[anjan_c2007]

The commuter two wheeler scenario has seen drastic changes though on a long term basis only. It was only bikes earlier, but come the mid 1950's scooters from Automobile Products of India Ltd (API) viz Lambretta and from Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) viz Vespa started making inroads into our two wheeler market scape. Vespas and Lambrettas ruled the markets in the 1960's and 70's. Royal Enfield's Fantabulus and Escorts' Rajhans with some lesser players like Gujarat Narmada and a few others made almost no impact on the Big Two's sales and were sooner or later consigned to history.

Come the Vijai Super in 1975 and soon in its various avatars (state branded avatars) the Lambretta glitter faded and by 1987 API had to wind up scooter production. Bajaj continued its winning spree eclipsing the glory of the Vijai brands by the early 1990's. Piaggio Vespa launched its models since 1982, claiming that they are well ahead of the competition with newer designs, but they had to satisfy their market hold with sales figures that didn't come close to Bajaj. Mr Rahul Bajaj was ultimately crowned as the "Scooter King" by the media.

By 1985, the Indo-Japanese 100 cc commuter bikes made inroads and the four brands viz. Ind Suzuki AX 100, Hero Honda CD 100, Yamaha RX 100 and the last entrant Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 jointly made an impact on the market scene. But the Bajaj Super, Cub, Priya and Chetak continued to be sold in decent numbers. The Indo Japanese bikes upped their games with 110/125/135 cc variants/upgrades and enticed the young crowds who would prefer these any day over the scooters. Come 1987, Kinetic Engineering threw a googly at the two wheeler market with their 100 cc Kinetic Honda. Popularly called the KiHo, it won the hearts of lots and lots of customers, reigning our market for about 14-15 years. Ladies and the elderly preferred this scooter as among the best daily commuter, two wheeled prodigy. Mr Dilip Bam, who coined the term KiHo also in his road test for the Indian Auto Journal had said that this scooter wins my heart as it can carry a gas cylinder hassle-free on its footboard. Incidentally, Mr Bam owned one till his passing way recently.

But despite such headwinds, Bajaj Auto's scooters continued to sell, though they were feeling jittery along with their only surviving competitor LML Vespa (later only LML) due to the inroads made by the 100-135 cc bikes. The Kinetic Honda continued to sell decently though as it's niche was defined. And the Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100 /RTZ/125 sold the least among the foursome for pretty long. Bajaj entered soon with their four stroke bike engine to capture a market slice.

By the 1990's, Bajaj and LML attempted to introduce quite a few variants of their best selling scooters with nearly the same mechanicals to attract more customers. In fact, Bajaj had brought in the Cub (125cc) in 1985 and had four models on offer incl the Priya by PSU Maharashtra Scooters that was soon after bought by Bajaj Auto.

The newer scooter models for Bajaj ( like the Stride/Bravo/Legend/Saffire) and LML (like the Select/Supremo/Sensation/Pulse/Star) gained limited buyers, though only some of these models were popular then. But the fading glitter of owning a scooter had come full circle after the turn of the millennium. The 100-150 cc (some with higher engine displacements like the Pulsar 180) bikes continued their market winning spree post 2000.

With successive failures of their three to four offerings of four stroke scooters, Bajaj Auto exited the scooter market. Papa Scooter King Mr Rahul Bajaj though was displeased with his son Rajiv's decision but the latter decided to hang on only to the bike market. TVS came and disappeared with its four stroke scooter, the Spectra.

By 2001, the Honda Activa was launched and soon it took the market by storm and created its own niche, very soon reigniting the passion signalling a restart of the pleasant years of scooter ownership. In fact, it soon dented the commuter bike market to become a dominant player. Others like Suzuki, TVS, HeroMotoCorp and Yamaha soon followed to get a slice in this non geared scooter market dominated by Honda but had to satisfy themselves with their "lesser than Honda" sales.

Back to the title of this thread, we would like opinions from members about coping up with ownerships of the older generation Lambrettas/Vespas to the later 100 cc or more commuter bikes and to the market created by the non geared Honda Activa and its peers.

