MAN AND MACHINE
The king of the road
PRINCE FREDERICK
A 1973 model, Venkataraman’s Jawa Type 353 signifies the changes the motorcycle underwent at the Ideal factory. When the Mysore-based factory first made the Type 353 under licence, the bike’s ignition switch was on the petrol tank. After a few years, the switch was shifted to the rear end of the headlight case. In its twilight years, the Type 353 sported knee pads that were recessed into the petrol tank.
The knee pads are a feature of Yezdi, launched a year after Venkataraman’s Type 353. Other features that this Jawa shares with the Yezdi, to a greater or smaller degree, is the exhaust assembly design.
Despite being its immediate predecessor, this 1973 Jawa did not receive the same gearbox as the Yezdi. Jawas are notorious for slips on the third gear — ninety per cent of them have this problem. It is probably caused by the over-abundance of grooves on the gear sprocket — a feature meant to increase lubrication. With lesser number of grooves, Yezdis don’t pose the same problem.
In his own way, Venkataraman has helped this Jawa catch up with the Yezdi Roadking (1978-96), arguably the best Yezdi model. His Jawa puts puts out 16 bhp, just like the Roadking. The engine has a higher compression ratio, thanks to some nifty work from mechanic Senthil. So, whenever Venkataraman sets out on a Jawa and Yezdi rally, he’s at the head of the pack, along with men on Roadkings.
The king of the road
PRINCE FREDERICK
| Venkataraman’s 1973 Jawa Type 353 has been spruced up to keep pace with the Yezdi Roadking |
A 1973 model, Venkataraman’s Jawa Type 353 signifies the changes the motorcycle underwent at the Ideal factory. When the Mysore-based factory first made the Type 353 under licence, the bike’s ignition switch was on the petrol tank. After a few years, the switch was shifted to the rear end of the headlight case. In its twilight years, the Type 353 sported knee pads that were recessed into the petrol tank.
The knee pads are a feature of Yezdi, launched a year after Venkataraman’s Type 353. Other features that this Jawa shares with the Yezdi, to a greater or smaller degree, is the exhaust assembly design.
Despite being its immediate predecessor, this 1973 Jawa did not receive the same gearbox as the Yezdi. Jawas are notorious for slips on the third gear — ninety per cent of them have this problem. It is probably caused by the over-abundance of grooves on the gear sprocket — a feature meant to increase lubrication. With lesser number of grooves, Yezdis don’t pose the same problem.
In his own way, Venkataraman has helped this Jawa catch up with the Yezdi Roadking (1978-96), arguably the best Yezdi model. His Jawa puts puts out 16 bhp, just like the Roadking. The engine has a higher compression ratio, thanks to some nifty work from mechanic Senthil. So, whenever Venkataraman sets out on a Jawa and Yezdi rally, he’s at the head of the pack, along with men on Roadkings.
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