[aghate]

What a nostalgic ride this collection was. Thank you so much for that!

My dad owned a few scooters back in the day. I don't have much info on what these were barring the one that was bought a year before I was born. We had a 1987 Chetak, 4-stroke and 150cc(?). Not sure of the original colour but it was repainted to Navy Blue and I personally loved it. Still had the manual for ages, blue cover with a gray coloured model on it. Have not forgotten the sound of it till date and pretty sure I won't for a long time.

Have you set a target on Bajaj Legend? I recall somehow that the exhaust note was similar for the Bravo and the Legend (happy to be corrected).

[EVMAN]

Hi! Kartik, Awesome collection and thanks for sharing it. You will make a lot of people nostalgic about their 1st scooter in the family. My father bought Priya in parrot green colour (don't know the official name of the colour) from Ambala. Its registration number was HRP 8873. My Father, brother and me learnt to ride on that very scooter. He bought it for ₹ 10,610/-. It was still in good working condition when we sold it in 2006 for ₹ 2,500/-. How I wish we could get it back and gift it to someone like you who will take care of it and I get to see it once in a while even just in pictures.

On the same topic, I even regret selling our 1st car Maruti 800 bought in 1998 and sold in the year 2010.

[ash22]

Can you also share with us a pic of your parking lot where all your scooters are collected.

[yesyeswe]

We would love to see the whole collection in one picture, and moreover how does your family members react to this hobby? You are doing a very good thing by purchasing
and restoring these old beauties, otherwise most would have ended in scrap.

As soon as you mentioned the name bravo, something clicked inside me, it took me some seconds but the sexy Bajaj Bravo came into my head. My father had a Bajaj Super, plain simple looking, had that two part seat which looked ugly to me(i was a kid back then) but it got the job done. And after some time someone in our locality bought a silver colored Bravo, the round translucent indicators, the spherical speedometer, the flat seat, it was a Ferrari to me, i used to hate our scooter.

After around 15 years my father sold off our Super to someone in our locality and i see him around riding it, I get happy that it's still running and serving a new family now

[gpadki]

You have brought out the good old Bangalore with scooters and m80's on roads. Its truly nostalgic. Thank you and am sure you will enjoy every Km with these heart throbs!!

[jithin23]

That was a detailed write up on the classics in old Bangalore which was much more peaceful. Brilliant collection of those scooters as well as the Fiat and the effort you have put to maintain/restore them. This just brings me back memories of my dad's cherry red RX100 in which we used to travel to a lot of places. I wish I can get back the same bike again(CKM 5817).

[wheeledwanderer]

Thanks for bringing in beautiful memories of Mysore with these beauties. Was in Mysore from 2000-2004 during my Engineering days at JCE. What GPS application are you using?

[Bismaya]

What a nostalgia. Literally brought me to tears. My mousa (husband of my mother's older sister) owned a 1977 Bajaj Super, which he bought from a guy for the price of a new one, just only when it was 30 days old. Even though I'm a late 90s kid, my earliest memories of it are being the first 2 wheeler I had sat on as a toddler. He had even fit a baby seat on it for me. We had this machine until 2003 when I was in primary school and was sold in favor of getting a LML Freedom. Moreover, the select II reminds me of the Vespa T5. Yes, my older brother had it even after the Super was sold. It was a really good machine, with an Electric Start and all. Seeing your pictures brought back memories, a lot of them. I used to find the single spring seat on the Scooter quite enjoyable to hop on. Could sit on it for hours without being tired.

[bajica]

You just brought back the good old days....


1. We had a M50 bought new on which I learned riding a geared 2-wheeler. I still remember the first time I rode it without letting the parents know. I pushed the M50 out of our building compound and then started it, lest the sound would give up my trials . After taking a couple of rounds around our apartment complex, just brought it back inside the building and crashed straight in the parking area to the shop shutters, ( I forgot to apply the brakes in the right foot...remember this was the first time I rode a geared 2-wheeler). No injuries though as was very slow.