As for me, I learnt scooter driving with my Dad's Lambretta as he owned three of these during different years. I had a 1985 Bajaj Super too and had also bought a Ind Suzuki AX100 in 1986. Replacements happened and I bought a Yamaha RX 100 in 1990 (still with me). Also, by 2003 I bought a Honda Activa (still with me).

My experiences with the older generation of scooters is that no doubt these were tough and enduring but had niggles that had to be attended to on a regular basis. But overall ownership was always a pleasure. The Ind Suzuki AX 100 with some 7 plus bhp felt a bit underpowered but was extremely reliable. The engine was silk smooth and kick starting it was so easy. After driving the old generation bikes and scooters this change was very perceptible. It delivered 50-55 kmpl and that was too good. It's wheelbase was smaller than the competition and hence balancing it was not as easy as it's peers. All the 100 cc bikes made a great difference in driving as long drives never tired me and I could always hanker for more. The Yamaha RX 100 won my heart and has now done 31 years of ownership with me. It's so tough, brute and quick even today. These command a very good resale value today. The opaque, grey smoke from the exhaust is though a turn off as today, Greens are having their say everywhere. Coming to the Activa, it's extremely reliable for crowded market commutes and carries anything one needs to carry with its two wheeler limitations.

Lately, I have bought a 1963 Lambretta in 2016 just to keep the old memories alive. One can never till the last breath forget his or her first love and first encounter in metal. More so if he or she is a teambhpian.

[ebonho]

My first two wheeler in college was a Kinetic Honda.

A year later I sold it and bought a Kawasaki KB 100 RTZ. Simone. Still in college. Which I rode for 10 years, right up until the birth of our second child.

Then after the block piston had seized for the second time, I sold her for 10K to a local mechanic, and bought the first lot Pulsar 180.

I rode her for less than a year and sold her and bought my Bullet 500 Standard (Doppie, Doppelganger, who I still have).

Then in 2007, a year after the birth of our third child, I bought Figgy, my LB 500 Machismo. I rode her a lot, while modding and racing my Standard 500, and she was my primary touring rig, till I sold her to a friend in 2011.

I briefly bought a first lot Classic 500 UCE, and sold her after one big ride. That was the end of my love affair with RE as a company and its new(er) bikes.

I then bought my KTM Duke 200 (Baby Duke 222) in 2012. Rode her for a couple of years, and then sold her.

And bought my Duke 390 in 2014.

Since 2016 I've been a cyclist, and now a State Masters champ and planning to get deeper into masters racing fulltime.

Meanwhile I've seen the Indian scene (from the corner of my eye) moving to maxi and E scooters. I guess it was a nice ride while it lasted.

Cheers, Doc

[Mafia]

Change is the only constant. While I appreciate the nostalgia, there are reasons things fall out of circulation.

While it is nice to look back and remember the good old days, we only recollect the good things mostly. Rarely the struggles and the rest of the bitterness.

My experiences have taught me to grow and move on. Though I remember many things fondly, I can not go back and enjoy the old things with the same intensity as I did when they were new. So I invariably regret spoiling the original memory somewhat.

While I look jealously at the old Jawas, I look forward to the latest and the newest bike in the market for buying.

[drt_rdr]

We've had a few different nostalgia worthy possessions in the family: the RE Silver Plus, Hero Puch, Bajaj Chetak, Suzuki Fiero, HM Ambassador, Maruti Zen, TVS Scooty, a few different bicycles like the old Atlas standard, Hercules Cannon Barrel, Hero Hawk, BSA Champ and such. Some of these are no longer with us, but personally, I'm not given to any sort of nostalgia towards any of these.

Apart from the bicycles, the Zen and the Fiero are the only ones I think are worth preserving. The rest I think are more trouble than they're worth.

