Not all people are born into Motorcycles. Some fall in love with them at a certain point in their life and others grow up around them and learn to appreciate them as a part of it. And if you happen to be born in the 70's, 80's, or the 90's, you can be sure of the fact that there has been that one time a Two Stroke Motorcycle hijacked your senses with its distinct soundtrack and inescapable signature blue smoke trail.

 

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Episode 7 takes a look at Hassan Elyas a.k.a. Motosoul, a Hyderabad based Motorcyclist and a die hard Two Stroke enthusiast. Owner of some very cool Two Stroke Motorcycles and a popular Youtube channel, he tells us why they are special machines and why they find so much love among the Motorcycling Community. He shares with us his Two Stroke story and gives us more reasons to why these wonderful machines are worth keeping around.

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

What do you do in life and how are the motorcycles part of it currently?  

 

I am a nocturnal consultant for people living in the West. I am from Hyderabad and ever since I was a kid, I was simply blown away these Two Stroke motorcycles and the passion for them kept increasing ever since I picked up my very first Two Stroke Motorcycle, which was a Yamaha RX 100.

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

I prefer the old school glories over the chaos of the modern era and my passion towards motorcycles tells a similar story. Most of the time you'd either see me drooling over motorcycles or wrenching on one of my motorcycles. I like to fix my motorcycles. I am not solely about Two Stroke Motorcycles as I also love the four strokes from the 70s and 80s. 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Tell us about your Motorcycles

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

Every motorcycle I have has a story of its own. The 1989 Yamaha RX 100 is my first motorcycle and I got it soon after I started working my first job. It was followed by another 1988 RX 100 later. I wanted to keep one motorcycle bone stock and then modify the other one.

 

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

The 1967 Jawa type 353 was my third Motorcycle. I used to regularly pass by a mechanic near my house who is a specialist for Jawa and Yezdi. So, I used to see these bikes being serviced over there and was struck by their looks and struck by the fact that I had no idea what kind of Motorcycle they were. I asked if it was a big bike seeing twin silencer to which he replied no. He explained to me that it was a 250cc Motorcycle and that it was called the Jawa. My curiosity piqued when I asked the mechanic to start the motorcycle up. The mechanic obliged and even took me out for a short spin on the Jawa. It took me a while to find one for myself and about nine months to restore it. 

 

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

For my fourth Motorcycle, I got my first and only scooter, a 1971 Vespa 150 VBA. As for the Vespa, I picked it up from a friend from Thailand. He was in India to do his studies and owned a Jawa and Vespa which he rode around in. He planned to take the Vespa eventually back to Thailand but was forced to sell it due to a rule change that made it very hard for him to take the scooter back home. He offered the Scooter to me and I just couldn't turn it down. I always liked the scooter from when he owned it and I still remember the first time I rode it, I had a wide grin on my face. It had tiny tyres and was an overall small machine that made even a skinnier guy like me look huge while riding it.

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

 

I ride all of them every week, either to work, for a short grocery run, or on a weekend ride with my motofamily.  

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Why do you like Two Stroke Motorcycles and where did this love for them begin?

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

Two strokes are something different in the sense they have a different character to them. My friends have four Jawas in total between them and each one of them is different from each other in some way or the other in terms of how they run. They each have a different character despite being the same Motorcycles that are from different years. 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

They have a different charm altogether and no two bikes really feel the same. You can literally feel the motorcycle communicating to you through the handlebars. You feel each and every vibration right from your head to toe. Two Stroke motorcycles are also quick and light weight, making them quicker than even some modern motorcycles. The engine is simple and easy to work on. Also, these motorcycles don't burn a hole in your pocket. 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

I think this love for Motorcycles and Two Strokes in particular stems from my uncle who use to own a 1989 RX 100. He used to take me out during my childhood days for short spins in the weekends and this I remember made me sleep very peacefully later that day. I still vividly remember those childhood jaunts on the RX 100. Such was the mark it had left on me.

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

 If you could only save one of your motorcycles...which one would it be and why?

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

It has to be my Jawa. The Jawa changed the way I see motorcycles. I was more of a a performance motorcycle guy and this is the bike that really broadened my understanding of these Motorcycles and Motorcycles in general. When you ride a Jawa, you can actually feel the difference from other motorcycles. I believe the Jawa has a soul. There's some connection between Man and the Machine in this case.

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

It really listens to you and simply just doesn't give up on you. It may be 50 odd years old but it can still turn heads when you're on the road, smoking past the other mass produced soul less Motorcycles. All they see are some blue smoke and a deep rumble that makes them go nuts. 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

What is your inspiration or reason behind keeping the Jawa raw and just leaving the patina on it ?

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

I strongly believe a motorcycle should be ridden and not parked in the garage. Before getting restored, I used to ride the bike more and now I spend more time polishing the bike than using it more often. These motorcycles are fun to ride and stay fun if they are ridden regularly. I used to ride the Yamaha much more before I got it restored. Keeping the Jawa raw has a reason behind it. I want to ride it as much as possible and not worry about it losing paint or getting dents. The raw patina has so many stories to share, the scars on my jawa have a mystery of their own. 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Do you own any other motorcycle except your Two Strokes? Tell us about it.

 

Yes i recently added a 4 Stroke to my stable, It's the Hero Impulse and I just loved the way it looks. I also love the fact that it is Carbureted and not Fuel Injected, because I love simple machinery. The carburetor can be worked on and I can fiddle around with the engine if anything goes wrong. Basically I can atleast try to solve issues that might come up in the future with ease. Love the suspension as well, that's the main reason I got it home. 

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

If you could describe each of your two strokes in a few lines...what would it be?

 

RX 100 - The smallest displacement motorcycle in my stable but the most powerful of them all. Both RX 100's are different in their own ways. It's like i own two different versions of the 80s. One is sort of a naughty boy and the other is like a well behaved gentleman.

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Jawa - For me, the Jawa is more than a motorcycle. It's just an amazing feeling. The twin exhausts makes me slow on down and just enjoy the symphony from the twin pipes. I cannot describe my Jawa in words, you might want to take it for a spin

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Vespa - The only scooter I have and the tiniest of them all. It is nimble, not fast. It is however such fun to ride! It makes me giggle every time. 

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

  

Which Motorcycle would you love to own? 

 

If there is a Motorcycle I would love to pick up next it would certainly be the RD 350. It has always been a dream of mine to own one and I have still not been able to fulfil it as they have become very valuable and very expensive acquisitions these days. It is that one Motorcycle I long to have in my garage and one I hope to get my hands on in the future.

 

Two Stroke Tuesdays Episode 7 Music for the Motosoul Trip Machine Blog Trip Machine Company Jawa Vespa Yamaha RX100

 

Check out Hassan on Instagram - @hassanelyas
Also get cool retro Motorcycling content on Youtube by following Hassan's channel : Motosoul - A Tribute to Old Motorcycles
Here is a montage of what you can expect from his channel :-
If you have a Two Stroke story to tell, email it to us at vijay@tripmachinecompany.com
 

 

 

 

May 28, 2019 — Albert Nanda

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