[Thermodynamics]

She is absolutely stunning. Wishes to you and to your mechanic, rare to find such people. Also good to know we still get spares.

When you compared modern scooters mileage, I think the lower figures have got to do with CVT losses.

These good old scooters have excellent low end grunt and phenomenal utility value. When I used to work at my uncle’s electric motor workshop in the 90s, he had a Lambretta which he later upgraded to Chetak. Both of them were used to transport motors as large as 40HP. None of the modern scooters can match the utility value of these grand daddies.

Btw, how have you christened her ?

[paragsachania]

Awesome restoration that is!

And I was glad to get a ride on this one when we were headed for a movie to a single screen theater in good old Bengaluru locality while we finished that dinner at a good old restaurant. The combination that evening was perfect with this Chetak to relive old times.

2 strokes and the engine note will always enthrall those who have grown up and seen these machines in their era and for sure I loved that amazing torque from this Chetak each time we were moving from standstill at traffic light.

Now what? You need to "Select" what you want and post another update soon

[VaibhaoT]

Congratulations on restoration.
I spent my childhood on Bajaj Priya which I believe was the predecessor of Chetak. It was a 150 CC, 3-speed gearbox scooter. It hardly used to reach till 40-45 KMPH. But I used to feel like, I am flying on it.
We sold it as maintaining it was getting difficult in a small town.
Thanks for bringing back the memories.

[shobhit.shri]

Wow, simply wow!

We had the exact same scooter when I was a teenager. I am so glad I could see it again. I am also in Bangalore and would love to ride pillion in your next ride to Nandi Hills

The simple mechanics and components made those scooters long lasting and easy to maintain. Probably, the only downside is that its brakes and handling may not be adequate for the current road speeds and traffic.

[ilangop]

Congratulations Karthik on your new buy. Your love for automobiles is simply never ending. Loved seeing the Chetak with new paint and like directly out from the showroom. You may upgrade your rims with LML Vespa tubeless rims and go for tubeless tires. With an LML stator and Flywheel you can get better lighting. With the present configuration you may install a battery and DC horn. Or even a self start from an LML scooter will be an ultimate upgrade. All this, only if you want to deviate from keeping it Original.
Happy Scootering.

[OrangeCar]

Excellent thread and great job. The scooter looks brilliant. I learnt riding a two wheeler on a Chetak.

Originally Posted by funkykar

Finally, a selfie with my mechanic:

Would you mind providing more details? His garage name and location (in case I too would decide to restore my dad's chetak).

Also, how much did it cost? (excluding the paint job).

Thanks in advance.

[RaghuVis]

Amazing Thread funkykar. Beautifully written, nice narration of transformation and end result is worth every penny and time.

It brings back so many memories that I almost wished I should not have read this thread . My Dad had a Bajaj Chetak when I was a kid. Have so many memories in that including a near death experience with a transport bus! He sold it when I was 10/11 since he was unwell and had passed away in another 2 years.

The moment I read this thread, I immediately sent sms to VAHAN the registration number of my dad's chetak(I can remember that number even in sleep) and all the details are still available and the chetak is still in his name!

The person my dad sold it to never bothered to transfer I guess. Maybe in a twisted way, it kind of feels good. That was the only thing he had ever bought for himself (even house was in Mom's name). Setting aside the legal side, feeling very surreal to see that my dad still owns a physical object 22 years after his passing away! Feeling very numb.

PS: For those who still have a chance at restoring their parents old vehicles, please don't wait for a signal. No matter how difficult, please go ahead. You have no idea how lucky you are. As someone said, Success is counted sweetest by someone who don't

[nishantbhatia84]

Nostalgia!
The only two wheeler I've ever ridden is my Chetak! What a fantastic machine it was! 150cc of 2-stroke madness!! Could pop wheelies in 2nd gear, such was the torque on that machine! The best part was that because it was such a simple vehicle, there were hardly any maintenance issues to worry about (except the rust!), no oil changes (because 2T oil was mixed when refueling), no battery so don't have to worry about it dying! Scooter lying unused for a month? No worries, just tilt and kick - started in a kick or two almost all the time!
Gosh! I so do miss my Chetak!!

[gatsby_great]

Excellent job! We sold our Bajaj Chetak in 2008 as we were fed up with the low mileage and high maintenance. Today I felt that we could've restored it by giving it the proper attention it deserved. It could've reminded us of all the picnics, school trips and atta-chakki trips.

[T-Bone]

Dear funkykar,

That was an awesome restore.

My dad too has 1996 Bajaj Chetak which he still uses for his rides, big and small. He gave it full paint job once few years back. Here is a picture that I took on the Christmas night on December 2018. All the kids (my brothers and mine) in our house love to ride on the scooter.

[saisree]

Nostalgia all the way and its truly "Hamara Bajaj". You have rekindled my memories and i'm willing to restore my 1977 make Chetak bought second hand in 1987. It still runs as a charm and gives a healthy 38-40 KM mileage. The only change it has is the headlight used to be squarish and it was replaced with the rounded one. It requires a general dose of tinkering and painting.
Think I should start looking for the restoration. One good thing is I have the mechanic and the FNG attending to it when in need. Don't know what AP RTO will charge for the FC.

[Venkat_Figo]

This is a beauty, you are one of those privileged few to still have "Chetak" in your garage & that too in top notch condition. The new colour is tasteful & I am sure it runs like "Makhan".

I still feel Bajaj should bring in a gearless scooter with the name Chetak, might not sound new age but you never know it might carry on the legacy of its geared predecessor.

My dad gave the Chetak away when I was in college & got a Caliber 115 (Hoodibaba). If it was lying around, I would have definitely restored it, Chetak is rare, but when I see one, its nostalgia time.

Edit - BTW, I hope the horn is the legendary "Keeeek"

[superbad]

As they say, no price is too high for things you are passionate about. Great restoration job, appreciate all the hard work you've done on that. You've turned a dusty, almost forgotten piece of machinery into a classic. Kudos

I'm just curious, how did it pass the inspection test without the inspector making any comment about the emissions? Also aren't 2 stroke bikes banned from re-registration?

[adi_gt]

Ohh Buoy !! You have brought back a lots of memories with Chetak. We still have the 1986 model ( although parked now) with that basket in front and the tyre at the back to support the pillion. I learnt to ride any automobile with that thing. Never mind the wheels getting locked over sudden breaking and an always jumping front seat. The back seat was very comfortable for a young boy and the joy of embracing your father from the back was unparalleled. There used to be a everyday fight with my younger brother on who will sit back and who will stand upfront. The basket used to carry our tennis ball, milk packets, vegetables, mangoes during summer. I learnt to change the punctured tyre on Chetak. After marriage, I went to meet in laws and guess what the first thing which came out was a lambretta. Father in law smiled at me and sheepishly asked if I knew how to ride this thing as matter of some hidden pride. I thanked Chetak and the innumerable time I had to tilt it to start and rode that rusty lambretta away with panache. It saved the day for me. I moved on to Vespa Select II and then to Pulsar 150 DTSi. But nothing can recreate the nostalgic feeling as a Chetak still does. I still point out to any sightings of this scooter on streets to connect with my childhood.

[W.A.G.7]

Awesome thread. It brought back old memories! We had a blue Chetak - MZC 1066. Then we sold it off and had another one - MH-12 N 1649. Both machines were beautiful and we literally used them to go just about everywhere. Nice restoration too, by the way.

Just wanted to know, would this Chetak still be street legal, considering the two stroke vehicles would be phased out in near future? How did you manage to get it updated in the RTO records?