The Thump Anthem : An ode to the butt-kickin Roadking

It is undoubtedly so, that time is of essence,

Purportedly I know,

Anything else makes me tense,

I'm sold on my convictions even if the world bellows,

That my Yezdi don't make sense.

Not to plastic 100 cc voyagers,
Not to the fibre cruiser punk,
Not to it archetypal 4-stroke half-breeds,
Ornate squishy glintsome variants, (Yuk!)
No no no!! My Yezdi's got some spunk.

Its not called the Roadking for nothing,
I've seen lily blush, cutie pink and demon teen,
Delinquent voyeur and the ilk, mutation supreme,
The Roadking is something else,
More spoken of and less seen.

Confidence never felt so inspiring,
Shape out of fashion, past with time,
No straight lines, curve to fancy round,
To no super-technology or rocket science bound,
The joy of a Yezdi, sweet and profound.

I'm not casteist, but detest prudence and trash,
I'm no perfectionist, innate flaws i shall pass,
I'm no idealist, some come some go, thats the rule,
I'm not a chest-thumping-fundamentalist wannabe,
I schooled,graduated and then went to Yezdi school.

I learnt that it's allright to die sometimes,
Gathered that it's normal to feel sublime,
Figured that there are choices in life that one must make,
Reasoned that where there's a Yezdi Roadking,
That's my will. That's the way.











May the tribe grow.
May the roads fear.
May the people feel the power in second person.
May the stars shine of us and show us the way.

There's not more to be said.
Only travelled towards... and reached...
And start all over again...

Amen.

Uttar Pradesh Roadking Fatfatti Sammelan

It began as a simple may weekend, with the first signs of the oncoming influx evident from the strident mails and sms’s from Chetan outlining when, where and why.

Chetan's mail

See for yourself from the mail Chetan sent out:
"Address : R-119, Sector 21, Jal Vayu, Noida
Dax : Early Sunday Morning - 12 o'clock is Noon time and this is NOT the Barat Clock(sorry, Net at home would not let me upload those pix) DO NOT DRINK Saturday
Wily : Hydrabadi Biryani? Get Anil along ...
Manish : Make sure you're there / Make sure you're there on time
Ameya RK(Pune): Sorry, Net at home would not let me upload those pix
Jenson : Old timer RK Rider meeting us the first time.
Gurjeet : Your RK please ...
Wily - If you could meet Gurjeet and Jenson at NZD Bridge Turn to Noida and ride together to Dax's
Manish and Ameya to meet me at Ring Road "AIIMS Crossing" and further to DND
Not sure about Kamal CLII(Niti Bagh), Nirbhay JAWA(GGN) and Ravi D250(JNU) - will call 'em up
Rahul Kariyal?
am watching link
shampoo ad and the female in Kamloops :)
quit CVG; job-hunting now
Vijayanth - Check with Lalit and Amit Pal and lemme know
Ashutosh?
All of us together atleast One-Time!?!
We could visit Arun Naik and keep the tradition alive...
-LAST PUSH-

- Chetan

"tell me the time of the morning and i will stay sober 12 hours afore onwards :)
bring resources - or parts you might have extras of and want to swap around for something you do not have."

- Arunesh

Rahul replied:

By the way, Bob the britisher who had left his diesel bullet with me, had come by and taken it for another trip. He then called me from Nepal saying he had sold it and had instead bought a thunderbird, and wanted to know if he could come back and leave the thunderbird with me, till he came back next from England. I said, yes please, especially cos its a thunderbird.

I have not had a chance to take it out for a ride yet, just gotten back from a holiday, hope to do so this weekend.

About the meet, might not be able to make it sunday morning, atleast definetly not on the Yezdi, all the petrol has dried up with months of no use. Will let you guys know if plans change. take care.
Chetan, send me your CV, will pass it on in AmEx.