Meanwhile, my Suzuki GS150R is another rare gem that I would want to preserve and ride as long as there's no other motorcycle in our market with similar characteristics of upright ergonomics, huge tank, tractable yet rev happy yet gentlemanly engine, well behaved handling, great build quality and features which hold up really well even 10 years later, all at a weight that's fairly easily manageable. The day Suzuki brings a GS250R or something like that here, this one would lose its value to me. And I'm actually looking forward to that day.

[condor]

The journey:

1984-1986: dad got a TVS-50XL
1986-2008: upgrade to Chetak
1991-1993: KB100 RTZ Delta
1998-2000: KB125
2015-2018: Honda Dio
2017-2020: Honda Activa-i
And finally, now: 2021: a 1987 model KB100 !

Love the simple nature of these two-strokes. Both machine wise, and the no-frills looks. It's a saving grace for us guys with increasing Salt-n-pepper hair, that saves us from riding the current gen commuter bikes which are either the boring CT100 or the 150's which have the right amount of flash for college kids.

[Sudeep Lakhotia]

I learnt to ride bike on a humble Suzuki AX-100, which my dad had maintained for 20 years at the time when I started to ride it. The sheer power that 2 stroke engine had was overwhelming for a new rider. There were countless wheelies I did while learning to release the clutch, but once I mastered it, there was no looking back. The run from 0-60 in that bike was super fast. One friend had the mighty shogun and that bike was something else.
Unfortunately a year back we had to scrap the Suzuki due to lack of parking space and that was a very emotional moment for me and my parents as well, they spent a larger time of their younger days on that bike hoping around Jaipur.
Now we have 2 TVS Jupiters, they are good and serve the purpose but they aren't exciting like Shoguns and AX100. Aprilia and Yamaha Aerox I think aree good for fun as well as utility.

[SnS_12]

From my childhood I always dreamt of owning at least one motorcycle when I turned 18 and riding it to college. I could only picture myself riding one of those super bikes I would see in the magazine’s back then only to realise once I got older and a faint bit wiser that these are not easily available in India and even if you can find one it would be really expensive to buy and maintain. But once I entered college like most middle class kids I dreamt of owning a CBZ or a Pulsar but that never happened as my dad told me I will have to buy a bike with my own money. However, after a year of working he finally gave me the money to buy my first bike and this is how the journey/madness began for me...

2004 - Yamaha RX 135 (preowned)
2006 - Yamaha RD 125 (preowned)
2006 - Yamaha RD 200 (preowned)
2012 - Kawasaki Ninja 650 (new and now sold)
2017 - Suzuki Hayabusa (new)

[alpha1]

I remember learning two wheeler on my father's Lambretta in the 90s. It was Blue and white painted beauty and was different from the plethora of Bajaj and LMLs that were seen on the road.

Way back (80s), I remember mostly Priya, Vijay and Lambrettas - and their unique stepney design that doubled up as goods carrier or even people carrier(!).
This thread actually deserves some nostalgic photos ...

[Sudarshan42]

I'm going to combine my father's journey with mine, since both are practically blurred. I started riding all his vehicles when I came of age, and I'm still yet to buy my own brand spanking new bike off a showroom lot! Here goes:

1988- I was born, and dad had moved from his hairy-chested biking days of Jawas and Yezdis to a more practical Bajaj Chetak. I remember riding on the front of that thing and jumping across old Bangalore's not-so-malevolent speedbreakers with a massive smile on my face.
1992- The Chetak ended up giving him back pain, so he began what would be a 25 year love affair with Royal Enfields with a 350 Std Bullet. Served him well for nearly a decade, and earned him the enviable image of a mustachioed biker doctor.
1995- bought a Kinetic Honda for my aunt, which would incidentally become my first scooter 10 years down the line. Nothing to write home about, a nice fuss-free practical scooter.
2003- Sold the Bullet for a brand new RE Thunderbird 350. This would go on to become my first motorcycle several years later, complete with an aftermarket exhaust for those college day thrills loved, loved, loved it.
2009- after handing the keys of the older Thunderbird over to me, dad got himself another Thunderbird, this time a Twinspark with electric start. Due to aging and other factors, my father stopped riding altogether in a few years. I sold the other TB and took this over as my primary ride a few years later.
2012- TVS Wego. Mostly for smaller distances, and in case my father's arthritis prevented him from taking the Thunderbird out, which was unfortunately becoming an all too frequent occurrence.
2013- In an impulsive and hard to comprehend decision, he ended up selling the Wego to my aunt barely a year later and bought himself a Vespa. We still ride it to this day, and have no plans of selling it. It is the last vehicle registered in his name till his death earlier this year, and I'd like to hold on to that for as long as possible.
2017- Sold the second Thunderbird in favour of a more forward leaning bike to help my worsening back issues, and bought my cousin's Pulsar 220F. Absolutely love that bike, to the point where I'm hard pressed to justify a replacement for it even today. Will most likely use it for at least another 2-3 years before handing it over.

