More than 180 proud owners of Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles rode through the main thoroughfares of Mysuru on Sunday, reviving memories of the iconic motorcycle’s glorious past. The distinct and trademark roar of Jawa and Yezdi motorcycle engines transported several old-timers back in time to the days when the bike used to be a rage among the youngsters.
The rally organised as part of the 14th International Jawa Yezdi Day was flagged from the residence of F K Irani, the founder of the Ideal Jawa factory, in Nazarbad. The motorcycle enthusiasts rode through Nazarbad Main Road and passed through Hardinge Circle, Ramaswamy Circle, Open Air Theatre in Manasagangothri before reaching the site of the motorcycle factory in Yadavgiri, which now houses an apartment complex.
About 40 to 50 motorcycle owners had participated in the rally along with their wives, children and other family members. Though most of the participants in the rally were from Mysuru, about 30 motorcyclists had come all the way from different parts of Kodagu district, including Madikeri.
Though the rally is held in different parts of India, particularly in a few North Indian cities, it is held only in Mysuru and Bengaluru in Karnataka, said Sunil Somasundar, a member of the Jawa Friends Club, Mysuru. “We had two participants even from Gangavathi in North Karnataka,” he said.
Also, participating in the rally was Athaulla Khan (65), who used to head the painting division in the Ideal Jawa factory in Mysuru.
Several models of the motorcycle including Jawa, Roadking 250, Roadking 350, Yezdi Classic besides the older models manufactured in Czechoslavakia like CZ 125 and CZ Perak also participated in Sunday’s rally.
The rally is held on the second Sunday of July every year. International Jawa Yezdi day is held to mark the start of production of the Jawa motorcycles in India, which happened in the sixties. The last motorcycle rolled out from the factory in Mysuru in 1996.
