Scooters and motorcycles from the 1980s in India

The 1980s were a completely different time for Indian motorcycling, when scooters had waiting periods of years, motorcycles were raw, mechanical and unforgiving, and machines like the Bajaj Chetak, Yamaha RX100, RD350 and Bullet became legends.

In this episode of the Evo India Podcast, we have Editor Sirish Chandran and Assistant Editor for Bikes, Karan Ramgopal deep diving into 80s scooters and motorcycles in India. The machines that defined mobility for an entire generation. From the story of how the Bajaj Chetak was born out of Vespa, to the rise of the Lambretta (Vijay Super), the arrival of the LML Vespa, and the game-changing Kinetic Honda, we cover it all.

We also ride and talk about the icons — the raw thrill of the Yamaha RX100, the madness of the RD350, the charm (and quirks) of the Royal Enfield Bullet, and how the Hero Honda CD100 changed the industry forever with its “fill it, shut it, forget it” philosophy.

This isn’t just nostalgia but also a deep look at how these machines shaped India’s automotive culture, and how they led to the motorcycles and scooters we ride today.