If you own and ride a Yezdi, you would probably be half a mechanic — knowing how to fix the bike if it fails you while on the road. That is something that Srinivasan Kasyap tells every member of the 14-year-old Roaring Riders Club. “You just can’t push this bike to the nearest mechanic shop since the chap there might not know how to fix it. When we go on long rides, we have a person who carries the tools, bike components and most of all knows how to fix the bike,” Mr. Kashyap, a founding member of the Club, told bikers at the International Jawa Day celebrations at Hotel Ashoka on Sunday.
Every July, the second Sunday is celebrated as ‘Jawa Day’ and lovers of the bike gather or click pictures and share on social media.
Over 160-plus proud bikers rode into the hotel, all of them wearing blue T-shirts designed by Vicky, their in-house designer. “Every year we have a theme. This time, it was blue,” he said. Club members share the passion for this vintage bike that is no longer manufactured. “I own three vintages, but I love the Yezdi the most. And all my riding is done on my bikes, I park at three different places — my parents, my in-laws and my own,” said Desikan Devarajan, who along with Mr. Kasyap and five others returned from a 2,400 km ride, with the theme of road safety, along the coast. “That sense of satisfaction of riding a bike, is unparalleled,” he said.
Diversity of backgrounds
The club has a mix of people from different backgrounds, even a musician. K. Parthasarathy, whose passion grew watching a mechanic handling Jawas at Mylapore, said that till last year he did not know how to start or ride a Jawa but now owns three bikes. “I have been using a small two-wheeler for local commutes. But it has to be a Jawa if I am to ride a bike. My friend Sekar in Triplicane works only on Jawas and we work in his garage remodelling Jawas. I have worked on each of my bikes,” said the proud youngster, who also plays the mridangam.
Jawa Day saw senior police officers talk to members about the importance of road safety and why parents should not give their two-wheelers to their children unless they are above the age of 18 and have valid licences. The club meets once every month at Hotel Ashoka and those interested can email roaringriders@gmail.com