Hundreds of Jawa and Yezdi bike enthusiasts gathered for their annual festival and went down an adventurous nostalgic lane in the city on Sunday, to mark the 20th International Jawa Yezdi Day, which falls every year on the second Sunday in July.
“The bikes here are the centre of attraction and you can see there are over 750 Jawa and Yezdi bikes. We also got some special and very rare bikes displayed on one side of the ground which people can admire,” said Brian A., president and co-founder, Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club (BJYMC), the organiser of the event.
Between 1960 and 1996, bikes from Jawa and Yezdi were produced in India. The 250cc two-stroke bikes were well-liked by youngsters due to their dependability and affordable maintenance requirements. In 1996, their production was stopped at the Ideal Jawa factory in Mysore.
The Jawa, the Jawa 42, and the Perak are the three vehicles that Mahindra-owned Classic Legends unveiled in 2018 after reviving the Jawa and Yezdi brand.
BJYMC has been organising this event since 2008, driving a record number of bikers to gather and celebrate the occasion. Within this community a lot of solutions and ideas have come up to keep the classic bikes on the road after their production was stopped.
“We have been celebrating this event every year to gather all the Jawa and Yezdi riders from different parts of the nation and it is one of the biggest Jawa festivals in Asia,” Mr. Brian said.
This year, the fest followed a theme of adventure and offered a holistic experience to the bikers right from the time they entered the venue by setting up adventure tracks. Along with games, clothing, food, and awareness stalls, a unique exhibition of rare bikes made in India and overseas, including 50cc Colt, 125cc Perak, racing bikes, and the remarkable 350cc twins, was set up for the audience.
“Biking is a mode of adventure, a break from routine and also relaxation for me. It started because I own my dad’s 1984 Ideal model bike and this has been my inspiration to get into biking. It definitely helps you to take yourself off and explore new places and meet new people,” said Swaroop Mohan, a member of BJYMC.
The event saw mammoth participation of riders from Mangalore (MJYMC), Udupi (UJYMC), Hoskote (HJYMC), Kodagu (KJYMC), Cochin (CJYMC), and freedom riders from Sangli, Maharashtra. A special awareness programme was also conducted by Traffic Police Warden Manish Rungta on road safety practices.
