CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, March 5: For the past few years, the government of India has become extremely strict when it comes to pollution norms in India. The norms are so strict that some giant two-wheeler manufacturers have been forced to revamp their bikes and scooters in order to meet the pollution norms. Earlier, every bike should be Bharat Stage 4 (BS4) compliant whereas now it has been upgraded to BS6.
However, there are many people in Ranchi who are still using old bikes, especially the ones which have two-stroke engines. The ‘Dual-strokers’ from Ranchi is one such biker group from Ranchi that has two-stroke riders from the city.
Lagatar24.com spoke to one of the founder members of the group and asked about why people have such a craze for two-wheelers.
“I own a 30-year-old Yamaha RX-100 which was my father’s. I find it to be super lightweight and find it convenient to use it as a daily commuter. The power in two-stroke bikes is usually more because of the power-to-weight ratio,” said Anish, one of the group members.
Two-stroke bikes are not yet banned in the country but as the emission norms are so strict, re-registration of these vehicles becomes impossible as they tend to fail the fitness test.
“The number of old vehicles in use has come down reportedly in the last few years. These engines have become obsolete and they can never be re-registered. Still, the ones which are out there will not be in use for a long time,” said an official from Regional Transport Office, Ranchi.
Another member of the group explained that if the bikes are serviced regularly and maintained properly then it will not cause much harm to the environment.
“These bikes are different from the new age motorbikes. If they are maintained properly and serviced at the right time they will produce less smoke and will cause less harm to the environment,” he stated.
The former Indian Captain MS Dhoni also has a few vintage two-stroke bikes in his garage which he has kept as his prized possessions. In fact, the first bike which he owned was an old Yamaha RD-350.
