After tons of spy shots and numerous possible expositions, Yezdi has finally announced its comeback into the motorcycle market. The credit goes to Classic Legends, a subsidiary of the Mahindra group. The same company that brought Jawa back to life in the November of 2018, now aims to reincarnate the Yezdi Motorcycle. However, there’s a lot to uncover when it comes to the history of the brand Jawa and how it became Yezdi. Let’s take a look at the brief history of Yezdi in India:
Yezdi: a brief history
Jawa was a Czech brand, brought to India by Farrokh K Irani and Rustom S Irani. The brand was renamed “Yezdi” to Indianize it. The Yezdi factory was located along the railway line which heads to Mysore Junction and it was inaugurated in 1961. The band Jawa Yezdi is remembered by many Indians thanks to the nostalgia created by the Jawa 250. The Jawa 250 was commonly referred to as the A-type. Other bikes include the Yezdi 250 ‘B’ Type, Yezdi 350 Twin, and Yezdi Monarch.
The smaller Yezdi 175 and the Yezdi 60 Colt moped were also sought after by the consumers. However, the Yezdi Roadking is probably the most well-known bike sold by the brand. The Yezdi Roadking was produced at Mysore from 1978 to 1996. It was based on the CZ 250 motocross and it was ridden by Jaroslav Falta to the runner-up spot in the 1974 Motorcross World Championship. The Roadking was powered by a 250cc 2-stroke engine that was capable of producing 16hp @5,000rpm and over 24Nm of torque at 4,250rpm. The engine was mated to a 4-speed constant mesh gearbox and the top speed was rated around 120 km/h. It got dual exhausts and a semi-automatic clutch and an integrated gear shifter/kick-starter. It also featured a carburetor for mixing the air and fuel better.
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The Royal Enfield Classic and Bullet might have made their name today, but the Yezdi Roadking used to give a tough competition to both of them. The Roadking always had this sense of ruggedness and class to it. The massive fuel tank, the dual exhausts, and the Yezdi logo embedded on the bike made sure that it stood out among the sea of other bikes. However, Yezdi had to shut shop in the ’90s. It’s not that the bikes failed to capture the market. The change in India’s policies which facilitated a lot of international players made it difficult for the brand to survive. There were more frugal and lighter bikes available in the market which was the need of the hour. Also, emission norms ensured that 2-stroke engines would have to be discontinued.
What does the future hold?
Yezdi will release its iconic ‘Roadking’ in two variants, next year. The bike has been spied testing on the Indian soil countless times, and though the brand remains silent on any details about the bike, the pictures have their own story to tell. Earlier this year, the company got the name Yezdi Roadking trademarked in India, and it only suggests that the bike is pacing towards the market. The Roadking gets a Scrambler and an Adventure variant, with the latter as its name suggests, being an adventure tourer.
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