So there you go, a small excerpt of an inextricably woven tale with my father and our shared motorcycle journey. Thanks for reading!

[Suresh Stephen]

I learnt to ride on a Royal Enfield Ensign, A cute 150 CC motorcycle. I have been using my father's lambretta and a Robin Hood cycle (Which I still have) during my college days.
A 62 model Jawa was the first bike I bought followed by a few lambrettas
My dream bike was a 90 model Rx100 ,Ultra reliable. I have loved it and have used for extensive traveling around the country including Ladakh, then a 70 model Bullet.

I started my motorcycle maintenance and modifications on my father's lambretta some 45 years back which is not with me anymore. Very rugged and go anywhere vehicles. I had some tours with it also. I had a small stint with Activa also. Very reliable machine but doesn't have the old charm of the lambretta.
Now I have a Himalayan for touring, a 73 model Jawa and a Unicorn

[KrisTvpm]

Thanks for this journey down the memory lane!

In a way, feel we 80's/90's kids were fortunate enough to see the evolution of automobile - both 2 & 4 wheelers in India.

My tryst & love affair with automobiles started so:
1982: Dad bought his 1st 2wheeler - Lamby in a sky+light blue shade combo. Fondly remember this one, standing on the foot-board while Dad used to ride
1989: Dad's 2nd scooter - LML Vespa 150NV in olive-green shade
1995: Dad's 3rd scooter - Bajaj Chetak in bottle-green
1998: My 1st 2wheeler - a hand-down from grandpa - Avanti Garelli moped (which I'd want to eminently forget, this made me the laughing stock in front of fashionable guys/girls sporting RX100's/KineticHondas)
2000: Dad gifted a Bajaj Caliber soon after completing college/just months before landing my 1st job - still with me, have no plans to dispose off
... and it goes on! Each one of these invoke pleasant childhood memories and are integral parts of life.

The limited models seen in our childhood - RoyalEnfield/Lambretta/Priya/Vijai Super/Rajdoot/Yezdi/SilverPlus/Avanti/Allwyn Pushpak - although these were not glitch-free & fill/shut/forget types, these had some character which makes one happy to atleast see them in person once a while!

[Aravind_M92]

Well my story is a little odd! Most of my motorbike stories have been with college days alone and two wheelers were something always frowned upon and discouraged by my family! My story is as follows
1992 - I was born!
1993 - dad buys a Kinetic Honda which served us without any hassle till 2009
1999 - I learnt to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Courtesy my Grandfather who was patient enough to teach me on how to Balance!
2006 - post buying a four wheeler in '99, the two wheeler was barely used. It literally just stood there and every time I saw it, 'someday, you'll be mine' was all that ran in my mind. 2006 was the year when I first rode it!
2010 - UG First year. I neither had a license, nor did I have any Knowledge on operating a geared two wheeler or a car
2012 - Courtesy my friends, I learner riding a TVS Victor. And the same year, I did get my license. And then I improved my skills on a Hero Honda CD100, (1989), courtesy of my uncle to help understand gear shifts better.
2012-2016 - the UG years, my family did refuse me a two wheeler, but I did have to acquire the skills to use one. Did ride a plethora of bikes from friends. This included Fazer/FZ16 twins, R15, Pulsar, NS 200, Bullet 350, Thunderbird, CBR 150/250. And being in Pondicherry meant two wheelers were a way of life!
2016 - I got out college and got back with my family. And yet again, two wheelers were literally banned for me!
2017 - A Suzuki Access 125 was purchase to be utilised for short hops. Parking a sedan in suburban roads was cumbersome. This has been my two wheeler ride since then. The scooter had clocked only 500 kms till 2019. Was put to use heavily during covid and has now clocked about 4000 kms.

