[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I just realized that I got them confused with Sri Chamundi Motors, the manufacturers of the ill-fated but brilliant Peugeot Sportif.

Sportif, now that was one cool looking moped. I really envied the guys who had it. Me on a 1970 lambretta and a friend on Sportif used to ride together, still he looked way too cool.

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by suren181

Hey you just happened to remind me of the best days of my life which were spent on an ideal jawa 3 geared 50cc bike overtaking all those suvegas and lunas in Coimbatore.
For all you know Coimbatore might still have a few running and fit.

Hey Suren, No way would a Suvega be overtaken by a Jawa 50 cc. Jawa 50 CC ? Suvegas were also 50 CC...are you talking about the Jawa 250 CC?

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by chanapli

One of my friend's father had suvega. ... it it still lying in back of his house . not used. for sometime, we ( I and this friend) used it only on kerosene.

Suvega on a kerosene, seriously ? Once had gone all the way to Mysore on my contraption and somewhere on the way back the damn thing ran out of fuel...and I practically pedalled most of the remaining 50 KMs...you see those days there was no profusion of pumps you see today...Heavens, if I had known about this alternate fuel could have popped into one of the 'hallis' and asked for some K'sene !

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by Desert fox

I second the motion(of putting up a picture of the suvega). In fact i have know of one in running condition too! Except it has TVS 50 headlamps!!!

Hey Rommel - There you are ! I have a college snap of my Suvega...will try and scan it and put it up here soon !

[harshavardhan]

I too remember Suvega (pedal start) put-putting at 25-30 kmph on the streets of Tumkur. Also, have driven the ill-fated but tremendous Sportif a couple of times.

BTW, I own a 1985 Luna TFR plus too though not in motorable condition.

-Harshavardhan

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by graphreak

Hello forum-dwellers,
I actually began the first of my 'motorized two-wheel' escapades way back in
school on my Dad's trusty old Suvega.
No shock absorbers at all. Sprung-seat suspension for the rear(end)
and simple greased-spring suspension for front-forks.
Petrol tap was a screw-type worm on top of the petrol tank under the seat.
Had a plastic filler cap. Made a lot of commotion but not much motion.
Subsequent models did have rear shocks but models were un-mistakably Suvega.
If I'm not mistaken they used to be made in collaboration/technology transfer
with Motobecane of France. Production probably began in the 70s.
Manufactured in India by:-
MOPEDS INDIA LTD.,
Regd. Office and Works:
3RD MILE 4TH FURLONG,
TIRUPATHI RENIGUNTA RD.,
P.B.NO.11,
TIRUPATHI POST - 517 506 CHITTOOR DIST. (A.P.)
Central Office:
AVANASHI ROAD, COIMBATORE - 641011 - (T.N.)

4 Models used to be made over a period of time:
Suvega Super 50
Suvega 717
Suvega Samrat
Suvege Super Delux

Check this link out - Abilities India Piston & Rings Ltd.
they still show a piston assembly available for the Suvega.

There also used to be a very tall moped -a speed demon compared to
the Suvega those days- called the "Lakshmi".
Had really tall wheels- perhaps similar to a bicycle's 22"s.
Much more rarer to see them then.
Before the original (Kinetic) Luna and the Luna TFR showed up.

Bingo ! This is the one !
I had a Suvega Super Deluxe - '83- CAJ 4913 !
Had rear suspensions,long 2 seater, fuel tank under the seat and sturdy as hell ! Used to give the old Luna and the Luna TFR a run for its money...very,very popular !
Funny thing was that the traffic safety regulations in Bangalore changed and you had to wear a helmet while riding a moped (is it so even now ?)...there was nothing more ungainly than riding a Suvega with a helmet. Later on it was clarified that even the pillion rider had to don one, as it is getting a pillion rider onto a Suvega was a task and a pillion rider with a helmet was even more cumbersome as throughout the journey the two helmets kept clanging thanks to the space on the seat !
And worse if you had to take your girl friend out for a spin - as it were she was pretty embarassed that you had a Suvega ( which was generally associated with Grandads - super deluxe or whatever immaterial) and not a Jawa,Yezdi (very popular) or Bullet (very expensive) like the some of the other lotharios in the college and then came the helmet bit - a sure way to end a budding relationship !
Gaaad, memories !

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

When I was a kid they were pretty popular in Bangalore. In fact, people used to call any moped a suvega the way they call copiers 'xerox' machines

Absolutely right Ajit ! Do you still see any of them on Bangalore roads now ?