- Rahul

Then the Coyote unisioned:

"Hey Rahul,Good job with the TB. Hasnt it struck you you come to the meet on the TB? :)btw, I too am on the job market can I send you my cv as well? Not to send to AmEx but in case you come across something likely?"

- Wily

With the plans congealing for the weekend, we waited with sober and bated breath. Spent the night before neatening out the bikeyard and my balcony w/s. Woke at six and hung around, neat and sober till about 11:30 when Shukla turned up. He lives right next door and we stripped and re-assembled his roadking last winter. Shukla happens to be an authority on the RD350. Once while working for LML, he scoured the countryside in the course of his job buying entire lots of RD350 parts from spares shops he came across in small towns. He just sold his bike for a lakh (the sixth machine in India – Made in Japan on the gearbox and all). In a little while we heard the old familiar twin-port roar approaching and Chetan rolled in with Lalit and Ameya. Lalit brought his red Jawa, Ameya was on the same bike he rode in from Pune to Delhi (cost of fuel = Rs 3,500, he said). Soon we were alternating between parking the bike and swapping rides around the block on each other’s machines.

Ameya's Undie...er...Story!

Ameya’s story: “Delhi is full of theives. I used to keep a cloth behind my headlamp for wiping the bike clean and it was swiped every day. This carried on till I started to keep a pristine, new and clean pair of undies on my bike."

since it belongs on a roadking, it can't be more than 'second oversize'

Chetan says:
"Planned a Jawa/Yezdi meet and Suzuki was came in for a visit.

"What happens when they say the cloth for cleaning the bike is stolen everytime? Replacing it with your 'Clean Underwear' won't do you good. Especially if the get the Registration Plate is written upside down!?!

Dear All,Met up a Noida with a buncha guys,The bunch was different, with super toys,250 cc, twin silencer, kinky key and all,We rode, spoke, guzzled and gorged,In short, we had a ball.Thank you chetan for making it happen,Thank you arunesh for hospitality sweet,Thank you ankit for being errand runner,Thank you everyone, again shall we meet.Cheers!Ameya(P.S - Guys, do check out my photoblog at www.flickr.com/photos/ameyag)

Hi buddies….
Some of the photographs taken from my phone….

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/gurrjit/DelhiYezdiMeet

Gurjeet.

Intruder alert!

Wily rolled in next with his Ustaad Anil, Vijayanth and Gurjeet. We ogled some more at each other’s machines. Gurjeet’s RK was pristine with the red in the tank logo plates still intact – y’know the red inside the font on the logo...). Vijayanth’s bike was the silver Deluxe and since he was last and his bike was so clean, it was suggested he park in the mud : ). More joy rides ensued. Ankit, my pal rolled in with beer and we were all set until Chetan took a spin on Lalit’s Jawa and came back with the Mulworth’s on their Suzuki Intruder Volusia 800cc cruiser. The couple hung around and chatted with us about bikes, bike touring and suchlike. Ameya and I hung around the bike. Ameya had just got off my RK and we both were feeling like hanging around the bikes a bit. We clicked the Intruder and Jenson appeared on his RK round the corner. Ameya and I went back and we all started to feel a bit like the party had hit its stride. In fact, we all drifted out again and hung around the Suzuki. When the offer came up for a ride on the monster, I immediately jumped at the chance. Despite safer suggestions that he ride pillion behind me, Abhay let me take a spin. It was a little odd because I, being only 5’6”, had to slide a couple of inches lower on the seat to make my feet touch the pegs. T’was no trouble at all, the only difference was the need for slight counter-steering pressure from both hands on turns. The engine burbled sweetly and the v-twin shaft drive forgave my newness. I rolled back and most were relieved.Chetan can be quite an aunt at times.

