Forget the Boeing, the Yezdi bike is the preferred way to travel for some

What do Sahil Ambre, Anirudh Kokare, Shreyas Surekha and Murthy Nair from Mumbai have in common with Sreejith Karunakaran from Kerala? A mutual love for old classic bikes that never go out of style. These five young members of the 'Yezdi Jawa Owners Club India' are planning to celebrate 'Jawa Day' on the 14th of July, a day marked worldwide to celebrate the Czech-based Jawa Motors bikes by enthusiasts.

One might be wondering why all the hype over the 'Yezdi'. But for those who know a thing or two about bikes, would remember that these bikes were all the rage in the 60s.

As their website describes, "Ideal Jawa (India) Limited popularly known as Jawa, started their commercial production of motorcycles in 196, in technical collaboration with Czech based Jawa Limited, and during the years 1961 to 1985 had good profitability, with their popular vehicles known under the brand of Yezdi". 

Despite stiff competition, the company says that their "user friendly design, lower maintenance costs, attractive pricing, and their sturdy and rugged design particularly suitable for semi urban and rural users" made them maintain their brand loyalty. 

When asked about this upcoming trip, biker Sahi Ambre said, "Twelve of us 'Yezdis' are riding from Chandigarh to Kargil, then back to Mumbai and then we ride till Puducherry. We have four members from Mumbai and eight members from Kerala participating. We plan to start out on the 15th of July, and hope to reach Mumbai by the 5th of August. 

Of course, this is subject to landslides and other climatic problems we may face along the way. We are very excited, as after ages, so many Yezdis are going to get together and ride on the highest motorable road in the country, the Khardung La located in Ladakh". 

The group has been together for years now, connecting over their common passion for Yezdis. All the bikers are professional riders with a lot of experience, as "riding a Yezdi is very different from riding any random motorcycle. We follow the basic road rules and always stick to them," according to Ambre. 

Their July trip is one of many trips they will be doing together. The group meets once a month for small city rides, and then periodically plans out longer rides as well. Their members from Mumbai have covered routes through places such as Leh, Ladakh, Kanyakumari, Goa amd Bhimashankar amongst others. 

Ambre talks about the passion and motivation that binds the group together: Each member chose to stick with these bikes from the 60s, despite many newer models in the market. 

"Everyday you learn something new when riding motorcycles like the Yezdi. It's funny how my Yezdi performs differently every morning. In fact, it has impressed me so much that I can never stop buying a Yezdi or a Jawa. 

Obviously new bikes with newer technologies are easily available, but name one of these that can be used for 40 years!". 

He admits that the older bikes may not be as fast, but sticks to the tagline of the Ideal Jawa: "The ForEver Bike, ForEver Value". 

He shares with us his personal stories of how he has connected and changed with the bike. 

"It's a great feeling to own 3 Yezdi bikes. Although I have ridden new generation bikes, my heart always leaned towards classic motorcycles. The Yezdis have changed me as a person. Riding a 42-year-old bike definitely says something about you. People know us because of our motorcycles and not because of who we are, and we feel proud about that". 

This is not to say that the group will not face several challenges along the way. One is the logistical aspect of it. 

"We have been planning this ride for a year now. It takes a lot of preparation as the bike has to be fixed completely, along with purchasing spare parts to take along. Before taking off, we also do a 200-300 km test ride to check if there are any errors". 

What's more, as the company Ideal Jawa has now shut down, it takes the members months to source good quality parts. Ambre says their mechanic Murthy Nair from Malad has made this last hurdle much easier for them. 

Having Jawa Day during the month of July means the group has to deal with added weather complications. "Currently it is very dangerous to ride there," admits Ambre, "but we are confident about our bikes. Our machines were used by Russian soldiers during the World War, so we are pretty sure the bikes can manage the North!".