The first two wheeler in the family was a second hand Vespa 150 bearing registration number KLG 141, sandalwood colour. Father bought it so that he can go from Palghat to Chittur, 15 kms away, to where he was transfered. This was in 1975, and immediately after the first oil shock. We already had our beloved beetle in the house, but petrol has become dearer in 1975. Father learned two wheeler driving in 1975 and really struggled to travel the 15 kms, but bravely did for 3 years.
When we moved to Chittur in 1978, the Vespa was swapped for a second hand German motorbike, DKW. My brother had just completed his college and he had a fancy for bikes. You have to remember that the only bikes those days were the Bullet, Yezdi (Jawa) and the Rajdoot. Even they were few and far. Brother taught me driving on DKW at the age of 14, but the bike was heavy for a puny 32kg boy.
When brother moved to Delhi on getting a job, we sold off the trouble giving DKW with a brand new Vijay Scooter. Those days Bajaj was the leading Scooter manufacturer that had two products, Chetak (you needed Rs 2500 of Foreign Exchange to book Chetak which was basically being exported) and the Bajaj Super 150 ( you had to pay Rs 500 and book a Super. You will be given a random number that will tell you when it is likely that you will get the Scooter, normally it took 5-8 years). Of course the vehicles were available for a premium in the grey market. The premium was as high as 100% the cost of the vehicle.But since Vijay was available across the counter, I settled for one. Driving the navy blue Vijay to the college as one of the three students who owned a Scooter was the high point for a 17 year old boy, studying in a mixed college comprising of 2000 plus girls.
But my eyes were rivetted firmly on Bajaj. It was the ultimate machine. Tho
ugh the engine was mounted on the side, quality wise Bajaj was far far superior to Lambretta or the Vijay. One of the main reason was that while Lamby and Vijay used the Chain system for transmission, Bajaj had a direct transmission, enhancing its pick up. Also, Bajaj was virtually maintenance free. Perhaps it was the first vehicle manufactured in India that had a world class quality and the vehicle was known for its reliability in an era where the norm was to offer Indians shoddy products. Also, Bajaj Scooter could be categorised as the first Aspiration product in the two wheeler market. In fact, grooms used to demand Bajaj scooter as part of the dowry those days. Chetak and much later the Super were launched in 1970s, and were the right product at the right time, as the decade felt the tremors of two oil shocks in 1974 and 1979. Driving a gas guzzler Ambassador was no longer an option in the inflation ridden 1970's and the fuel efficient Marutis will become popular only in mid 80's. Bajaj had a free run, and exploited it to the hilt.
Father, understanding my desire, managed to get Rs 2500 foreign exchange through a family friend who was in Dubai, and booked a Chetak. Even then, I had to wait nearly 2 years for the vehicle to be allotted. I remember, taking a bus to Coimbatore (50 kms away) and collecting the vehicle from the Cross Cut road distributor and driving back to Chittur. It might sound silly to those driving swanky bikes of todays, but the feel of driving a 150 cc Chetak on the NH 47 was something great those days. The Scooter was extremely smooth.
By then I was about to finish my MBA and moved on in life. Somehow, the Scooter remained in my parents house till 1989 and sparingly used (father had stopped driving two wheelers by then). I was driving it whenever I came home during weekends. I took it with me to Coimbatore when I was posted there in HPCL and used it for about 8 months till I bought my car. Much later the scooter was sold.
All these nostalgic memories flooded back when I read the news item that Bajaj has finally decided to phase out Scooters from its product line and shall concentrate only on Motorbikes. The largest seller of Scooters in the world once, who went with the much popular tagline 'Hamara Bajaj', are barely able to sell only 200 scooter a month, a steep fall from one lakh plus in a month couple of decades ago, with a waiting list that spawned nearly 5-8 years. In fact, Bajaj was a late entrant to the 100 cc bike market and their initial product Kawasaki-Bajaj was a mild disaster. It took a generation change in the top management, with Rahul Bajaj's son taking over the reigns, for Bajaj to focus all their energy on the Motorcycle market, where they aim to displace Honda as the largest producer of motorcycles in the world.
But like many of my generation, we will miss our dear Bajaj Scooters. Adieu my friend, you were a great companion.
