[D C]

Saw some pictures of an idle Jawa factory located in Mysore. Mr. Prasanth, who visited the factory along with a few friends, has posted the pictures on his Facebook timeline.

From various comments on the source, it looks like the machinery and parts are being sold by weight.

There are 352 photos on this Album - View Album on Facebook

A small Photo Walk through the last known days of existence and remains of the Ideal Jawa Factory in Mysore .While I scouted for bikes and spares my friends sukesh and Sandeep went around clicking these pics to enable us make a coffee table book talking the history of this "once famous" marque Whilel the original boards,the bikes,framed pics and manuals have found spaces standing out as mantle pieces within the boundaries of our houses ..the coffee table book is still in the making !!

[GTO]

Locked down, with so many stories trapped inside. My heart wrenches whenever I see such pictures. Sigh...

Here's a link to a similar thread on the Daewoo factory.

[ATUL SINGH]

Thanks @DC. Can only wish some industrialist who is also an avid bike fan to pick up the pieces and bring it back to life. One of the photo shows a worker loading 350 twins in a truck where the motorcycles seemed to be wrapped in jute. Another one shows a bike sub assembly/assembly stage with frame with engine on a crude assembly fixture contraption with two tracks for movement. If this is how it was being done in 1980's no wonder Jawa got pushed out of the market. Were the guys blind or simply kept their eyes shut to all the changes happening in the manufacturing sector around them?

Saw a beautifully maintained black CL-250 being ridden by a sardarji on the rajpath red lite crossing near Rail Bhawan in New Delhi about a week back

[King_pin09]

Indeed a very sorry state.

I could just recall my childhood days when a ride on Yezdi / Jawa motorcycle was considered a matter of pride. Ideal Jawa was one of the early entrants in the Indian 2-wheeler market and ruled our roads for many years. Just that they were pushed back by modernization wave in the late 80’s by the likes of modern machines, to an extent they could never recover. Even a second entry into the market did not help revival of the Yezdi. It’s still sad that none of the Yezdi killers (viz., Ind-Suzuki, Kawasaki Bajaj, Hero Honda or the Escorts Yamaha) or its companions (viz., Ariel, Rajdoot, BSA, save for the RE-Bullet) survive to this date.

My heart felt very heavy especially when I see the image of a typewriter still holding a paper. I keep wondering as what all could have been in the mind of the staffer who called it a day with papers still left on the machine, and left the office, never to return again.

[ATUL SINGH]

Originally Posted by King_pin09

Indeed a very sorry state.

Even a second entry into the market did not help revival of the Yezdi. It’s still sad that none of the Yezdi killers (viz., Ind-Suzuki, Kawasaki Bajaj, Hero Honda or the Escorts Yamaha) or its companions (viz., Ariel, Rajdoot, BSA, save for the RE-Bullet) survive to this date.

Agreed @king pin09 but all of them moved on because they could adapt to the market. Bajaj, Hero and TVS are here to stay. Remember how Bajaj was only hamara bajaj (read chetak, super) but then they realised that the next big thing was motorcycles and they adapted to it. If possible would love to ride the 350 twin Yezdi some day

As for the typewriter, i understand what you mean. Also the board saying "yezdi 250cc WELCOME" reminds me of railways workshops which have a similar culture even today. Love the sidecar design- looks some thing from star wars.

But for me the photograph of the 25000th Jawa takes the cake, dated 30.03.66 its 3 years to the date before i was born

[i_see]

These photos are very old.
As of today, what was once Ideal Jawa factory, is now a premium residential apartment complex ( with a total of 700+ flats coming up in what was once a 28 acre factory complex)
In fact one of my friends stays in the apartment complex and i visit the place frequently. Someone who had not seen what was there before will not even realize that what is now a apartment complex was once a busy bike factory!

[tharian]

A picture taken around 2005 after the factory was cleaned out and demolished or still standing(not sure).

This was the billboard that was at the boundary wall next to the railway line showing the models made. Not too clear.

The security wasn't letting us click a snap, so we made him pose as well, along with a friend.

[Rajain]

Truly nostalgic.

Reminded me of a university senior - a die hard Yezdi fan. In 1994 (or 95) the four 100 cc bikes were doing well. Very few thought of Royal Enfield, Yezdi or Rajdoot. Back then I had a Hero Honda ad had already done more than 1,50,000 kms on it - so I was a great ambassador of these 100 cc bikes. This friend found a place to order a Yezdi and got one. This university senior was so besotted by Yezdi that when he brought it - I still remember converging around, touch and feel, then his attempts to keep it spotless. Amazing love and yes what an amazing bike too - twin cylinder and looked the piece.

My head turns till today when I see a Yezdi pass by on the road. Salute to the day and age.

[aargee]

More abandoned picture of the factory over a decade ago though in this thread - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...-produced.html

[Doge]

http://www.yezdi.com/
Amazingly,they have a website! And it doesn't seem to be run by fans either. I wonder what's the point of this?
Anyway, I too love Yezdi's.

[NST440]

Really feel sad for those beautiful machines lying dead there for years and yearning to be brought back to life. The moment i saw the pics i felt like the bikes are communicating with me and asking for their freedom.

[RGK]

I am one of the admirers of Yezdi. Roadking was one of the finest models from Yezdi. The engine noise was lower than the previous models to compete with Ind Suzuki's and Hero Honda's.

The dealer for Yezdi at Coimbatore was Stanes Motors and I always choose the Stanes bus stop to board my bus, especially to have a look of this majestic bike at that time. I feel depressed on seeing the photos now. Why cant Yezdi make a comeback like Royal Enfield?

[fiestarry]

I hope like hell that the Yezdi does not make a comeback; at least in that avatar. In today's world, among the last things we need is a prehistoric motorcycle with a loud engine note. Imagine a dozen of these machines passing by your house or office every minute.
Nostalgia is nice: I too have done tremendous trips on Jawas and Yezdis. Done the length and breadth of Gujarat on one in the early ninties; so that you know. Never had a problem starting one either because I learnt how to when I was about nine or ten.
But in today's world it is a relic best left undisturbed.

[amit_shimla]

Oh god, nostalgia just struck me right now. My cousin used to own a 1971 Jawa which I used to ride too. What an amazing performance and ride quality, you bet no modern bike can provide.

[SKavuri]

Originally Posted by King_pin09

My heart felt very heavy especially when I see the image of a typewriter still holding a paper. I keep wondering as what all could have been in the mind of the staffer who called it a day with papers still left on the machine, and left the office, never to return again.

Very heart-rending story. Jawa and Yezdi (sometimes the name plate would be fixed upside-down by mechanics and it read Ipzah) were such aspirational youth icons of 70s and early 80s before Ind-Suzuki hit them. I always wanted to buy Yezdi as soon as I could afford one.

Yes the typewriter with the paper still loaded leaves a lump in the throat. The same emotions - what might have gone through the typist's mind when he couldn't come back and complete what he started. I will have difficulty swallowing my breakfast.

But why it happened so sudden as if an earth quake hit them? Why they couldn't they put away all work-in-progress before they closed it?

Similar stories about Allwyn and AP scooters (made a scooter called PL170 in late eighties) in Hyderabad, within the automobile sector.
Perhaps thousands more in other industry sectors.