The Indian automobile industry has seen a plethora of cars and bikes rolling out on the roads. It is evident that the Indian audience has loved many and hated some. But some of them just made it to the exceptional level, the cult level. One such part of the Indian automotive industry is the Yezdi Roadking. Let’s take a look.
1973 – Ideal Jawa Launches Yezdi Roadking
Jawa is a Czech brand that was brought to India by Farokh K Irani and Rustom S Irani. Yezdi was the Indian name given to the brand. With the superb handling and powerful engines, the bikes from the company soon became a cult for the Indians. The major part of this cult is the Yezdi Roadking.
It was powered by a 2-stroke 246cc engine that was capable of producing 16hp @5,000rpm and over 24Nm of torque at 4,250rpm. This bike could easily reach a top speed of over 120kmph. The engine was fed fuel and air mixture through a carburettor.
The engine was mated to a 4-speed constant mesh gearbox. The major point to note here is that the bike had the same rod for kickstarting the bike and for the gear shifting. All you need to do is press the clutch and use the rod for starting the Yezdi Roadking.
The Style Elements
The Yezdi Roadking was a real bike for sure. The massive petrol tank that sits upon the bike is just the symbol of bold muscularity. The engine with the logo of Yezdi embedded on it is just another part of the royalty of this bike. And then the dual exhaust pipes! This bike used to give stiff competition to the likes of Royal Enfield Classic and Bullet.
Yezdi Roadking | The Failure
Actually, there is no actual reason for the failure of this bike. In reality, this bike never failed. It just faded out against the new, simple and light-weight bikes that were introduced by the global players in the Indian market. You must be thinking that this is a sort of failure. Well, I am a member of the cult and won’t say so. The bike in itself was the best at that time. The Royal Enfields just became more and more popular so the Yezdi was not able to cope up. And the emission norms also led to the discontinuation of this 2-stroke bikes.
Take a look: Bajaj Pulsar | The History of the Fastest Indian
The Jawa Is Back!
In 2016, Mahindra bought the rights for the production of Jawa bikes for India. Jawa made the comeback in 2019 with Jawa and Jawa 42 bikes. The company seems to have success this time as Mahindra backing the project adds to the credibility of this company that already was the best. We cannot expect the Roadking to launch back because of the 2-stroke engine but yet there is a glimpse of the legend in the new Jawa Motorcycle.
Another one: The History of Lambretta in India | Your dad probably owned one