Bending over the Intruder

Enter the Intruder

Sunday Part 3

Next we lined up all the bikes and clicked some photo documentation. More hanging out happened till the Suzuki left our midst and we all congregated inside in front of the cooler. Mostly because we were worried Ameya would melt in the hot, humid north-Indian sun. Beer broke out and conversation flowed. More facets were discovered about each other. Jenson goes every year to Leh, etc on this bike and we all agreed (especially Anil Ustaad) that Jenson’s bike was the most silent in engine noises. Funny thing is, when faced with eight roadkings, I really could not choose much in the way of which one was better. Call it a problem of plenty if you will, but seriously it was all so much input that it was next to impossible to play favourites. Late afternoon, when Ameya had to report to work in Gurgaon, we all trooped out for the obligatory bike parade. Hit the toll bridge, lined up on the roadside and took some more shots. Shukla slipped his chain off the rear sprocket trying to scramble his roadking and Sanjay McGee (The Mad Professor who rode a Enfield Fury for ten years all over the highways, sometimes with the Mohawks – anyone remember the Mohawks??) was with us on his Karimsa with an Ankit seated behind manning the camera. McGee, Ankit, Chetan, Jenson, Arjun (aka Wily Coyote), we came back and finished the beer. In the evening, finallly McGee kindly fixed my headlights and we took off on our respective errands. Thus it ended; a most heartening day-long meet.
Bless us, bikes and all and may we keep rolling...after all what’s ‘forever’ for? If not for ‘The Forever Bike’ as was the old Yezdi company slogan/tagline.

and the horse they rode in on...

the Bikeyard = 2 Jawas, 8 Roadkings, 1 Delux, 1 CL2

Hi buddies….

Some of the photographs taken from my phone….

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/gurrjit/DelhiYezdiMeet

- Gurjeet

Buddies, Beer, Bikes then fade to Blog

Yezdi Ro(w)dies!

Yez Rodies in a Row

L-R: Ankit (mostro.ankit@gmail.com), Ameya (ameya@beer.com), Shukla, Chetan (chetanmalvankar@yahoo.com), Lalit, Arunesh (arunesh.d@gmail.com), Wily Coyote (strangercl2@yahoo.co.in), Vijayant Chopra (handsomeprince111@yahoo.com), Jenson Anto (jen2sun@yahoo.com),
Vijayant Chopra (handsomeprince111@yahoo.com), Gurjit (gurrjit@gmail.com)

