It's a love affair that started one evening when Varun Katiyar was running late for a party. The 24-year-old engineering student had no means of transport for the evening and dragged his father's dusty 1985 Bajaj out of the garage, poured in some fuel, kicked the starter a few times and hit the road.
Katiyar never looked back or into his rearview mirror again. He became obsessed with old scooters and this led him to turn on the ignition and start the Delhi Scooter Club. 'I am passionate about classic scooters and wanted to bring everyone who share the same passion together,' he says.
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The Delhi Scooter Club recently did a 100-km weekend ride with 30 riders on vintage two-wheelers
Pic: Rupinder Sharma
Rev up and head off down the road to Hyderabad. Here, you might encounter Ram Kiran Vetturi on one of his 11 vintage scooters. Vetturi is an assistant vice president at an infotech company but he's also the founder of the two-year-old Hyderabad Classic Scooters Club (HCSC). Vetturi has brought together 20 classic scooter owners who get together for rides and to discuss their vehicles. Says Vetturi: 'We drive together to heritage points in the city where we take photos and we check out each other's classic models.'
They were once the Iron Horses on which the Indian middle class rode to war — or at least to work. But now the ageing Vespas, Lambrettas and Bajajs are becoming cult machines for a younger generation that's grown up surrounded by mostly Japanese-designed cars and motorbikes. And many of the new young owners have formed clubs where they meet and discuss their refurbished cult vehicles.
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Pune's Deccan Lambretta Club often ride carrying banners and posters to create awareness about the legacy of vintage scooters
Katiyar has come a long way down the road from the times when people would look sneeringly at his ancient machine. Today he's the proud owner of an LML Vespa and two vintage motorbikes — a 1985 Yezdi Cl-2, and a 1980 Yezdi Deluxe. His Delhi Scooter Club is constantly attracting new members who turn up for weekend rides. 'Recently we got together a group of 30 riders who gathered for a meet and we went on a 100-km ride,' says Katiyar.
On occasions Katiyar has led the way to places like Neemrana. There's no membership fee so people turn up as and when they feel like it. At times, Katiyar has even serenaded riders along with his band Psy-Chai-Shop. 'On an average, we get anywhere between 25 and 30 people for meets with around five to 10 new riders coming for each rally. There's no membership fee. But if we are stopping over somewhere then the participants contribute equally to cover the costs,' he adds.
What exactly are the objects of worship for vintage scooter enthusiasts? The answer is all the Lambrettas, Vespas, Bajajs, and even the Vijay Supers that once filled our roads like tiny, zigzagging insects. They could be made any time from the early '50s to 1985 which is considered the cutoff date to be a vintage vehicle.
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The Bangalore Classic Scooter Club, inspired by the city's Fiat club, has over 100 members on its rolls
Says Vetturi: 'Look at the Vespas and Lambrettas. The aerodynamics, the headlights, and tail lamps are modern and yet retro in their looks that take you back in time and this is exactly what makes them really popular.'
Vetturi has forked out considerable amounts on his two-wheel passion. His vehicles include a highly coveted 1962 Vespa 150 and a Lambretta Li 150 (1962) and a 1984 Vespa PVX.
The members of the HCSC often head out for rides in and around town. But over and above that the club also helps out its members and gives them tips on how to restore their vehicles. Says Vetturi: 'We refer members to our trusted mechanics and don't charge for such help.'
The HCSC also plans to collaborate with the Bangalore Classic Scooter Club (BCSC) to widen its reach. 'Since the city has bigger scooter population than Hyderabad it makes sense to collaborate with the Bangalore Club,' says Vetturi.
In fact, the four-year-old BCSC has over 100 members and new members are flocking to join it. The club was started by four friends — Siddharth Naidu, Gokul M, Arun and Yatish — who were inspired by the city's Fiat 1100 Club. 'Even visiting foreigners buy or rent scooters here to take part in our rallies. Last year a lady from the US joined our rally with her Lambretta,' says Arun.
Naidu recounts that their club was born when they were hunting for someone to restore his 1970 Lambretta. One of them suggested they do a vintage rally of sorts — they ended up doing a rally that didn't go far beyond the city's Cubbon Park. Now club members meet on the last Sunday of every month — wearing club T-shirts. 'There is no membership fee and we have about 70-80 active members who regularly take part in the rallies,' says Gokul. 'The enthusiasm for the club is tremendous,' says Arun.
Srivathsa Satya, a 47-year-old civil engineer from Bangalore, who has been a member since of the club since its inception says: 'I have a collection of vehicles including a 1961 Vespa and a 1960 Lambretta and a few others. I have grown up riding these cult machines. There is no way I am going to leave them out of my life.'
Head to the roads of Pune and there's the Deccan Lambretta Club started by Rakesh Gaikwad and Sunil Jethani and their friend Shailesh Langarkar. The club has 16 members and the members meet frequently on weekends. 'We carry banners and posters to make people aware about the legacy of these vintage scooters,' says Gaikwad, who is an IT professional.
The members are constantly in touch with each other, and they have their own trusted mechanics to fix their scooters says Jethani.
The fact is there are plenty of vehicles rusting away in people's garages. And there's also a tribe of mechanics who know where to find parts and how to restore these classics and make them roadworthy again. So, if you're interested, there's very little to stop you from becoming a vintage king of the road.
