"This is the earth. This is the sky. Our future and our present. The strong image of a strong India. Our Bajaj. Our Bajaj."
That’s the literal translation of the Hindi song which played on our TV sets in the 80’s for advertising the almighty Bajaj Chetak. Even now, when I see the video on Youtube, it fills me with nostalgia and pride. Before I review this legend, I want you to know why I am proud of Bajaj Chetak.
At the time when Bajaj Chetak was introduced into India using Vespa’s technology, India was still under Licence Raj. Every manufacturer was restricted to produce and sell only a limited number of goods controlled by a licence. And Bajaj had a licence to manufacture only 50, 000 units of the Chetak. But Chetak became so very popular that lakhs of Indians started lining up to buy it. And there was a waiting period to buy a chetak which extended up to 4 years in certain cities. Bajaj felt that the Licence restriction was denying and delaying the average middle class Indian’s right to affordable and reliable personal transport. Even after warnings from the Government, Bajaj dared to disobey the Licence and started producing beyond 50, 000 units of Chetak to cater to the needs of the Indian people. It was a revolution of sorts. The rest is history.
Chetak - The name is derived from Maharana Pratap’s war horse. And this machine lived up to the former’s glory and even surpassed it. This was the machine on which I started learning to ride. And it was a light green one. Such colours don’t even exist today!
Specifications – Right Hand Swing Arm mounted, 150cc, two-stroke, forced air cooled engine with 4-speed hand gears and drum brakes both front and rear, with an AC circuit eliminating the need for a battery. Nothing can get simpler than this.
Ride Quality – The ride quality is averagely comfortable both for the rider and pillion. The rider seat comes with spring sets to absorb the shocks from the terrain. The front and rear spring suspension isn’t great. So the seat springs make up for it. But the pillion rider still takes some jerks and jolts on bad roads. Kids love to sit on the rear seat and keep their feet up on the classic fenders. There is space for kids to even stand in the front but it isn’t safe and not recommended.
The engine is mounted to the right hand side swing arm. So the scooter is not very stable. That’s the reason why women started to sit sideways hanging their feet towards the left side, to balance the weight of the engine!(That’s how the classic Indian woman pillion seat posture evolved. That was very logical for Chetak. But sitting sideways on modern bikes with engine at the centre upsets the balance.) Some people with weak wrists find it difficult to ride the Chetak as the gears have to be changed by twisting the left hand side handle bar, which is a tad hard.
Power – The Chetak is amazingly quick through the first 2 gears. But gear ratios are very short and are meant purely for city riding. Don’t even think of taking it to the hi-way. The top speed is somewhere around 80 Kmph. But it is absolutely unsafe at those speeds owing to the very small drum brakes and side mounted engine which might cause imbalance at high speeds. If you want to putter around the city in 20’s and 40’s, nothing is as comfortable as the Chetak.
Fuel Economy – Chetak consistently delivers around 38 to 40 Kmpl with a mixture of petrol and 2T oil. So every fuel up requires a mixture of 2T oil. There is no separate oil chamber. Oil has to be mixed in petrol. So no oil change hassles. Low cost maintenance!
Reliability – Just 5 minutes back, I went out to the bank and came back and clocked around 4 Km. And yesterday, I went to the University and came back and clocked around 25 Kms. And everyday, I am dropping the spouse to the office and clocking around 6 Km. So this is my work horse. And all this is being done on a 1986 Bajaj Chetak which is now 28 years old! Do I need to tell you anything more about its reliability? It never stops.
Looks – Just one word. Classic!
Convenience – 2 solid iron storage compartments. One in the front near the rider leg room, and the other under the left hand side fender. Both are so brilliantly incorporated into the bike’s design and stance. Both together can carry around 40 Litres of luggage(that’s a week’s supply of all groceries for a home with 4 adults)! Beat it! Leg room enough to carry a gas cylinder. No oil change, no battery re-charging.
Inconvenience –Hard Hand gears. Foot pedal rear brake. If you brake, you can’t put your foot down. If you put your foot down, you can’t brake! Very weak front brake. Weak horn.
Conclusion – Chetak is a legend. The fact that my 28 year old Chetak is still in the race and is more reliable than the Japanese crap makes me proud. Today we don’t get to see a lot of these on our roads. Manufacture of 2-stroke vehicles is banned in India. So Chetak is no more produced. The 4-stroke Chetak was later introduced in 1999 but it couldn’t sustain. So, if you have not ridden a Chetak yet, ride it and feel it. If you have one, preserve it. Soon, it is going to be an antique!
“Yeh Zameen. Yeh Aasmaan.
Yeh Zameen. Yeh Aasmaan.
Hamaara Kal. Hamaara Aaj.
Hamaara Kal. Hamaara Aaj.
Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer.
Hamaara Bajaj. Hamaara Bajaj.
Hamaara Bajaj.”
Please share your thoughts on my review - Vijay :)