Morning walkers at the Indira Gandhi Stadium were pleasantly surprised to see a row of 25-odd, sturdy Jawa-Yezdi motorcycles positioned opposite the main gate of the stadium on Sunday.
Biking enthusiasts in the city and surrounding areas, formed an organisation called Beating Hearts Andhra Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club in 2016. As part of the International Jawa Yezdi Day, celebrated all over the world on the second Sunday of July every year, they came together to celebrate the occasion. Leading the group was Mukherjee Dande, who said the group comprised biking enthusiasts who had been taking great care of their vintage bikes, which had gone out of production in 1996. “People coming to the stadium looked at our bikes with great interest and youngsters began to click selfies,” said Mr. Dande who travelled on his motorcyle from Andhra Pradesh to Munnar in Kerala covering a distance of 550 km in a day. “This vehicle is very special. You get positive energy when you ride it,” he said pointing to what he calls his ‘flying machine’.
After a city ride which started at Benz Circle and ended at Bhavanipuram via BRTS Road, the bikers, in the 18-64 age group, zipped past busy centres, attracting people’s attention. They then headed to the Kondapalli hill on the city outskirts and spent the day there. Besides Vijayawada, members of the Club were from Eluru, Tuni, Tadepalligudem and Guntur. Introduced in India in 1960, Jawa motorcycles have a cult following to this present day.
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Mr. Dande said their future plans included educating school children on road safety, organising events and collaborating with other bike enthusiasts in the country.