Mysore :

About 185 vintage Jawa and Yezdi motorbikes ranging from 1947 to 1996 models, hit the roads in city today to mark the International Jawa Day.

Owners of bikes manufactured by Jawa such as the 1957 Jawa CZ 175 cc, Jawa twin cylinder 350 cc, Yezdi 350, Yezdi Roadkings, Oilking, Yezdi ‘B’ type and Yezdi Colt under the aegis of Jawa Friends Club, assembled at Regency theatre premises in Ittegegud from where they took out a rally.

SP of Excise and Lottery Enforcement Cell Basavaraj Malagathi, who flagged off the rally, rode a vintage bike for a distance which passed through Chamaraja Double road, Ramaswamy Circle, Kuvempunagar, Vontikoppal, Kalidasa Road and to the place where Jawa factory stood earlier, culminating at Bal Bhavan in Bannimantap.

The rally was led by Sameer, Manju, Khizer, Hameed and others.

Earlier, senior Jawa mechanics and employees of Jawa factory Anwar, Prabhakar, Manju, Shankar, Sangam, Majid and others were felicitated on the occasion.

The word ‘Jawa’ was coined using the first words of Czech founder Janeek, Frantisek and Wanderer, the German bike he started producing at his plant in Prague. But for Mysoreans, Jawa is also the acronym for its ruler Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar.

Jawa Yezdi bikes were manufactured in India at Yadavagiri in city. Today, apartments have come up on the land where the plant was once situated.

Gavin Wilson of CZ Jawa Yezdi Owners Club of Mysore who had been organising the event till last year, did not participate in the rally.

Gavin and his entire family had been participating in the rally from the beginning and SOM discovered that Gavin Wilson and his brother Ainsley Wilson own 18 of the rarest bikes ranging from 55cc Pionyr to Roadking.

Gavin and his friends, as a tribute to Jawa, rode their prized possessions to Tonnur Kere in Pandavapura.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 14th, 2013