The Yezdi Diaries

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

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.