Today I am going to talk about a vehicle very personal to all Indians. It was to India what the Honda cub was to the rest of the world. In a way it was a part of our festivals, weddings, businesses, our culture and our very lives. It has worked for the farmers, milkmen, vendors, traders and the everyday dads. The vehicle which got it right in any and every role that was given to it needs no introduction. – The Bajaj Chetak.
Named after the famous horse of Maharana Prathap, the Bajaj chetak lived upto its name. It was introduced in the year 1972 and went on for the next 37 years when in 2009 they stopped making it to stick with the stringent emission regulations. There are many things that can be attributed to the success of the chetak – It was affordable, it was a good looking scooter, the parts were easily available and anyone with a mustache who claimed to be an auto mechanic could actually fix it. It gave a decent fuel mileage and most of all, it was the middleclass man’s four wheeler. Owing to the large space between the handlebar and the seat and a strong build, it could carry a lot of stuff – anything from your wife, kids, wife and kids, wife and kids and wheat sacks and vegetables to even gas cylinders. All these qualities were needed by the consumers of the 70s and 80s and Bajaj nailed it. In fact they nailed it so well that they couldn’t make anything else they had in their inventory to sell – The success of the chetak was followed by the not so good performance of the super and the bravo and the legend.
The chetak was also a well built vehicle – almost all metal when it first came out, later versions had some plastic on them. The power plant was a 150cc 2 stroke petrol engine which made about 8hp. The configuration was Vespa style – this made it easy to change tires. The chetak did however have bad brakes, perhaps they were made of ply wood ( as kitply was the carbon fibre of the 80s) – but you wouldn’t worry about the brakes as almost everything that moved on the road by now was made by Bajaj with the same stopping power as your’s. Although the chetak was a popular kid, there were bullies and the biggest bully was the LML vespa. The LML was quicker than the Chetak and some would argue that it was better looking and that’s where the bullying ends. The popular kid was better in everything else.
The chetak was also a very reliable vehicle , everything on it worked or at least tried to work, the headlamp although dim worked, the horn worked although it could be confused with a bad stomach, the brakes almost worked, even the tail lamp worked and it always had a backup plan - it came with a spare tire – this perhaps was the most important thing that people needed especially those who were fed up with pushing their motorcycles after a flat tire in what could be the hottest country in the world.
The morning routine of starting a chetak could be a bit of a gag for a foreigner, the rider would tilt the scooter at a very precise angle which comes with years and years of practice and then half a kick and the motor is up and running. Well it is no rocket science, all that happens by tilting the scooter to the engine side floods the carb and there by the fuel enters the engine easily, if you over flood the carb, just tilt the other way. The starting trouble may be a manufacturing defect but who cares when you can look stylish by tilting the scooter to start it.
All good things come to an end and so did the bajaj chetak but mind you – while it was alive unlike the other scooters which were seen as sissy juvenile toys, the chetak was respected and revered by one and all. Hamara bajaj indeed.
