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MAN AND MACHINE
Fifty-Fifty
PRINCE FREDERICK
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A motorcycle or a bicycle? Bhujanga Rao’s Lambretta 48cc is a bit of both
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INNOCENTI PRESERVEDThe Lambretta name painted on the fuel tank has low aesthetic appeal, but it underlines Bhujanga Rao’s determination to preserve this 1959 Lambretta 48cc.
Bhujanga Rao seems contented with his lot. After two long innings, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (Trivandrum) and at the Satish Dhawan Space Cenre (Sriharikota), this engineer has settled down to a quiet and peaceful life in a Chennai suburb. If you think his spartan post-retirement house suggests a total disregard for material possessions, just get him talking about his old moped!
Since 1974, he has tenaciously clung to the 1959-manufactured Lambretta 48cc, bought second-hand with a small Central Government loan. As he was in Sriharikota, repairing the moped meant taking it by train all the way to Pondicherry, where the nearest “competent” mechanic was located. The small city-state seems to have had a long love affair with old mopeds, one which continues until today. It is believed to have more Lambretta 48 ccs than any other Indian metro and remains a major hunting ground for the Laxmi 48cc, the Indian avatar of the Italian original.
Rao understands the value of his Italian Army moped. After all, this is the machine that had set a benchmark for great engineering. No other Lambretta moped matched the success of this 48cc. Even the 39 cc Lambrettino, with its innovative plastic parts, failed to rival the popularity of its slightly bigger predecessor.
Lambretta promoted this 48 cc motor velocipede as easy to handle. There was a literal truth to this as its single-beam cradle-type frame was easy on the arms cradling it. The moped even had a knob which allowed it to be lifted and carried about – a feature that was handy for army personnel in rough terrain.
With a 47.75 cc engine, this Lambretta did not have much more power than a gas-driven McCulloch chain saw. But with its efficient two-speed gearbox, it could do a tidy 45kph. A part of the reason for its success in India was its capacity to double up – and very comfortably – as a bicycle. Its Indian variant, the Laxmi, was loved for the same reason.
At the time this interview was conducted, Rao’s 48cc could function only as a bicycle as the petrol filter had a disabling clog. As the 62-year-old pedalled away, a clutch of children playing cricket turned to ask, “Is this a bicycle or a motorcycle?”
“Both!” Rao shouted back in a voice that resonated with the pride of possession.
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