The signature sound of bikes of a bygone era resounded along the Outer Ring Road of Mysuru on Sunday. Nearly 25 bikers hit the roads to zoom past traffic along the ORR to mark the ‘International Jawa Day’.
“This is to generate nostalgia for a bike that ruled the road for decades before the present generation of vehicles with premium on mileage hit the market,” said Sameer, one of the participants of the informal ride.
He is part of the Jawa Friends Club whose members meet every year to reminisce the ‘good old days’ and cherish a brand whose manufacturing centre was Mysuru. The Ideal Jawa factory came into existence in 1960 and had a cult following before it ceased operations in the mid-1990s.
The Jawa is now back in the country again but the Mysuru unit long ceased to exist and instead there is a cluster of apartment units on the old factory site. “Our club members own the old Jawa,” said Mr. Sameer. He said there are scores of owners who take pride in their vehicle and maintain it. However, only about 25 of them took part in the informal ride along the ORR due to the pandemic.