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Sportif, now that was one cool looking moped. I really envied the guys who had it. Me on a 1970 lambretta and a friend on Sportif used to ride together, still he looked way too cool.

Samurai, Thats sets me off on another nostalgia trip - my Dad had a Lambretta 1973 and I learnt my first balancing act on this going down an incline near our house in Bangalore- then waiting for some guy to come and help me push it back up till my house ! All this when Dad wasn't at home and Mum was too harassed to bother ! One of my greatest joys was to take off the two side panels by twisting down the aluminium (?) levers and then checking each part of the simple (asit seems now!) engine and the blind panic when one couldn't put back the panels ! Finally learnt to start it ( tough) and take it for 'chotta' spins near home at around 11 years of age ! And the neighbours generally sniffing at my audacity ("License illa,talai illa,yenu illa") prediciting a sorry end to my no good ways !

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by harshavardhan

I too remember Suvega (pedal start) put-putting at 25-30 kmph on the streets of Tumkur. Also, have driven the ill-fated but tremendous Sportif a couple of times.

BTW, I own a 1985 Luna TFR plus too though not in motorable condition.

-Harshavardhan

My normal way of starting the Suvega was to not bother with the pedals but run couple of steps with the machine,forward depress the accelerator and jump sit on the machine as it flew ! Though the machine had a staid grandfatherly image the start this way was pretty snazzy ! Used to get quite a bit of attention - especially if the damn thing didn't start and you kept running ! Worse, if you jump sat on the machine only to realise that the engine didn't start - what a way to make a complete fool of y'self esp when there are those nubile things looking at you in the college while you are at it !
I could clock about 40-45 KMPH on the Suvega S Deluxe.

[vivekiny2k]

i was searching for hero majestic which my father owned in the 80s. and came across this interesting site. armor electric.

Untitled Document

[condor]

the Suvega. It would have taken the honours to be the first motorized vehicle that I was to ride. But I couldnt figure out how to start it. No, it wasnt one of those on-the-sly learning attempts .. it was just my uncle's moped and when ever he came home he would allow me to try it. But I never was able to.

[DerAlte]

I have only amusing memories of Suvegas. I used to ride a 1966 Bullet in those days, and the couple of times I rode a Suvega I was laughed at.

Once, my Bullet had run out of petrol and to get petrol from the bunk at Vijayanagar Toll Gate (yes, that was the only bunk for miles around in those days) I had to borrow our friendly neighbourhood shop-walla's "people AND goods carrier" Suvega. On the way it was mostly downhill, so no problems other than a puncture. Got it repaired, got petrol in the jerry-can, and started back.

Up the gentle hill, the blessed thing wouldn't pull. Remembered that it was a moped rather late, and then started pedalling furiously - only for the chain to snap! By the time I got back, the owner of the Suvega was really s******g bricks - it had taken me 1.5 hours to do 3Km.!

Another time, I had just started after dropping my wife to school (she is a teacher), and just then a guy dropping his kids to the school (imagine, 4 kids and dad on a Suvega), unable to brake on time, rammed the Suvega's front wheel in between my Bullet's rear wheel and the exhaust. The exhaust bent out at an angle. Didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

[suren181]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Hey Suren, No way would a Suvega be overtaken by a Jawa 50 cc. Jawa 50 CC ? Suvegas were also 50 CC...are you talking about the Jawa 250 CC?

Well I am/was talking of the Ideal Jawa 50cc and not the 250cc... In Tamil they also used to be called as the Karraddi Jawa (Karraddi for Grisley Bears in Tamil) 'cos they used to be popular in circuses wherein Bears used to ride on them.

They used to look more like the Bajaj M50's only the gears were leg operated and man they used to move much faster than the Suvega, the Luna TFR plus, TVS50s etc. I shall try to dig out a snap from the web. There must be atleast one somewhere.

Ok, here goes. This is a snap taken from the web:



Source: Jawa 50cc 1976

These were manufactured in Czech and not in India. That's why we had very few numbers around here and the only other 50cc that this used to lose breath out on was the BSA Bond and the Explorer.

[the_trooper]

This is a friends Suvega from bangalore, one of his many bikes.

[suren181]

Originally Posted by the_trooper

This is a friends Suvega from bangalore, one of his many bikes.

Whoa this is what we call as a classic in mint condition. Tell me something this is a snap recently taken isn't it? The Suvega used to come in this colour too originally and this used to be one of the most popular colours of them and of course there used to be a blue.