[KPS]

Quite few know former army man, Col Boppana Shashidhar. He is a fantastic person and great company. He is very passionate about motorbikes.

Picture of now retired Colonel Shashidhar with his 1944 Indian taken in 2010. The bike he passionately restored and rode to the maximum


Pictures of the bike post painting and minor restoration














Here he is all set, for one of his many many rides. He used to regularly ride between Hyderabad and Bangalore in this bike!


He narrated to me the story as to why he has to part with this wonderful bike. Col. being an army man lives his life to the full. He used to do record timings on his trips to Bangalore and back. One one such trip from Bangalore to Hyderabad, he had another record timing and he entered his house with gay abandon. At the door he was stopped by his wife, who asked him to choose between the bike and her. She rightly put the family priorities first. Col Shashidhar sold the bike the same day!

[travancore]

Originally Posted by KPS

At the door he was stopped by his wife, who asked him to choose between the bike and her. She rightly put the family priorities first. Col Shashidhar sold the bike the same day!

If it were me, I would have said "Goodbye Darling"; and ridden right back to Bengaluru

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by KPS

At the door he was stopped by his wife, who asked him to choose between the bike and her. She rightly put the family priorities first. Col Shashidhar sold the bike the same day!

I hope the new owner is as much passionate as him. What a wonderful bike!. Any idea where is bike is now?.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by KPS

Quite few know former army man, Col Boppana Shashidhar. He is a fantastic person and great company. He is very passionate about motorbikes.

Picture of now retired Colonel Shashidhar with his 1944 Indian taken in 2010. The bike he passionately restored and rode to the maximum

His passion shows on the bike. Sad he had to sell it. Specimens in such conditions are very rare in India.

Originally Posted by travancore

:
If it were me, I would have said "Goodbye Darling"; and ridden right back to Bengaluru

Ahem !

Regards & Ride Safe

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by KPS

Picture of now retired Colonel Shashidhar with his 1944 Indian taken in 2010. The bike he passionately restored and rode to the maximum
Attachment 2034200

Lovely, thanks for sharing. If I remember right this was the bike as found, and post restoration by the previous owner, who also used to own my Triumph at one point.

Originally Posted by srini1785

I hope the new owner is as much passionate as him. What a wonderful bike!. Any idea where is bike is now?.

I last saw the bike at an event in Pune in 2011. What a sight for sore eyes.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by KPS

Quite few know former army man, Lt. Col Boppana Shashidhar. He is a fantastic person and great company. He is very passionate about motorbikes.

He narrated to me the story as to why he has to part with this wonderful bike. Col. being an army man lives his life to the full. He used to do record timings ........... She rightly put the family priorities first. Col Shashidhar sold the bike the same day!

Lt. Col Shashidhar has posted the story of his bike and ride. My earlier post seems to have some gaps and some places incorrect, which has been clarified by his post on FB

During the onset of summer in 2008, while still serving in the Army,a crazy thought occured to me.In 2007 I bought a 1944 WW2 model Indian Chief motorcycle from a very good restorer based out ofLonavla,near Pune.Having bought the bike,I couldn't really ride it far as I was busy with the Military World Games 2007,which were held in Hyderabad,and in which Armies of about 105 countries participated.

After the MWG,while on a short ride,my Indian Chief's engine seized due to a faulty gudgeon pin lock breaking off and a grain size speck of it lodging itself between the piston and the cylinder wall.This being the only such bike in Hyderabad for a very long time,there were no mechanics with previous experience.I therefore,with the help of it's work shop manual and a senior car mechanic,did up the engine myself at home. Thereafter,I regularly used it for short runs locally without any hitches. Being an avid biker and also a mechanical engineer,I was keen to put it to trial by fire by going on a really long ride..


My biker friends from Pune informed our gang here at Hyderabad about a Vintage and Classic Car and Bike event to be held on 06Apr' 08.Biker fraternity is a closely knit family,with frequent meetings at various events and venues across the country.I decided to take part in style by riding all the way to Pune on my newly done up Indian Chief.

Given it's vintage,our state of roads and the lack of road etiquette, a risky proposition any which way you look at it.Though the engine was fitted as per the tolerances prescribed ,I wasn't fully confident that the bike would make it to Pune in one piece.So I decided to ride to Pune on the sly,without much brouhaha.This option left me with the possibility of silently returning to Hyderabad,in case the bike failed midway,sparing me the concomitant ignominy in the eyes of my peers and my wife.

The night before I readied up my bike...fuel,luggage et al. At 0230h on 04Apr'08, I slithered out of my bed, and shot off on my bike like a bullet out of a barrel. My mechanic followed me closely on a Royal Enfield. It was dark and cool,and the engine settled into a nice rumble. After 90 kms of bliss,the bike started missing beats and there was a perceptible power loss. Mentally I was prepared to load the bike on a mini truck, and convey it back to my house. I stopped and inspected the bike. I found the carburetor mounting bolts loose,due to which it was taking in excess air. By then my mechanic fetched up and we tightened all the nuts and bolts.

