with your bike.

2. Treat it like you would a horse. (Read the classic book, Black Beauty for tips on how a horse should and should not be treated. For example, a good rider always covers and tends to his horse before looking to his own comforts at the end of a hard ride. Here the least you can do is invest in a 100 buck bike cover and cover your bike every night, eh?)

3. Clean it every morning. (That way you will give the bike a through once over, moving from part to part as you clean it and spot any loose nuts and leaks before you get on the road.)

4. Collect all available literature in the form of manuals, engine cutaway diagrams, etc. Also ask questions about what this part is or what is being done at the moment, when at the mechanix.

5. Don't give up yet. We ALL die when the bike does not start. In fact the one common factor that all Yezdi owners have is the straight face when the bike suddenly dies out and your pillion wants to know what happened or what will 'we' do now? Instead step back, regain your strength in whatever time it takes to do so and approach the bike differently.
I know; sometimes all you can do is clean the plug, check the spark, turn the fuel on and off and/or push and you have already tried all these things and the bike still won't start and there you are in the middle of nowhere, too exhausted to even think what you might be doing next, breathing and sweating hard. Times like these, you wonder if there is any meaning to your entire life. In short, we have all been there.

6. Bring back everything that has been replaced. You never know when you will run out of parts available in the market and have to make your own (Oh yes, that day is coming!) This also puts the brakes on mechanix who might be swapping bad parts for the better ones on your bike. Who knows if the mechie has a richer, older patron who is demanding a part that can no longer be found in spare part shop stocks. For example, guard your bike monograms, foot pegs, tank rubber pads and carburettor covers. Increasingly, these bits can only be found on other bikes. To me it's a little like not leaving behind anyone on the battle field.

7. Do not steal. Let your bike be a collection of clean energies and tell your self you and your bike will always be righteous. (This includes the rare parts mentioned in the previous law - #6)

8. Performance comes second to basic function. If your bike starts and runs, that is most of the problem solved. Most road bikes are creatures of compromise on numerous fronts. Manufacturers have to cater to the main midstream of buyers and do not sacrifice drivability for performance unless they have a range of models on offer.
In case of our own Ideal Jawa, the Roadking is the performance engine. It makes you ignore the bit in the owner's manual that suggests you don't give in to 'the impulse to be the first off at a red light.' Well, given the brakes and the fact that all Y-bikes hate traffic, I end up ahead of the pack at a red light and let rip so I don't have to deal with idiots in front of me. They are all behind me!
In short:

• Wanna preserve - get a Jawa.
• Wanna commute - get a Yezdi.
• Wanna rip - get a Roadking.

Modify a yezdi and you must be idle, rich or an impromptu engineer. Who cares, obviously you have yet to experience the thrill of a Roadking.

Which brings me to the next law...

9. Modify a jawa (!) and me and my mates will kill you. Period. We appreciate the jawa for what it is and we dont screw around with heritage bikes.

10. Change your road attitude. On an old bike like a Yezdi, you are sure to be noticed. Some will comment, only the real dudes will stop and politely engage you in a conversation. Stick your chest out, lounge on the bike at red lights and look around kingly-like. Try doing it on a modern 100-220cc motorcycle stepped-seat and you are going to wonder why your arse is sticking out in that undignified manner. You got a yezdi and she fills up your senses like Annie's s(hl)ong.

Stop cursing everybody on the road and smile instead. Hey! your bike is different, so why have the same cruddy attitude as everybody!?!

Face it, you are in a different world on a Y-bike.