[TusharK]

Last week, Classic Legends reintroduced the Yezdi brand in India with three new models - Adventure, Scrambler and Roadster. The company has also filed a trademark for the 'Roadking' name, which, as per a new report will be its flagship offering.



The Roadking is an icon in itself. A modern interpretation of the classic Yezdi is under development. According to Anupam Thareja, co-founder, Classic Legends, the Roadking will be based on a bespoke platform and will sit at the top of the Yezdi line-up.

While the Adventure, Scrambler and Roadster share a 334cc, single-cylinder engine, Thareja confirmed that the Roadking will be offered with a larger motor. It could borrow the 652cc unit from the BSA Gold Star, which makes 45 BHP and 55 Nm.

If that happens, then the Yezdi Roadking will compete with the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 in the Indian market.

Source: Zigwheels

Link to Team-BHP News

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Exciting news!

Had mentioned this earlier too - Roadking is the Yezdi that they needed to introduce in showrooms to re-establish an emotional connect with the brand. Would have been glad if it came first, but if it's getting a bigger powerplant and flagship status - then all is well!

One big challenge with a single will be vibrations - but still, can't wait to see what they come up with!

[shancz]

So the trio just launched are staring at the Meteor and Himalayan while the Scrambler is unique.
The Road King in that configuration is looking at the Interceptor.

RE have been shaken out of their comfort zone.
Fun times ahead

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by shancz

RE have been shaken out of their comfort zone.
Fun times ahead

Yezdi and Bullet boys always had a love hate relationship in the old days.

But those days one was a smoker and the other was a stroker.

I for one am looking forward to this new generation rivalry.

[Jesse_Mach]

This is an interesting development. Classic legends botched up Jawa launch by showing the motorcycle to the world and then taking their own time to figure out the logistics. As a result there are hardly any Jawa's on road. Hope they don't repeat the same mistake with this iconic brand. They are only playing catch up and don't think they are competition yet for the mighty Royal Enfield.

[EV NXT]

The Roadking will have an emotional connect with folks who knew Jawa and Yezdi back in the day. Unfortunately the bulk of current day customers may not have even heard of these marques and not interested in picking up one.

The end result would be that the Roadking would go the Jawa way. However flagship models aren’t introduced for numbers. Which might just save the day for Mahindra.

Mahindra trying to rekindle the Jawa flame is like someone trying to reintroduce the Fiat 1100D because it was a success once upon a time. Isn’t going to happen.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by EV NXT

The Roadking will have an emotional connect with folks who knew Jawa and Yezdi back in the day. Unfortunately the bulk of current day customers may not have even heard of these marques and not interested in picking up one.

Wondering about the same thing. Wondering if someone born post-2000 would really connect with a 30+ year old brand. And even though I did grow up with Yezdis around, my most significant memory of the Roadking from the 90s is of a batch mate spending at least 10-15 minutes each morning trying to start his bike while we all cheered from the hostel windows above when he finally managed to get it going!

But RE has managed to pull it off with a similarly old brand, so who knows. Always good to have more brands, competition, choices around anyway.

(Personally, I'd say keep the vintage brand, but give us modern bikes!)

[ebonho]

Modern retro classics sell on look and brand recall and history and heritage. They rarely sell as bikes alone.

Is there a single Royal Enfield that is the best at anything?

Is there a single Triumph that is the best at anything (the Daytona for a couple of years actually was)?

Yet they sell. A lot of bikes.

REs are overweight. Underpowered. Poorly built. Poorly handling. Poorly engineered. Unreliable. Overpriced. With three of their most common chassis platforms breaking regularly. In fact I think they have only three chassis platforms and all of them are regularly on YouTube breaking.

Yet they sell thousands of these bikes.

Such a large population base of brave riders with a sense of history is perfect ripe pickings for Yezdi to share RE's onerous load as up till now India's only desi daal chawal homegrown legacy brand.

Cheers, Doc

[am1m]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Is there a single Royal Enfield that is the best at anything?