L-R: Ankit, Lalit, Chetan & J'son
L-R: my RK, Lalit's Jawa, Chetan's RK

Talking Turns

Actually I have gone through very bad engineers myself in my life & I have been a part of a company which I used to work & supervised their methods they apply & feel like killing them, but was supposed to control all my anger & do the job myself. Now the company is running those machines & suffering machine failures regularly in my absence & I feel so helpless. Now about me as an engineer I am now in a state where I want to save every expense on the bike what ever be the cost & I have tried my best to get the bike working may be tomorrow again I will open the block & inspect if I can manage to get rid of the noise without opening or splitting the engine other wise the bike goes to storage for a long time that's the final decision.what was wrong with my bike I was wrong in the part Identification it was the connecting rod which holds the piston at one end & is connected to the crank rollers so the rollers or the shaft on which the rollers are mounted was not jammed but the connecting got jammed on the rollers at one position & dint move so i had to get the connecting running by moving & holding the rollers tight with a long screw driver, & some pressure.the reason why the bike might have jammed might be as I was running very low on fuel reserve abt 20 kms of riding on reserve was completed while I reached home, so reserve is a bit hard on the engine I guess. Seriously I have gone through all phases in life when I spent Rs 4,500 on booze in one evening & last 2 weeks I lived on Rs 300, while eating outside & attending interviews & made time to go visit a beach & enjoy the whether as well in this time this is how I am I enjoy myself what ever be the situation as well,so i have my time & it is going to be best & i am making my best efforts that's it. Till then I will be a miser for spending on my bike, as it is like feeding an elephant, or even better trying to help a wounded Tiger, I am also a wounded Tiger with my bike with my inability to earn or invest time & money on my bike, but better times are awaited, so let me do what I can do without harming my bike much , as you said I have to work on the front forks as well they r leaking oil since 2 months that is to be carried out it is a if the whole bike needs much rest so let me give one clean shot tomorrow otherwise bike goes to Summer Storage. sorry if I have hurt you in any way I was trying to say my issues are never ending & you don't need to give it any priority may be least priority only if you have free time you can attend to my mails for me its just like if I listen to the sound of a Yezdi any where I am so happy even if I am not riding one. I have gone through a period of 4 years of Curfew on thinking about a Yezdi when My Dads, Model B of 1976 bike was in Bangalore & I am in Mumbai, I learnt riding on that & got my licence & in 6 months I was in Mumbai & bike in Bangalore, I wowed not to touch the bike as it was Dads & I kept the promise till it was sold off for Rs 2000after 3years in storage & occasional riding by Dad when he went to Bangalore. so curfews on riding vehicles is not new to me, & I don't mind loosing the bike for my own mistakes its like u r Karma always gets back to you what ever be the thing you do good or Bad. so I believe in this & wait eagerly for punishment, may be I am writing this to just make & free up my mind of all its clutter, so just enjoy reading the story in ur free time & don't bother too much on what I write its just my outlet for my own helplessness for my bike.what I could have done is told you hat the bike is running well & has no issues in just one sentence so I dint have to tell u all this inn my mails why should I tell u all these things but I wanted some one to just understand or just to get your attention I wrote all these please don't worry I wont try & harm the bike if I am not comfortable doing some thing. just take care.I give all my love to my bike all the time I pray to GOD before I touch it may be mentally & then I ask it to be good to itself & then good to me & good to others & then mount on it or start it what ever......so I am happy with this that the bike starts without any issues now but for the metallic noise so let me see.
Bye take care
— Abhijith.V

I love this e-mail of yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It has to go on your blog as an 'Open Letter to All Bikers' or such a title!

It felt like I've scratched the surface with a few angry remarks and found a true y-biker.
Bless you and your life; i actually like the day-by-day stories that you send me and I ALWAYS try and answer according to what might be best for the bike.

Since you are an engine-eer, I want you to do a little simple experiment.
Take the fuel line into a measuring container. Calculate the amount of fuel that passes through the tap in a specific period of time.

Take the carb off - it must be filled with fuel in the float bowl. Turn it upside down and drain the fuel into a measuring bowl.

Ride the bike only with the fuel in the carb and calculate how long it runs. Idling on mainstand.

Take the amount that passes through the tap in the time the bike takes to use up one float bowl full of fuel and compare it to the amount of fuel that passes through the tap.

That shall tell us if the fuel flow was incorrect.
All this since the only source of lube for the crank is in the Petrol-oil mixture.

Next try and check what oil - to -fuel ratio were you using on that long trip the day before the engine sized.
All said and done, once we have clarity on lubrication, that would only leave mechanical failure.
Now only a true y-bike lover will take me up on yet another round of mechanic talk.
And bhai, I don't doubt you, I truly want the bikes to be healthy. Sometimes I have to include owner's health also :)

Keep rolling,
— Arunesh
PS: I love the line where you describe Y-maintenance as 'trying to help a wounded tiger.'

http://rantsandramble.blogspot.com/2007/06/yezdi-jinx.html
has a veddy phunny storie bout The Y-Jinx.
guranteed to raise a laugh, knowing glances, nods and even sympathy and that's just the part about the bike. About dating and suchlike, we leave it to the one who will put up as much as put...period. Things hardly change and Y-bikes keep fighting for 'First Lady' status. We guys fall for it because the bike's age hardly begets rage at this stage.
Paste the above URL innya address bar and grin....

8th July is Jawa day!
Old bikes never die. They live on memories long after the paintwork on them has faded from years of storage in dusty old garages across India.

July 8 is going to be celebrated internationally by all Jawa owners who will congregate and ride their bike.

That's right!

So again, July 8 is Jawa Day.

Pull out your old Yezdi & Jawas onto the roads en masse!