There is a certain stillness in the way Boman Irani looks at a motorcycle. Not as an object, not even as a product, but almost as a companion that has travelled through time with him. Before numbers, before markets, before strategy, there was always the ride.
“For me, riding is like meditation,” says Boman Irani, Co-founder of Classic Legends. “When I am on a motorcycle, I feel one with the universe. It gives you a kind of freedom that is difficult to put into words.”
It is perhaps this deeply personal relationship with motorcycling that shapes the way Classic Legends approaches its machines today. With the launch of the Yezdi Scrambler 350 and the BSA Scrambler 650, the company is not just introducing two new motorcycles. It is reviving a way of thinking about riding itself.
Irani’s memories go back to a time when motorcycles were not curated experiences but instinctive ones. Learning to ride without instruction, navigating roads that were less about destinations and more about discovery, he recalls a connection that was almost immediate. “When you sit on a motorcycle, you feel like you own the road. And when you ride, you feel something shift inside you,” he says.
That emotional core sits at the heart of what a scrambler represents. Long before they became a category, scramblers were an idea. Riders took existing motorcycles and modified them, making them lighter, more agile, more capable of venturing off the beaten path. It was not about perfection. It was about possibility.
“When people wanted to feel good, they turned to motorcycles. And when they wanted to feel even better, they built machines that could go anywhere. That spirit of adventure is what defines a scrambler,” says Boman.
That same spirit now finds expression in the Yezdi Scrambler 350 and the BSA Scrambler 650, two machines that sit at different ends of the spectrum but share a common philosophy. One is built to be accessible, agile and immediate. The other carries a more powerful presence, rooted in heritage and engineering depth.
But both, Irani insists, are designed to bring people back to motorcycling in its purest form. “Everything from the way it looks to the way it rides has been about creating a desire to go back to riding,” he says. “It is about reconnecting with that feeling.”
If Irani brings the emotion, Anupam Thareja brings the perspective that places that emotion within a larger cultural and market context.
“I have always believed that scramblers will redefine Indian riding culture the way SUVs redefined passenger vehicles,” says Anupam, Co-founder of Classic Legends. “They are the SUVs of motorcycling.”
It is a comparison that immediately frames the conversation. Much like SUVs blurred the lines between city driving and off-road capability, scramblers promise a similar versatility for riders. They are not confined to a single purpose. They are designed to adapt.
“They are built for confident city riding,” Anupam explains. “But they are also agile and rugged enough to inspire you to explore terrain beyond roads on the weekends.”
That duality is at the core of the two new launches. The Yezdi Scrambler 350 is positioned as a lightweight, responsive machine, tuned for quick movement through urban spaces but equally capable of handling short escapes beyond the city. The BSA Scrambler 650, meanwhile, builds on a legacy that draws from some of the most iconic motorcycles in history, offering a more premium, powerful riding experience.
Yet, beyond positioning, there is a deeper design philosophy at play. “We are actually translating a feeling into a design,” Anupam says. “There is no idea of design without emotion.”
That idea of translating emotion into engineering is what gives these motorcycles their character. The design is not merely aesthetic. It is experiential. Every line, every proportion, every detail is intended to evoke a response.
Irani echoes that thought when he speaks about the process behind building these machines. “When we were designing this bike, I would keep coming back and saying, this is how I imagined it, but let’s do something more,” he says. “That is why it looks the way it does.”
At the same time, both founders are clear that nostalgia alone is not enough. Modern riders expect performance, reliability and technology. The challenge, then, is to balance the past with the present without compromising either.
“These are modern motorcycles dressed as classics,” says Boman, adding, “They have the best technology, but they carry a timeless design language.”
That balance extends beyond design into the way the company approaches the market itself. For Anupam, building a category is as important as building a product.
“When you love a brand and a category, you take responsibility for it. We created this segment in India, and it is important for us to ensure that it succeeds,” he says.
That responsibility is reflected even in the way the motorcycles have been priced and positioned. While profitability remains a key consideration, there is also a conscious effort to make the segment accessible and appealing to a wider audience.
“This is an introductory price,” Anupam explains. “But more importantly, it is about growing the segment. It is about making sure this format finds its place.”
There is also an acknowledgement of where that inspiration comes from. The southern markets of India, particularly regions like Mysore and Karnataka, have historically been deeply connected to motorcycling culture. For both founders, these roots continue to shape the direction of the brand.
“We listened to what riders were saying. We heard their stories, their expectations. That is what helped shape what you see today,” Anupam says.
In many ways, the launch of these two scramblers feels less like a beginning and more like a continuation. A continuation of a legacy that started decades ago, evolved through changing times, and is now being reinterpreted for a new generation.
Back at the launch, as conversations drift between design, engineering and memory, Irani returns to the one thing that has remained constant through it all.
“When I am on a motorcycle, I don’t think about anything else. It is just me, the machine and the road,” he says.
And perhaps that is what Classic Legends is really offering with the Yezdi Scrambler 350 and the BSA Scrambler 650. Not just motorcycles, but a reminder of why people started riding in the first place.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
