On a power-packed mode

There’s a glitter in his eyes and pride in his voice when 26-year-old Arjun Prabhakar asserts that he has literally earned his collection of a dozen vintage and classic bikes. “My father saw that I was genuinely interested in not only collecting but preserving vintage and classic bikes. So, he gifted me a bike every year, depending on my academic performance,” Arjun says. It was indeed an offer that he couldn’t resist. “I worked really hard and it is my academic excellence, year after year, that earned me my collection of bikes,” he elaborates.

Like any other 16-year-old, Arjun was drawn to bikes not only because of their speed and strength but also their rich history.  This young man prefers to call himself a “complete biker”. The description seems apt for someone who has travelled to Ladakh twice on a bike, to Rajasthan and won umpteen trophies in over 30 races, until an accident applied brakes to his riding. “Even if I can’t ride them as much as I used to, my love for them still remain. I have three bikes parked in my bedroom. Among them, the Yamaha RD350 is something that I have to wake up to and see every morning,” he adds. Arjun feels that he wouldn’t have come this far without the constant support of his parents. 

Arjun’s first bike was a Yamaha RD350 with a twin cylinder and two stroke. “I’ve ridden this bike quite a distance, including a 2,000 km trip to Maharashtra and back. My next bike was a Yezdi Roadking 250cc model which interested me because of its rare and exotic spares. I bought it from a friend who was reducing his bike collection,” explains Arjun. The oldest bike in Arjun's collection is a 1942 model of Matchless G3. “This bike hasn’t been painted or chromed even once and remains in its original form. I trust this bike the most. I have travelled on it quite a bit and on very rough terrains but it hasn’t given me any trouble till date,” he says.

Arjun also points out that he has a Suzuki Shogun which he bought with his first salary. “I have had to restore this bike, procuring parts from across the country. There was a lot of risk and trouble involved in wanting to see this bike in full running condition,” he adds. The grey Yamaha RX100 is a 98cc two-stroke single-cylinder air-cooled motorcycle. It found a place in Arjun’s collection because of its unique registration number.

One that stands apart from the rest of his collection is a pista green Vespa scooter, which his father had bought in 1971. “This scooter has been with us since then. The love and attention my father gave this bike and the way he looked after it, even though it has been unused for the last 20 years, has impressed me. My father’s passion is what drives me to keep my bikes in good shape,” says Arjun.

Arjun agrees that maintaining these bikes is a task in itself. “All my bikes are restored and maintained by Shankar, a mechanic and perhaps the best I’ve come across,” he adds. Ask Arjun if he is possessive about his bikes and he says, “I am not possessive about them and often let my friends ride them. I love sharing the joy of motorcycling with my friends as long as the bikes are used responsibly.” He hopes to add on to his collection and maintain them as long as he can, perhaps forever, says Arjun. “The day I am unable to carry forward the collection, I will hand them over to someone who is just as passionate as I am and shares the same excitement for anything vintage and classic,” he narrates.
 
Arjun can be reached on [e-mail]