Marketing Doc, marketing. Am not much of an RE (or retro-classic) fan, but gotta say RE's marketing, advertising, and brand-building is tops and the main reason for their success. And that's all been aimed at the new-age buyer, not their brand loyalists from the past.

Can Yezdi match that? From the initial marketing releases, I'd say not yet. But time will tell.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by am1m

Marketing Doc, marketing. Am not much of an RE (or retro-classic) fan, but gotta say RE's marketing, advertising, and brand-building is tops and the main reason for their success. And that's all been aimed at the new-age buyer, not their brand loyalists from the past.

Can Yezdi match that? From the initial marketing releases, I'd say not yet. But time will tell.

All their marketing was and is built on the back of a fanatic fanbase. The entire RE story was. It's the riders who made RE "sexy" and not just the uncle black Bullet of the 50s to 80s or the olive green workhorse of the Indian Army.

Team BHP is a polite place where admins historically keep people in control. If I were to have said what I say about RE anywhere else there would be thermonuclear explosions.

That is the sort of "brotherhood" that noobs crave to be a part of.

When you're sat in an office or in front of a computer all day, being part of a bike gang of brothers is really attractive and "bad"... you pay your money and live out your little safe bit of Sons of Anarchy everytime you get on your bike. See a new RE rider in traffic. Observe his attitude, if not his rate of rapid forward progress. You'll get what I mean.

Let Yezdi also pick these low hanging fruit now. And by the look of things, early, they will.

And if they're better bikes, it's a win win for all.

Cheers, Doc

[i_rock098]

Originally Posted by am1m

Wondering about the same thing. Wondering if someone born post-2000 would really connect with a 30+ year old brand. And even though I did grow up with Yezdis around, my most significant memory of the Roadking from the 90s is of a batch mate spending at least 10-15 minutes each morning trying to start his bike while we all cheered from the hostel windows above when he finally managed to get it going!

To be honest even folks born in the 90s would not relate to Yezdi or Jawa from a nostalgic perspective. Most middle class had already moved to Hero Honda by that time. The CD 100 was such a legendary motorcycle that it would not break no matter what you do. Literally everyone I remember by that time had a CD 100.

[nTorq]

Originally Posted by ebonho

REs are overweight. Underpowered. Poorly built. Poorly handling. Poorly engineered. Unreliable. Overpriced. With three of their most common chassis platforms breaking regularly.

I think you're referring to the RE of the past. I am not a fanboy (although I own an Interceptor 650), but RE has turned things around significantly. For instance the 650 twins do not have any of the characteristics you have mentioned above.

[jeeva]

How I wish the new Roadking stays true to the original in terms of the design and styling, and be a regular street bike minus all the jazz and whistles.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by nTorq

I think you're referring to the RE of the past. I am not a fanboy (although I own an Interceptor 650), but RE has turned things around significantly. For instance the 650 twins do not have any of the characteristics you have mentioned above.

When I'm talking about 3 different chassis platforms all breaking I'm obviously referring to new REs.

Before 2009 there was only a single chassis that continues unchanged from the original Brit bikes.

And they never just broke on their own.

My point so as not to derail this thread is that Yezdi isn't competing against a bike. If it was only that, it would be easy. No RE single gets remotely close to what the Yezdi engine can do.

The current 350 cc Yezdi single.

So if the Road King comes with a bigger engine, it might very well go up against the RE 650s ... with one cylinder less.

Yezdi is competing against an idea. An ecosystem built by riders. And that is where the game is.

But the start of a good game is to have a good bike. A better bike. And then pull and leverage the same legacy strings.

Cheers, Doc

[PreludeSH]

I think one has to be atleast 45 years old to know Yezdi/Jawa. Initially they might have some issues connecting with younger people. But a tall cruiser like handle bar, good engine and looks will sway anyone. But I think they should go for a twin engine and get a distinct sound.

Who knows Fathers might force their younger ones to buy these just to satisfy their own sentiments