Wow!!!

In a day I get these many warm responses Much appreciated guys.



Thanks for all the good wishes chaps. I'll keep you posted as and when things progress. As of now it may take a few weeks to get started depending on my Uncle's availability on weekends. But, I couldn't resist posting in the meantime.


@ Aargee and Swingarm

The AX100 is my Uncles. Considering he used to run a dealership (now closed) which was one of the first to introduce it in the country, he should have one no? Its in mint condition except for the disc brake which he had fitted. I think its a 1984. I'll check with him and let you guys know.

The Roadking is mine. Its the one described in the story which my Dad tried out. Got it about six months ago and loving every minute of it. This weekend will be doing a little work on it with my Unc. Only wish it could be a collection but I guess I'm just starting out. Who knows what the years will bring

Thanks for the offer Psycho. Careful what you offer 'cos somebody just might take you up on it :P If I need help with parts and suchlike (which I'm sure I will at some point) I'll certainly get in touch.

Cheers guys!!

Rahul

Best wishes for the rebuild

Good bike story. All the best for the spare parts hunt and rebuild.

If someone can help i need a Fuel tank for my friend's 1975 Yezdi Roadking. Rest all things are working fine and are in stock condition accept for the rusted fuel tank.

Hey guys,

Woke up late-ish on Saturday and had planned on working on my Roadking with my uncle. So headed over to his place and spent the day changing the piston on it (opened it up for the first time since getting it as I had found the bike seizing at speeds of 85 - 90 km/h). The piston turned out to be some local thing and the expansion at high speeds was causing the seizing. That done, I'm now running it in for another 500 kms.

But, spent most of the first couple of hours admiring the beauty of the Standard.

First things first, I was STUMPED to see the tyres weren't flat. My uncle had simply tried his luck and filled air in the tryes. By the end of the day, the front tyre was still holding with no loss of pressure. The rear tyre was slowly deflating over a period of hours but I was amazed. After 20 YEARS these things should've had big gaping holes in them. They shouldn't have even been able to inflate with air let alone hold it in. With a change in tubes, the tyres might even be good for a little bit (or a little more than that ).

It gets better.

As you can see from the pictures, my uncle has already stripped the bike. He took a buffing machine and simply pulled it along one of the pipes and voila! Wonder of wonders, a layer of dirt and rust came off exposing the orginial chrome underneath! I was gobsmacked!

You can see the difference between the two sides of the bike (only the right side had had the initial layer 'peeled' off). Moving forward, we're going to emery it down until not a single speck of rust remains. The trouble with most platers is that they simply plate over rust which means that the oxidisation process continues under the chrome resulting in the chrome flaking off really fast. Back in the day, the cleaned, rust-free surface was first plated with copper and then with chrome. This would ensure that rust could never set in and the chrome would last for yonks. My Uncle's Matchless was plated like that in Chennai in 1973 and the chrome today, nearly 40 years later, is still perfectly intact. Sadly, this is a dead art.

I find such beauty in the lines of the bike. The stripped bike looks like some beast of out a dystopian movie like Judge Dredd or The Book of Eli. If I weren't into originality and if I weren't so sentimentally attached to this piece, this would be a beautiful candidate for a bare-bones makeover.

The ignition key was lost and the electricals have been chewed through by rats so we're working on that. Trying to source another key (don't want to change the whole thing) so will have to wait until that happens before firing her up.

Enjoy the pics.

Cheers

Rahul

Oh, I'm also uploading a pictures of the broken brake lever. If anybody happens to know of a way for me to find one, or happens to see one, please do let me know.

I'd buy you a beer when one of us passes through the other's town

Cheers

Rahul

'75??

That's odd... The Yezdi name itself came into being after that to my knowledge. Earliest Roadking model I know of is a '78.

Nevertheless, here's a tip.

Early Roadking's came with a larger tank. They had an 18L and a 22L version. The one's from the mid-eighties had a 16L tank.

The large tanks are IMPOSSIBLE to lay your hands on. Seriously, I had a friend trying to get one for 3 months for his Ladakh trip and no dice.

The regular tanks are easy enough to procure in Bangalore. If somebody makes a trip here, head out to the Gujli (scrapyard) in Shivajinagar and they have lots of them in varying conditions.

Cheers,

Rahul

p.s. Pictures of that bike would be awesome

This is an awesome thread.
I have an RK myself...Won't KB100's levers be a direct fit?

Take a close look at the first picture in this post



My Roadking is actually running a KB100 handlebar and setup. The levers require the black 'screw-on' units (for lack of the right term..) to hold them to the handlebar.

Take a close look at the Standard handlebar.

Its original. The unit to which the lever is fitted is actually a moulded part of the handlebar itself.

I could always fix another lever to it through some machining and lathing.

BUT, why would I want to do that? The purpose of the restoration is not just to get it to run but to get it back to its original state.

I'm actually pretty lucky in that the bike is in pretty darn intact condition. Even the crash guard and the luggage carrier are from when my Dad first started riding the bike. My fingers are crossed about the bore but I'll find out soon enough.

I want it BONE STOCK! Like the day my Mum gifted it to my Dad

Also, one KB lever on it would make it just downright ugly. I would rather try and fabricate one that looks like the original personally. At least until I find an original.

Glad you're liking the thread man

Cheers

Rahul

what passion..... one of the best threads i have read on the xBHP.......im from hyd and any help u need, do PM me....... i understand your emotions and echo ur sentiments....

Raj...

Hmmm......... Can you not embed videos in a post here?

Or am I just being a goof?..

Hey rahul, I'm johnny! I'm from Bangalore too bro. Reading about your story has left me wanting a roadking! The downside is I bought a p220 only 4 months ago and can't spend much on a bike, do you have any clue where I'd get a good deal on a roadking in running condition? and generally around how much would I have to shell out on a half decent bike?


ps: All the best for your project!

Hey Johnny. I'd say shop around the Gujli in Shivajinagar and contact the local mechanics there (Razzaq and Moosa). They'll get you the best deals. In the Gujli very recently a very good condition Roadking went for about 17K. So you can get a good running condition Roadking for between 16 and 20. Don't expect the chrome and paint to be perfect but it will be in pretty decent condition.

Don't go by the prices in the classifieds here or on the Team-bhp. They, along with cragslist, in my experience are by far the most inflated prices I've seen for these old bikes.

Cheers and thanks for the wishes. The restoration continues

Rahul

wonderful writup ray

Excellent Narration Ray...! Loved it..! Btw. the Suzuki AX100 behind with the disc set-up looks promising..