2. I also rode all the Bajaj models at my Uncle's place at Ahmedabad, including the Chetak, Super, Sunny(1 in your pic where picked up your first M80), 4-stroke Legend, etc..
Also the first time took a long ride in 1992 of 2 teenagers (me and my cousin) covering the Ahmedabad Mumbai route on a Super FE, a total of 525 Kms in something like 13 hours with helmet and gloves ... had to visit many people's house for getting the 2 helmet for the trip.


3. Also had a LML NV150 for a long time, after selling off the M50.


Those days....


Congratulations on your collection

[DheerajNK]

That is an awesome collection mate! While I was reading your thread and going through all the pictures one by one, I was hoping to find a single picture with your entire connection in one frame. If at all you have one such picture, please do post.

The Chetak without the indicator; my dad owned one when I was growing up and actually that was the vehicle in which I learnt riding 2-wheelers.

[AtheK]

Beautiful thread. Bajaj Bravo is the scooter i aske my dad to buy after Bajaj Chetak. He still tells me that it was a wrong decision. I should probably show this thread to him.

Thanks for reigniting the memories.

[arun1100]

Hey Karthik, lovely collection of Scooters! The Bajaj M80 looks super cool; I've never seen one on Bangalore's roads at least in the last two decades! I am grateful to you for restoring my Dad's scooter and for using it regularly. I am not missing it since two of your scooters are with me and I too use them regularly!

Here's a pic of one of your scooter.

[NPV]

Karthik, lovely thread, thanks for sharing!

You seem to have gone on a spree buying a lovely scooter every few weeks/months

My dad had a Blue colored LML Select and I remember it had a waiting period of 3-4 months from booking. Don't remember the exact year but quite sure it was the year it was launched maybe between 1990-92 ?

How do you manage to park and maintain so many scooters ? And take each on a ride at least once a week ?

[arun1100]

Here are some pics of Karthik's scoot.

[swiftnfurious]

Whattay lovely thread man!! Thank you so so much for putting this up. Its so well appreciated. Very nostalgic for me as we had few scooters in the family (& a bike too). When I was a kid, all of those thrilling experience was about the scooter rides with my uncle (he was fast & would lean on curves). I think he still has the Bajaj Chetak (should be 25+ years easily). I heard him saying that he was almost begging to his son to take it and use it but he (my cousin) wouldn't want to touch it.

One day my uncle was tinkering with the scooter (DIY was a rather norm) and me watching. He wanted me to give a little throttle - I remember grabbing the accelerator a good hard twist ensued!! The rpm went really high, engine really screamed and the place was in full smoke - all these in 2 odd seconds. I was scared to death that the scooter will go in flames and my uncle told me I was supposed to twist it very minutely. (Remembering it now, the engine had a rather musculine sound). And another Chetak for my mom's BIL. They would travel as a family (4 of them) for about 200 kms to get together at my grand parent's home.

Another was Vespas - 1 with my dad's cousin and then a guy during my +2. That was a unique scooter in the whole college (1998-2000) & half the students would keep ogling at it when he comes & goes - the guy would love all the attention. It did carry him away and one fine day, he took a sweeping curve in the college only to fall down & bruise a freakin brand new 1 week old scooter.

I believe you are fortunate to have a good mechanic to take care of these vehicles. All the owners also look old school and hence your task seem easy (not quite the shady ones) & its amply clear they have had a strong attachment to their (p)ride.

Coming to few questions

1. Am now surprised that my uncle and mom's sis & family used to ride 100 - 200 kms on these scooters on a rather regular mode. How comfortable are these for highway rides?

2. What's the best of the lot from a performance & reliability standpoint (especially between Chetak & Vespa)? Vespa oozed more style I recollect. The Bravo looks uber cool and I prefer that styling to Chetak.

3. Whats the service intervals & also availability of the spares? I presume these are rather low cost to maintain.

4. Finally, kitna deti hai

PS: These are all 150cc beasts right? And all these from pre-2000s where mainstream bikes were just 100cc.