[JayPrashanth]

My dad still rides a Bajaj Chetak that has served us for just over 20 years and 1,00,00 kms now. It is still going very strong after a new coat of paint and some engine work, a few thousand kilometres ago. My dad just doesn't want to sell his trusty steed that ferried us to school when we were kids. The Chetak has stood it's ground through in thick and thin, be it hauling a hundred kilos of grain or a few months groceries. Nothing on two wheels can come close to the sheer utility of the Bajaj Scooter. I have very warm memories of the Chetak and we intend to keep it running for many more years, albeit as a weekend ride. Talking of which, I see plenty of guys and girls in Pune riding stylised versions of the Bajaj scooters replete with bright paint and fruity sounding exhausts. I'm more than a little tempted to give our Chetak a beautiful paint job and make it a low rider.

Cheers,

Jay

[abdriver2000]

Makes feel proud of my restored Bajaj super and at the same time I am sad to see them go. It was my first ride. Manufactured in 1985, I got it in 1997 and restored it in 2009 after 6 years of standing in one place. Fuel tank has rusted away and we had to attach a bottle to start it.

The engine started in less than 5 kicks!

[gaddiwale]

Sad news indeed. The company known for its scooters, decided to stop production of its one time bread and butter. Reason - they are selling only 1000 units per month. Boy it's a failure for Bajaj itself, cann't they upgrade the engine/style to lure the modern youth? When Honda, Vespa were spending money and developing new scooters to cope the market demand, then Bajaj produced the same old scoots based on 1950's Vespa platform, afterwards whatever they experimented (4-stroke scoots/Rave/sunny and so on) were total failure. This pointing towards the capabilities of Bajaj R&D. All the best Bajaj for your wish to become a bike expert! We'll not forget Hamara Bajaj, that once the mode of transportation for Indian middle-class.

[bj96]

We have a '84 Bajaj Super back at home. It is dad's first purchase. He brought it home after booking and waiting in vain for several months to get a "Vespa PL 170". Those days, scooter delivery was lottery !!. I learnt riding before him . I was about 11 years old then. In last 25 years, the scooter has been painted thrice and engine overhauled twice, I guess. It still fires in 4-5 kicks despite stationary for months together. Circa, 1987 we (dad and I) rode it for about 100kms from the closest rail station to my village in north Bihar. We used to park it in a school as village did not have pucca road then and rainy season would make it inaccessible. It was a status symbol for us then.

I have many fond memories of childhood attached to this scooter. The art of kick starting a Bajaj by leaning to rt side... will be lost. I don't see any modern two wheeler that needs this technique anymore. This was one simple machine which could be fixed DIY in most cases.

-BJ

[anjan_c2007]

The reason for Bajaj Auto bidding goodbye to the scooter business is not palatable.Their ONE POINT AGENDA "They want to become the largest motorbike manufacturer in the UNIVERSE!"
To concentrate on this one point agenda they want to get rid of the scooter tag that has stuck to them for decades.
Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha,Kawasaki,Vespa, Peugeot and a host of other companies make mopeds, scooters,motorbikes,All Terrain Vehicles and the first two and the last one even make cars. So its no great thing done when they say we finish off the scooter business to concentrate on 100 to 500 cc bike segment and also on the 135 to 400 and 500 cc Pulsars.
Production of the XCD launched only a few years back with lots of publicity and fanfare is also stopped.
And look at the way they said goodbye to the 100 cc segment a few years back only to bounce back a few months ago just for volumes.
Their models in the lower range 100-135 cc bikes have been erratic. Something is suddenly ushered in and something is taken off the market shelves.Look at how they ended up the Kawasaki KB 100, 4S,Boxer, CT 100, Caliber, Wind, Platina, XCD and so on.The Platina is now relaunched.
The four stroke scooters Chetak 4S,Legend,Saffire,Krystal were taken off from the markets due to poor demand.
It is now apparent as reported by the press that the senior and respected Mr Rahul Bajaj is being sidelined and his sons are taking over.It was reported that they wanted to build a plant in Himachal Pradesh, a new tax haven. The senior Bajaj opposed saying that transportation of raw materials would be a cost factor to that remotely located state. Rahulji remarked "What after the mandatory tax holiday period expires?" The juniors vetoed him and went ahead.
The junior Bajajs have successfully created brand Pulsar and to some extent brand Discover but the rest of the pack are all flops.The KTM motorcycle company takeover whether successful or not, only time will tell.
The 3 wheeler and is RE prodigy is Rahulji's creation. The 4 stroke 3 wheeler is a sign of the times.
It is the brand name that Rahulji painstakingly created all these years that is drawing customers towards BAJAJ.
In comparison just analyse the goings on at Hero Honda. They have very less flops and are very focussed with a razor sharp grip on the market. They too market old technology.Their graphics and plastic mouldings are attractive and futuristic on the higher end bikes, that attract the youth. The rural markets stand captured by the low end 100-125 cc Hero Hondas. And they have captured the no.1 slot from Bajaj long back.

