School dropout teen makes low-cost bike from scrap

Nagpur: Teenager Sohail Sheikh, a school dropout, has developed a low-cost 125cc petrol bike from scrap metal and vehicle parts. A resident of Rose Colony near Jaffar Nagar, Sohail is from a poor family, with elder brother Faizan working as a petty salesman to fund his education, father a truck driver, while his mother does tailoring jobs.
The 18-year-old abandoned studies after he failed in Std X two years ago. However, he knew exactly what he wanted from life after quitting school education, and set new goals for himself.
In 2019, Sohail first attempted to build an all terrain bicycle, spending about Rs1,500. The single seat cycle too was made from scrap material of other cycles. However, its weight went up to 25kg, and the project didn’t come through because of technical issues.
“Since childhood, I have wanted to do something big and different. In the first attempt, I tried to develop a unique cycle to be used in the jungle or adventure. It failed, but I didn’t lose hope,” he said.
Sohail then took inspiration from the design of an electric bike from Sole Motors of Germany. “I bought an old scrapped Honda bike and gathered other material to develop a new bike. I bought a huge iron pipe to make the frame. The front wheel came from an Access125 while the rear was from an Activa 5G. They cost around Rs300. The shock absorbers and handlebar were retrieved from another scrapped bike,” he said. His father gave him a spare truck headlight, which was used in the bike.
“I did trial runs in jungles near Gorewada. It is running well. I had been gathering parts for last one-and-a-half years. After getting the 125 cc engine, it took me two months to completely build it at home,” Sohail said. He is yet to take permissions from a regulatory authority like the ARAI.
Sohail now wants to design a car using a two-wheeler engine. “My aim is to make affordable bikes and cars, which look like high-end models. This bike cost Rs9,000. The car shall cost Rs30,000. I enjoy building automobiles, especially vehicle customization,” he says.
Dr MA Rasheed and Mohammad Ziyaullah Khan, both members of Jamaat Islami Hind (JIH), said they plan to felicitate Sohail to encourage scientific temperament and innovation among youth. “With scrap and parts of a remote controlled car, he had also made a robot costing Rs400, which would raise its hands simultaneously,” they said.
HOW IT WAS DEVELOPED
Sohail collected old bike, scrap tyres, handlebars, shock-ups, headlights over two years
Iron pipe makes up frame of bike
Worked in his rented home at Rose Colony
Welding work done at local fabrication shop
Bike ready to ride in two months
125 cc bike has five gears, consumes less petrol than regular models