Bike India – August 2019

Title: Jawa – The Forever Bike!

Author: Adil Jal Darukhanawala

Publisher: Adil Jal Darukhanawala

ISBN: 978-93-5346-252-9

Price: Rs 4,500

Chronicles

of Jawa

J

AWA HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE

ever-presents on Indian roads since the
two-wheeler industry first started taking
baby steps. A company of Czech lineage that
has occupied a near-reverent corner in the
temple of the Indian biking enthusiast and the
prime altar of the Jawa and Yezdi owners’
pantheon who worship at its wheels to this day.
This book is a painstakingly researched and
adoringly crafted testimonial to this seminal
brand.
Adil Jal Darukhanawala is one of the foremost
names in the Indian automotive space and he
has lavished this, his latest opus, with all of his
storytelling subtlety, drawing on the absolute
treasure trove of experience of chronicling
India’s automotive world to share fascinating
historical nuggets and chased down every
elusive lead with unwavering determination to
produce an unparalleled and completely
exhaustive account of all things Jawa.
The Forever Bike! chronicles the journey of
the mother brand of Jawa and its post Second
World War birth and fills the reader in on the
tale of its development being carried out in
secrecy lest word reaches the Nazi regime.
Then there’s the arrival of the two original
pioneers, Rustom S Irani and Farokkh H Irani,
who travelled all the way to Prague to strike a
deal and bring Jawa’s bikes to our shores. You
are left astounded at the trials and tribulations
that the ownership faced and riveted by the
hero-like extension of a royal hand from the
kingdom of Mysore that helped establish its

time to the Jawa-Yezdi brand. You can even find

out the top sellers from Jawa in the yesteryears,

mods people have carried out to make their

Jawas quicker, stories of quirky adaptations of

old Jawas into hang gliders, rail inspection

trolleys and auto rickshaws, and so much more.

You’ve also got a deep dive into the brand’s

motor sport efforts, be it internationally or here

in India, you’ll even spot some shots of our very

own editor, Aspi Bhathena, from his racing

days. The book also closely covers the brand’s

closure in 2004 and the story of its resurrection

at the hands of Classic Legends from a couple

of years. There’s also a low-down on the models

currently on sale in India and a look at the new,

more powerful Perak that’s on the horizon.

All this information is accompanied by

striking images from the past and the present

— a tapestry of black and white and a

kaleidoscope of colours, all coming together to

paint a panorama of all things Jawa.

— Harket Suchde

bonds of friendship

testedthroughandemerging from moments of

toilandstruggle.A storyoftriumph and glory

in the face of innumerable challenges.

The tome doesn’t just restrict itself to

everything Jawa, though, because the author

has offered a peek into the cultural and political

landscape of the times, offered through a prism

of Jawa’s timeline. That doesn’t mean it isn’t

filled to the brim with interesting trivia.

Wondering what the origin story of the

legendary Perak was? It has been covered.

Want to know why the Roadking was called the

Roadking? Yep, you can read about that here

too. Not sure where the “Ideal” in Ideal Jawa

came from or why the brand was suddenly

morphed to Yezdi? Read the book and find out.

Thenthereareintimatetalesfromeminent

owners,themajorclubs,well-knowngarage

i d h h d d hi

theyWhenwereClassicbringingLegendsJawaannouncedthat

couldIndia,alsonotmanyfathombelievedthatathemJawabackNottomanylifein

isrelevantwaterunderintoday'sthebridgedayandbecauseagecouldAllthatbe

aidedwithmodernbyIndianform,ingenuitythesamecoupledlegacytoofItaliangoodhandlingflairisbackroundsandanddecentoffhow!pleasingClassicperformancestylemeldsJawa

andThisheritagebookofthoughIdealisJawanotjustandaboutYezdiintheIndia,newtheagemenJawawhobutthebuiltaboutborntheagainstrongJawalegacy

thebikes,themen

andwomenwhoracedthebikes,themen

menandwomenwhokeptthelegendalive,whoitisallrodeaboutthemthemallovertheworld,the

andsomemore

Thisisalsothestoryoftheearlyage

manner,GiventhesomethingfactthatthatJawaisatintheitscorehomelandofoftheIndiannewmotorcyclingclassylegendtoldinuninimitated

