THRISSUR: For Anchery Chulliparambil native Bhojan, the Sunbeam Motorcycle is not just any ordinary bike. It tells the story of the profound friendship between one Indian and a British doctor.

Bhojan is well past 69 years of age but there has been no drop in his affection towards the Sunbeam motorcycle which he still treats as a child. Even though the motorcycle is well past its prime and requires some small fixing work at times, Bhojan will leave no chance to ride his bike across the town only to grab the envious look from onlookers. At times, even police officials stop him to learn more about his priceless bike.

Besides this, many have proposed to buy the bike only to get dejected by Bhojan’s well-entrenched response. “ No matter how many lakhs to pay, the vehicle won’t leave me” is the typical Bhojan response for people craving his bike.

This is a 1949 model brought from England. It was presented to Dr Rajan, a native of Kozhikode, by a British colleague who was the medical superintendent of the Nilgiri Estate. Dr Rajan kept it as a memorial of friendship for some time. Due to the unavailability of parts and inability to carry it, it was handed over to Bhojan in 1979 for Rs 13,000 with a request not to give it to anyone else. Now parts are available from Pondicherry. And now, the registration has also been renewed. Local mechanics who had good know-how with the engine work also proved to be of help.

Famous ornithologist and naturalist Salim Ali has travelled the world on a Sunbeam motorcycle as per details from his book. Ali also had a fascination with motorcycles since childhood. Bhojan, who was a utensil trader in the city of Thrissur is also a sunbeam aficionado and has travelled many places with this modish bike. Bhojan admits to having a special liking for Sunbeam despite having an older Benz car and another vintage collection in his garage.

Sunbeam does not have a chain that connects the engine to the tire. The shaft is like a car. It has a car-like engine and distributor. The tire is also a good size. The Sunbeam was a very popular motorcycle from 1912 to 1956. Initially, it was 350 cc and then it changed to 500 cc.

Petrol engine

Double cylinder

Weight: 260 kg

Mileage: 15 km