Looking Back: The 'Bobby' Rajdoot Owes Its Success To Rishi Kapoor

The Escorts group has Rishi Kapoor to thank for a very important phase in their history. In the early 1970's around the same time when Bollywood legend made his debut as a lead actor in his father Raj Kapoor's production Bobby, the humble Rajdoot GTS 175 was trying make a mark in the Indian 2-wheeler space. But what all marketing campaigns couldn't achieve Rishi's film Bobby was able to do. Sales of the motorcycle went through the roof when the film released, and yes it got a new name as well - Bobby Rajdoot.

6vf4ofdk

Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in their debut film 'Bobby' that released in 1973.

A youth on a motorbike was a refreshing change from the middle aged lead actors Bollywood had seen until then. Escorts had tied-up with Polish manufacturer SHL to sell bikes in India and the Bobby Rajdoot was one of the results of the tie-up. The 173 cc, two-stroke engine didn't have enough power (7.5 bhp & 12.7 Nm) and the seating position wasn't comfortable either, yet the Rajdoot GTS 175 became a rage among the youth, more so after Bobby released. There was extensive use of chrome on the bike and a spare wheel was mounted too!

9drkd2v4

The bike got many nicknames including Monkey as well as the 'Bobby' bike. (Image: Biswarup Ganguly, Wikimedia Commons)

Leading names of the Indian Automobile Industry paid their tributes to Rishi Kapoor on his passing. Chairman of Hero Group Pawan Munjal said," I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Rishi Kapoor. Like a diamond, he was a man of many dimensions. A legend of Indian cinema, he will be fondly remembered by everyone for all times to come for his immense body of work."

pd4k114c

In 2010 Rishi Kapoor got astride the humble Bajaj Chetak for his film Do Dooni Chaar.

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group in a heartfelt tribute stated," For my generation, a large chunk of our childhood has just been amputated. Farewell friend. You must be still smiling broadly & entertaining a whole new tribe of people beyond the horizon."



from CarandBike - Latest News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brixton 1200 To Rival Triumph Bonneville T120

Image
A 1200 cc modern classic with similar design lines as Triumph's iconic Bonneville series, has reportedly been cleared for production. The bike was showcased as a concept at last year's EICMA motorcycle show, and from the looks of it, this is a model developed in China with the Triumph Bonneville T120 in its sights. The Brixton brand though is part of Austria's KSR Group, which imports bikes from several Chinese manufacturers, including CF Moto. And while the new Bonneville rival will be manufactured in China, the design and engineering has been created at KSR's design centre in Krups, Austria. Also Read: Triumph Bonnville T120 First Ride Review The Brixton 1200 cc motorcycle has not been named yet, or a launch timeline announced So far, the company has not committed to a launch date yet, but says that it will eventually make it to production. And from the looks of it, that may well be sometime later this year, maybe even at the EICMA 2020 show in Milan, Italy, in
Read more

Honda 850 cc Parallel-Twin Engine Revealed In Patent Filings

Image
Latest patent images from Japan seem to indicate that Honda may be working on an all-new 850 cc, parallel-twin engine. And the new engine, with more displacement to meet the Euro 5 emission regulations, will replace the current engine on the Honda NC750 range, with the engine and chassis shares amongst several Honda models including the Honda NC750S naked bike, the NC750D Integra scooter, the NC750X adventure tourer, as well as the Honda X-ADV adventure scooter. None of these models are offered on sale in India, but with new emission regulations looming around the corner in Europe, Honda is possibly looking to explore an increase in displacement to meet those norms. Also Read: Middleweight Honda Africa Twin Expected To Be Introduced New Honda 850 cc engine likely to be used in several new Honda models The hike in displacement is a solution followed by several brands, which allows the engines to be cleaner, but not at the cost of performance. And from the looks of the latest pate
Read more

Indian FTR 1200 Rally Revealed

Image
Indian Motorcycle took the wraps off the Indian FTR 1200 Rally, which is an off-road biased version of the standard Indian FTR 1200 . The FTR 1200 Rally looks more of a scrambler than a flat-tracker and boy, does it look good! There are a few changes on the Rally compared to the standard model such as ProTaper handlebars, which are 50 mm higher. This results in a more upright seating position. The alloy wheels are swapped out for Aluminium spoke wheels wrapped in knobby Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber. The FTR 1200 Rally also gets a new Titanium smoke paint scheme along with the Indian headdress logo along with a brown seat, giving the motorcycle a stripped out retro look. There is a new rally windscreen as well, which sits atop the headlamp. Also Read: Indian FTR 1200 Review (The Indian FTR 1200 Rally gets the same engine as the standard FTR 1200. No mechanical changes) The FTR 1200 gets a new liquid-cooled 1,203cc V-twin engine which makes 120 bhp and 120 Nm of peak torque
Read more