Only vaccinated riders take part in annual Intl. Jawa Day rally

Mysore/Mysuru: The second Sunday of every July is dear to the proud owners of Jawa bikes. It is the day to celebrate the power and legacy of 175, 250 and 350 cc Yezdi and Jawa bikes by taking out a rally to mark International Jawa Day. 

These Czech-origin motorcycles made a mark in Indian Automotive history as an exotic piece of machinery and they are still treated with the same reverence and devotion. Over the years, the mean machines have attained a cult status among the young and the old. Mysuru has a special connection with these bikes as they were manufactured by Ideal Jawa (India) Ltd., the factory which once stood at Yadavagiri.

As part of 19th International Jawa Day today, over 25 riders, all Organising Committee members of Mysuru Jawa Friends Club, brought out their Jawa and Yezdi bikes and rode their machines with their heads held high and with pride on the outskirts of Mysuru.

“We had originally planned to ride up to Bandipur Tiger Reserve Gate and come back. But as the weather is unpredictable, we decided to take out an hour-long ride on the Outer Ring Road,” Khizer told Star of Mysore.

Another rider Rickey said that they were looking forward to this day as they had missed the ride last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Though Mysuru Jawa Friends Club has about 400 members, only 25 riders, all Organising Committee members of the Club, who are vaccinated, are taking out the ride,” he added.

The riders, headed by Sameer and Khizer, who assembled in front of Bandipalya on Nanjangud Road at about 8 am, kick-started their bikes with the sound from these bikes attracting many passers-by. 

As these vintage two-stroke engine bikes passed on the Ring Road, people not only stopped to have a glimpse of these vintage bikes — Jawa 350, Jawa 250, Yezdi 250, Yezdi 350, Yezdi Classic and Roadking — but also gave thumbs up to the riders, who passed by. Among the bikes that attracted the public was the 1987 Yezdi Classic with a side car belonging to Shivakumar.

The riders, on reaching Ring Road-Hunsur Road junction, stopped for a brief period for breakfast and continued their journey. The ride finally culminated at Yadavagiri, where the Ideal Jawa (India) Ltd. factory once stood.

 The first Jawa rolled out of Czechoslovakia in 1929 and it made its Indian debut through the efforts of F.K. Irani at Ideal Jawa which started importing them to Mysuru around the mid-1940s. The vehicles are still living up to its slogan of being a ‘forever bike with forever value’.