[navan49]

Originally Posted by bj96

We have a '84 Bajaj Super back at home. It is dad's first purchase. He brought it home after booking and waiting in vain for several months to get a "Vespa PL 170". Those days, scooter delivery was lottery !!. I learnt riding before him . I was about 11 years old then. In last 25 years, the scooter has been painted thrice and engine overhauled twice, I guess. It still fires in 4-5 kicks despite stationary for months together. Circa, 1987 we (dad and I) rode it for about 100kms from the closest rail station to my village in north Bihar. We used to park it in a school as village did not have pucca road then and rainy season would make it inaccessible. It was a status symbol for us then.

I have many fond memories of childhood attached to this scooter. The art of kick starting a Bajaj by leaning to rt side... will be lost. I don't see any modern two wheeler that needs this technique anymore. This was one simple machine which could be fixed DIY in most cases.

-BJ

Still I can't forget my green bajaj super which was my first automobile in life. That too gave 36 to 40kms per litr.I got it through Quota in Bhutan. The second quota was sold on premium. It was a status symbol those days.Then migrated to Chetak export quota the only scooter with indicators. So we the scooter generation people still have the fond memories and feel sad.

[naveenroy]

My dad's first and last wheelie was also unintentional - with my mom as pillion. Remember the rides with my dad on the Bajaj Cub so many years back. I learnt to ride a geared vehicle on that! Got it repainted and thoroughly did up the engine cause I was embarrassed to take it to college in the state it was in.

Was our family work-horse for many years but I never regretted letting it go. Dad finally sold it just a few years back for around 3000 bucks.
Ride off into the sunset......

[snaronikar]

I owned a Chetak sometime back in 10 years. Grew up with the scooter. I had to sell it for a paltry 5000 bucks last year as nobody was using it and it was getting rusted. I loved the space it offered in front for keeping things whenever you did some shopping. They are closing down is a sad story but it has run for almost 50 years on our roads. If the company feels it should be phased out due to very limited revenue generation, then I feel it might be good for them.

[nishant_242]

The Bajaj Scooters represented the middle class Indians. Whenever a article in newspapers or magazines talked about the Indian middle class, more or less everytime they showed a picture of a Bajaj Chetak with a family of 4 riding on the vehicle.

Now with the Bajaj being discontinued, the manle can very well be taken over by the Tata Nano, which can now represent the aspiratons of the middle class. This shows that we have come a long way as a country and automobile market.

Cheers to our our country India....

[HammerHead]

I see this as Bajaj's failure to compete with Honda/TVS/Suzuki/Hero Honda in scooter business!! I would be happy if they agree to the fact that they are not capable of making gear-less scooters.

[lsp]

Bajaj Chetak 12 v electronic. Bought in 1997. Metallic grey color. Bought at Bagga Link, New Delhi. Did pooja at the adjoining mandir having the huge Hanumanji murti (Delhi people would know what I am talking about).'My' first steed. Ran like a dream. After 6 years of use it had only about 18k on the ODO (blame it on my lack of Vitamin M). Ran like a brand new one. always started in one kick without choke. Amazing performance and constant FE of 40+ kmpl. Could beat the hell out of any other scooter its age and younger. More often than not it ran in 'reserve'. It was only so much as a poor college going guy could afford.

