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MAN AND MACHINE
Nipped in the bud
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Gopal Pullela is glad that Rajdoot made a abortive mistake in the 1960s — the shortlived 175cc Runabout
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TWO-IN-ONE The 175cc Rajdoot Runabout combines the small wheels and the huge practicality of a scoot with the powerful heart of a motorcycle.
Believe it or not, Rajdoot was always ahead of its times. When its futuristic moves worked, they worked like a charm. But when they failed, they failed miserably.
In all likelihood, Rajdoot was also the first Indian company to turn to cinema for brand promotion. In Bobby, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia elope on a Rajdoot GTS - a behind-the-scenes deal is said to be the reason behind their choice of vehicle. The company's fortunes changed overnight as the mini-bike hit the highway of popularity and teenagers began to associate it with love and freedom. We leave the sales figures to your imagination.
In the early 1980s, Rajdoot linked arms with Yamaha and produced a bike that seemed to be able to harness the raw power of the elements. With a 30-plus bhp output, the twin cylinder, two stroke Yamaha RD350 was ahead of the pack. Although Rajdoot set such an appetising table, very few came to the dinner. Why? Because the RD arrived about 20 years too early. Those were days when few Indians bothered about a bike's bhp. The concern lay with economy - and the determining equation was "x-km/y-litre". On this score, the fast bike came in a miserable last.
Much before the RD, Rajdoot came up with a spectacular innovation. It made a scooter, relying on components and structural engineering concepts meant for motorcycles. At the time, very few motorcycle companies dared to take such a path. The only other example that comes to mind is the C-Zeta, Jawa's scooter-motorbike.
The 175cc half-scooter did not have a long run on the road - it is irony that Rajdoot called it the Runabout. The scooter-bike's failure was not a reflection on its mechanism or performance - it was just a reminder that excellent efforts, when not backed by a percipient understanding of market forces, simply don't take off.
The Runabout is Rajdoot's jejune juvenilia. Gopal Pullela, however, is glad the motorcycle company made this "mistake" in its early years — he owns a 1961 example and is absolutely sold on it.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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