Yezdi and Jawa thump their way through south
Very few bikes trigger the kind of adrenaline rush like the Jawa did. And to celebrate the dawn of the marque, Jawa owners worldwide celebrate their proud ownership of this bike on the second Sunday of July every year. While some may plan out an international virtual rally, the Yezdi and Jawa club of Manglore will be hosting the “International Jawa Day”.
Proximity of the Jawa factory has boomed a fan following in Manglore, Mysore and Banglore which has survived for more than a decade and half. Policies in the fifties prohibited the import of motorcycles. However the assembly of foreign machines prompted former agent Rustom Irani to set up his own firm. As a publicity stunt, he organized a trip of two policemen to Czechoslovakia in 1951 and the feat was repeated in 1955 by three others. Following this event and the setting up of the Mysore factory, the first motorcycle rolled off the assembly lines in 1961. The Company then sold the bike under the name of the more popular Yezdi.
Several models like the Roadking, Deluxe, Monarch and Supersprint based on the 250 cc two stroke engine followed until 1996. Stricter emission norms and budget limitations have erased the Jawa dot off the Indian map. While the Jawa may not be as clinically efficient as the new generation bikes, it has bred a generation of motorcyclists like none.