Remember something like Chetak having the biggest tires amongst all scooters (Can someone confirm?) and the split seat chetak was the tallest. My neighbor had select and although more stylish I decided to go with Chetak. I clearly remember the words of my cousin, 'Chetak - Gao mein chalao ya shehar mein, sab jagah daudega'.

Every sunday I used to take a bucket of water and give it the ceremonial bath. After drying off a coat of Waxpol wax polish which ensured that the shine was never lost. Cleaned the spark plugs from time to time.

In 2003 when I came to Bombay, my parents sold it off for a meagre Rs.7000/- to a family friend who was eyeing it for sometime. I came to know of it only later much to my disappointment. One of my college staff had an eye on it too and had offered to buy it few times.

[Cartman]

Feeling bad. Will miss those phat-phatties.

They are concentrating on the bike market. The scooter market is loosing its charm.

[anjan_c2007]

Product launches By M/s Bajaj Auto Ltd: From 1960-2009

1960-1970 - Vespa 150 - Under the licence of Piaggio of Italy
1971 - three-wheeler goods carrier
1972 - Bajaj Chetak
1976 - Bajaj Super
1977 - Rear engine autorickshaw
1981 - Bajaj M-50
1986 - Bajaj M-80, Kawasaki Bajaj KB100
1990 - Bajaj Sunny
1991 - Kawasaki Bajaj 4S Champion
1994 - Bajaj Classic
1995 - Bajaj Super Excel
1997 - Kawasaki Bajaj Boxer, Rear engine diesel autorickshaw
1998 - Kawasaki Bajaj Caliber, Bajaj Legend, India's first four-stroke scooter, Bajaj Spirit
2000 - Bajaj Saffire
2001 - Eliminator, Bajaj Pulsar
2003 - Caliber115, Bajaj Wind 125, Bajaj Pulsar
2004 - Bajaj CT 100, New Bajaj Chetak 4-stroke with Wonder Gear, Bajaj Discover DTS-i
2005 - Bajaj Wave, Bajaj Avenger, Bajaj Discover
2006 - Bajaj Platina
2007 - Bajaj Pulsar-200 (Oil Cooled), Bajaj Kristal, Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi (Fuel Injection) , XCD 125 DTS-Si
2008 - Bajaj Discover 135 DTS-i - sport (Upgrade of existing 135 model)
2009 - Bajaj Pulsar 135(December 9), Bajaj XCD 135 cc , Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-i , Bajaj Discover 100 DTS-Si.
Source Rediffnews
Apart from this line-up Bajaj had introduced the three wheeler way back in the early 1960's.Lambretta 3 wheelers was its main competitor and Vespa 3 wheeler's main market was in Pune.The older model of the 3 wheeler with the Vespa scooter like running footboard cum knee guard and the hood portruding to cover the driver was soon replaced by the new model in the mid 1960's which is manufactured as the RE now and so on.

[R.I.P]

Originally Posted by thiyags22

My first wheelie was on a chetak and it was 100% unintentional.

so was mine

was learning to drive it and underestimated its power

[quattroa4]

he he he , bajaj has done another blunder again, after their statemant on 100cc bikes , here comes another one . that we r not in to scooters
and read this now , todays BS says , scooter sales are zooming at an rate of 26% , honda scooters has lanuched its 3rd assembly line in view of growing demand . yamaha is aslo entering the segment plus tvs and mahindra has shown robust sales . mahindra has recived a phenominal response as they are selling @ 7000 scooters a month.
while bike segment has just grown 2.6% this year , scooers are achiving double digit growths with out of every 100 two wheelers sold 12 are scooters and they r expected to touch 20 per 100 soon
bajaj gona have a U-TURN again , i think!!!