India Today – August 13, 2018

AUGUST 13, 2018 INDIA TODAY 65

fair share of collectors, too,
and not only the ubiquitous
Bullet but also models like
the Crusader. It was made in
India at the Madras factory
and sported a 175 cc Villers
two-stroke single motor—a
rarity for a company that
otherwise uses four-stroke
350 and 500 cc engines. In
the collecting game, rare
means money, so Crusaders
command high prices.
When it comes to scoot-
ers, models from Lambretta

and Vespa rule the market

today. Thanks to both

brands being present in

India at one point of time,

spares are relatively easy

to find. However, there is a

massive difference between

the prices of various models.

While Italian Lambys like

the LD-series command

lakhs even as basket cases,

scooters like the LI-series

are more affordable. This is

primarily because the same

models were once made in

India under licence from

Innocenti by Scooters India

Limited. The LI-series were

rebranded as Vijai Supers.

Same goes for Vespa. Models

like the VBB and VBA were

made by Bajaj Auto.

Whether you do it

yourself or have someone

else restore your bike, the

experience is addictive, as

Raj Awasthi, owner of a fleet

of classic scooters, points

out. “Every time I buy a

scooter, I promise to myself

that it will be the last one.

And then I spot another one

and the story goes on and

on,” he says.

Most such bikes have

expired registrations, and

there’s no way to get them

renewed. But there may be

a solution on the way, with

Maharashtra allowing vin-

tage vehicles on the roads if

their owners pay a ‘green tax’

and get them retested every

five years. n

—Rahul Ghosh

Italian

LAMBRETTA

LI-series was

rebranded as

Vijai Super

Manufacturers

like TRIUMPH

also come forward

to help owners

restore classic

bikes