[jomson13]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Lately, I have bought a 1963 Lambretta in 2016 just to keep the old memories alive. One can never till the last breath forget his or her first love and first encounter in metal. More so if he or she is a teambhpian.

Super thread anjan, brought back memories of all the vehicles our family has owned over the years.
It was great to hear from the other members too. We definitely need pictures here!

The first vehicle in the family was the maroon colored bajaj sunny. I think we got it somewhere around 1992-93. I remember riding it around the colony before I was of legal driving age . It was donated to our maid sometime in the early 2000's

In 1996 dad got a grey bajaj Chetak. If memory serves me right, there was a 6 month waiting period for it and it cost around 25,000. Served us well, I used it quite a lot during my junior college days - I prefered the geared chetak over the activa. It still looks and runs like new. Dad sold it a month back.

2005 - Golden activa comes home. Fuss free bike. Served us for around 10 years.

2009 - Uncle donated his '96 model Yamaha RXG to me.
Final year of college was quite memorable thanks to this.
Still have this one with me, do not plan to sell it. Its in top nick, recently got new rear suspension and tyres. Stripped it down during the first lockdown and painted the chassis. The simple and effective engineering amazes me every time I start it up.
Link to the post on restoration - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...n-project.html (Partial restoration of my 1996 Yamaha RXG 135 - A lockdown project!)

2013 - Purchased my first bike on my own. Red Yamaha SZ-R. Extremely good commuter bike. Did close to 33k kms before selling it in 2016

2016 - Grey Activa 4G. Wife's daily runner. Went for the matte color. I personally feel the older activas rode better. Odo is around 29,000 currently

2018 - Was bored of driving the activa to office. Got myself an Apache RTR 200 4v. Again went it for the matte grey color. Since I am quite the grease monkey I went in for the carburetted version. Hasn't let me down over the past 3 years anytime. Sold it a month back, rode it for 29,000 kms

2021 - The Apache is an extremely capable bike, but the itch to upgrade was present every time I did a longish highway ride. Got myself a pre-owned Interceptor 650. Piling on the miles on the inty as of now.

Will look up some pictures of the old bikes and share.
Cheers.

[silverado]

I was a bike rider for many years as my CD 100 served me well. I used to look down upon scooter riders thinking it was very unsafe to ride. In 2012 i had to relocated to pune for job, and then we had to buy a scooter for my wife.

Ever since i havent looked back to bikes, even if you have a bike a scooter is a much needed thing in todays world.

The fact that wego rides well and also handles beautifully serves me right.
I am done with bike riding for now and looking forward to explore the world of cycling ( have been one since 3 years now ).

[n33rav]

2010: Bought first ever bike of my family, Pulsar 150. My father ride cycle his whole life and never even learned Motorcycle. There was no financial constraint, my father offered me Splendor in 2005 when I turned 18 but I refused it as I wanted Pulsar (pulsarmaniac, haha). Pulsar was infamous in our family for some ridiculous speed and accident stories. So him buying it for me was out of question. I waited for 6 years to complete graduation and save enough to by Pulsar. Proudly and passionately rode for 10 years. It didn't gave me single issues till from one day engine just broke with a loud noise and everything inside was destroyed beyond repair. All the mechanics I show it to where equally surprised how something like this can happen. None of them had heard of something like that.

2020: Pulsar reached its end of life. I left job to become full time freelancer, working from home all the time, need something everyone in the family can use so bought Active 5G.

Future: RE Classic still entice me and hopefully will have it sooner or later!