thenewageJawasfromClassicLegendsrepresentisapaleanshadowallnewwaveofitsformerself,

expectedsurelyisthefromlargestthisbikebrandmarketofneoinwhatretros

bornworld,bookofisasaboutCzechwellanasIndianthemostsuccessvibrantstoryinThisthe

moregivingbackNewtovalueitsparentageoriginallineageandandnow

foreveressentiallybike!staysthemintedsameJawaforwhatthe

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BOOK REVIEW

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http://www.bikeindia.in

Yezdis rolling off the assembly line at Ideal Jawa's Yadavagiri facility in Mysore (above). These seem to be one of the first set of the Model Bs sporting the

famous flower head. Note the bike trolleys on rails as they moved from one station to another by simple push power!

Rustom Irani, the long standing Jt Managing Director of Ideal Jawa (far left) outlines a point or two about the apprentices shop to a delegation

from Czechoslovakia who came visiting Ideal Jawa at Mysore sometime in the 1970s.Exhausts getting the dip coat treatment (left)

to prepare them for the chrome application. Ideal Jawa had its own inhouse facilities for hard chrome and it was probably one of the most

advanced of its type then in the two-wheeler industry in the country.

71

GlimpsesoflifeattheYadavagirimanufacturing

facilityatMysorewhichrolledoffthemost

popular

motorcyclesmoneycouldbuyinthesocialist

Indiaofthe1960s,'70sand'80s.

ItisdifficultformanyinIndia

atthepresent

theinmomentlateIdeal^1959 JawatoandfathomplantcommissionedtheatfactYadavagirithatsometimewheninitMysorewasinbuilt,1960,was

probablyLimitedunitinthehadthecountry!mostalsobegunmodernSure,tomotorcycleRoyalsetupEnfieldtheirmanufacturingownandplantsEscortsat

MadraslevelsJawaplantespeciallyandwasFaridabadanotchwhenrespectivelyhigherplantinlayouts,buttheoverallsophisticationprocesses,theIdeal

equipmentofRustomIfthatwasn'tandSIrani,trainingall,theitsJtcompanywereManagingconcerned.underDirectortheableandgeniushis

brotherenvelopeTechnicalintowardsDirectorlawRustomgettingofthethefirm,Hormuzdinewestconstantlyandbestwhopushedequipmentwasthethe

towithenhancingImodernrememberthemanufacturingoneproductsuchachievementqualitytechniques.andalsowastothestrikesetupoutof

IdealonlycountrytheJawa'sthenseconddieandcastingsuchitgaveinunittheIdealmotorcyclein1973!JawaThistheindustrywasvitalprobablyedgeinthein

doingitsalsoownhelpeditsengines,engineswhenespeciallyitcompletelycametimethetoinhouse.completelydesigningThisandrevisedcapabilitybuildingunit

fortheOilKingandRoadKingmotorcycles.

ofcontractThisthesemanufacturingspecificbeingSundaramcapabilityordersClayton'salsofromlentotheritselfmopedOEMs,todivisiongettingchief

whichmopedsThesourcedIranisfromIdealallstrucktheJawa.engineafinebalancecasingsbetweenforitsTVSplant^50

withautomationandathehalffirstdecadesandflushhumanthisoftheworkedresourcesIndobrilliantlyJaps,andsuddenlyforwell.theHowever,firstthetwovery

somethingstrengthsphilosophywhichwhichweredenotedturnedthemanagementonthistheirplantheadsjustandcouldn'titsandoperatingthisgetwasto

gripsintimeandthatsoundedIdealJawa'sdeathknell.

TheIdealJawaplantatYadavagiriinMysorewasnotjustaprideoftheIndianmotorcycleindustry

inthe1960sand1970sbutwasalsothesecond

largestJawafacilityintheworldoutsideCzechoslovakia.Checkthebikesbeingassembled

ondolliesmovingonrails,justlikeinCzecho!

Manufacturing

themagic

Rustom S Irani with a Czech engineer tours the assembly lines with fully finished frames lined up for an assembly dolly to turn into a complete bike.

Engine assembly was done in the open on work benches with a lot of human inputs. Nothing different from what was the scene in Prague!

70

CHAPTER 6