HARI AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE - Mirror of Nepal Newspaper 1984
Hari Narayan Manandhar owns a thirty year old polish motorcycle that he keeps in mint condition but he doesn’t ride it much these days. When he does ride it is usually business – test ride after repairs. Hari is a motorcycle mechanic and he’s been fixing motorcycles in Nepal for over forty years. Born in 1922 Hari held a
number of jobs in his youth. He repaired watches and operated a lathe before receiving training as a mechanic’s assistant from Bhakti Manandhar, one of the top mechanics of the day. In about 1942 he went to work for Mohan Shamshar Rana, then Nepal’s Prime Minister, who owned a collection of Nortons and Royal Enfields. Mr.Rana occasionally used his motorcycle to es**rt the King from Singha Durbar to Patan. Hari worked for Mohan Shamshar Rana for eight years at a monthly salary of Rs.15. “That was a very high paying salary then,” says Hari. “In those days the average clerk only earned about Rs.9 per month.”
In 1951 the government of Nepal changed and Mr. Rana was unable to continue employing Hari but as a tribute to his faithful service he presented him with three motorcycles – no small gift as only the very rich could afford a motorcycle then. By that time Hari had married and wanted to strike out on his own. He opened a workshop in front of his house on Jhochen Tole, one of the three or four motorcycle repair shops in Nepal at that time. There were approximately 100 motorcycles in Kathmandu then; they cost about Rs.1200, which included the 2 to 3% customs duty then levied for importation. Hari estimates the first time motorcycles began arriving in Nepal at 15 years before he was born. They had to be carried over the mountains by porters as the highway from India had not been built then. Norton’s and British Enfields were some of the first motorcycles to arrive. Hari remembers the first Triumphs and BSA’s entering Nepal fifty years ago. About twenty years ago the first Russian motorcycle took to the streets. Hari speaks highly of these motorcycles.
“They are a bit heavy but strong and durable for Nepal’s rough roads." Hari’s favorite old bikes are “... the Royal Enfield and Nortons. I suppose my favorite new cycle is the BMW. It’s expensive but good.”
One of the greatest obstacles Hari has encountered as a mechanic in Nepal is replacing parts. In the old days he made many of the parts, including pistons, rings and gears, himself. He still has some of the parts he made stored in his workshop. “It uses to take me about five days to build a carburetor from scratch,” he says. But something you just can’t make by hand and certain parts, like chains, cables and glass required a trip to India. “A trip to Calcutta and back took me about two weeks,” says Hari. “In those days you have to walk to Rexaul and then go by train to Calcutta.”
In 1968 Hari moved his workshop from Jhochen Tole to Kamal Pokhari where he now works and lives. His workshop has no sign but his customers know where to find him and some come from as far away as Birganj for repairs. Hari has three sons – all motorcycle mechanics. Herabhai has his own workshop and Pushpa and Laxmi work with their father. When asked if he had his life to live over again - would he change it or stay a mechanic - the old man’s rough features break into a broad smile. “Khushi ho,” he says, “I am happy.”