In the mean time,my wife called me and the conversation wasn't pleasant!The gist of her admonishment was, 'At 44, you should be knowing whether you are growing any younger or otherwise!'

Like any good husband worth his salt, I turned a deaf ear to her ranting and rumbled along towards Pune with gay abandon. Cool morning, with a 1200cc V Twin engine roaring away to glory,and sun rising behind me, I was living my dream. This is the same bike,but white in colour, which is featured in the movie 'Hero' with five people mounted on it singing, 'Ding Dong ..aareybaba..Sing a Song'.

Reached Pune by 1600h in good shape after having ridden 525 kms. News spread like wild fire within the biker community. No one rides an Indian Chief over such large distances. It has a hand operated gear,leg operated clutch, it's accelerator is on the left and the advance/retard control on the right...an anathema when compared to anything on a current bike.Needs some skill and a cool head to operate. It was a record of sorts then, and still to be broken.

As a proof I was asked if I had taken any photos while on the way,which I hadn't. The same evening I bought a small SONY Digital Camera to do the honours on the way back.It was a good decision

After a day's rest,I took part in the event and was awarded the prize for the 'Longest Ride to the Rally'...beating a few guys who rode their bikes from Bombay,Kolhapur and Nasik.


Spent a day meeting friends and guzzling down strong juices. On 08Apr'08 at 0248h, I started my return journey all alone.My mechanic was tired and stayed back for a day more.This time around, I made it a point to click pictures so as to retain them as proof. No one would believe me decades hence if I hadn't the proof. They would probably say,'Budda bahut phekta hai' or something to that effect.

Off to Hyderabad at 0248h


Much needed break in the biting cold


At Naldurg Fort, past Sholapur, engine on idle!


Curious onlookers


Famous Noor Dhaba, Omerga


Closer home... in great shape


What happened once I reached home,I dare not write. Thanks to the lockdown protocol, I could find the album and hence the vivid recollection. It's not without reason that someone said .... 'One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words'

P.S. Even after 12 years,this issue continues to remain a smouldering volcano...My wife still has an axe to grind on this. God save me!!

LtCol Boppana Shashidhar(retd)
majshashi@gmail.com

Cheers

KPS

[The_Mad_Hatter]

Thought I'd contribute this, which meets the pre-1975 requirement by one year. A 1974 RD 350, European import. All original, and shares nothing with the Indian Rajdoot, except for the rear suspension, put in to compensate for our roads. It's almost 100%, just a few finishing touches like NOS kph meters (it has mph ones now), OEM mirrors and 1974 side decals (1973 emblems right now), all of which I have but are stuck in the US now thanks to the COVID situation.
Fortunately, the engine bearings, piston kit, seals and carb jets all arrived a couple of days before the lockdown, so I could get this fully roadworthy shortly after the main lockdown lifted. I probably took off the carbs a half a dozen times before getting the jetting right, which is a pain as the jets for these are not normally available here.

Among all the bikes I have, this is definitely the best to ride hands-down. That kick when you enter the power band after 5000 rpm is like nothing else!

[karlosdeville]

A rare Brough Superior seen in period, United Provinces registration.

[travancore]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

A rare Brough Superior seen in period,

Wow quite a find. Considered the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles". I believe that Lawrence of Arabia died riding one.
Interesting the "BS" at the end of the registration - coincidence or ????

One I had posted before - a Patiala Brough Superior, ca 1929

[karlosdeville]

A fleet of Enfield motorcycles for the Madras police

[schakravarthy]

Helped my friend restore his father's old Mini Bullet.

An old pic of his dad posing with the bike.


The bike was kept (rather abandoned) at his farm & from there it found its way to the garage of a local mech. The bike languished there for many, many years - losing precious parts & metal all the while.



My Yezdi B Type restoration inspired my friend to find his old bike & restore it. Together, we drove to the city & searched for the garage. We found the bike (or, what was left of it), loaded it in the back of my Gypsy & brought it to my house.




From then on, it was a slow & patient journey of finding its & bits for the bike to bring it back to its former glory.
A soft restoration was done to get the bike running.




After a slow & patient journey of 4 years, the bike looks like this now.



Reunited with a delighted owner!

[Cliff9091]

Hey Bhpians,

This on behalf of a dear family friend

"Looking to source a 1969 Royal Enfield Bullet.
Contact Mr Samit Singh for serious inquiries
+919880259492."

Cheers
Cliff

[karlosdeville]

A team of telegram dispatch riders, as published in the book "Story Of The Indian Telegraphs"

[karlosdeville]

A set of dealer images of Ariel motorcycles in Madras