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MAN AND MACHINE
My dear Laxmi
PRINCE FREDERICK
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Janarthana Rao has an insatiable appetite for an Italian moped that made a comeback but in India – he owns three examples of Laxmi 48 and wants to add to the collection
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A. Janarthana Rao can’t get enough of Laxmi. In his verandah, he has parked three examples of the 48cc Laxmi, which is in every sense the 48cc moped Lambretta manufactured from 1959 to 1966, primarily for the Italian army. Much after the 39cc Lambrettino had put this army moped out of the production line, Kirloskar Ghatge Patil Auto Limited (KGP) revived it with an Indian name from its Kolhapur plant.
“It should have been seven. I gifted the other four to friends,” says Rao. “I am going to replace the ones I gave away.” An accident forced Rao to give up his Enfield and look for a lighter machine. But Rao plumped for the lightest and the most obsolete thing on the road. As forethought, he gathered a few more Laxmis, rundown and useless except for a few parts. These parodies were meant to be cannibalised for spares. But Rao ended up restoring all of them. But it was not easy. The man made a list of shops known to have a dead stock of Laxmi spares and knocked on their doors. He travelled to Pondicherry for the same reason. This effort was not sufficient. Sometimes, he had to get a spare part fabricated. Sometimes, he had to design one on his own.
Even today, he keeps an old original gasket (priced Rs. 18.75), using which he makes duplicates. When the mechanic for many years first refused to work on the Laxmi, Rao made attempts to get these Laxmis up and running. During this effort, he acquainted himself with other mopeds. Even after the mechanic (whom I see at work on one of the three Laxmis, during my visit to Rao’s house at Aynnavaram) had a change of heart, Rao did not desist from this learning exercise. Rao, for example, knows the pistons and rings of a TVS Super Excel are the best fit for the two-stroke, single cylinder, two-speed Laxmi engine. This fitment applies to all the three Laxmis. But in terms of design, the 1979 Laxmi featured in this article varies slightly from the other two (a subject for another week).
The front suspension of the Laxmi in the photo is constituted by rocker arms and internal helical springs (progressive-type) with rubber pad limiting the bottom stroke of the rocker arms. The rear wheel suspension unit is a combination of a swinging fork and helical springs (progressive type) that are enclosed in a cartridge, placed on each side of the wheel.
The front brake is applied through a lever on the right handlebar, while the rear brake is applied by pedaling backwards, as in some cycles. Transmission is by gears from the engine to the gearbox and by chain from the gearbox to the rear wheel. At cruising speed, Laxmi returns 75km for a litre.
But if you are broke and can’t afford a drop of petrol, pull the button on the side of the crankcase that contains the carburetor and disengage the engine. Now, get into either the first or the second gear and pedal as if it were a bicycle. If you have got hold of a bottle of petrol, press the button down to engage the engine.
The Laxmi’s rarity, design and fuel efficiency has brought many people to Rao’s driveway. The man was recently offered Rs. 25, 000 for one these mopeds. “Even for a lakh, I will not sell a Laxmi.”
Well, who needs money, when there is Laxmi in the house?
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