The three newly launched retro-modern motorcycles from the recently resurrected Jawa brand look poised for success. We analyse what works in their favour and what doesn’t
The neo-retro motorcycle segment has witnessed a massive boom in the recent past. Thanks to Royal Enfield’s undisputed dominance, rival manufacturers are now vying for a piece of this lucrative pie. In a bid to do the same, legendary brand Jawa was recently resurrected by Mahindra & Mahindra’s subsidiary Classic Legends with a licensing agreement to make motorcycles for India and certain East Asian markets. The Czech brand launched three all-new motorcycles - the Jawa, Jawa 42 and the Jawa Perak - in India yesterday. And while the Jawa and the Jawa 42 will go on sale from the first week of December itself, the Perak will hit the market at a later date, presumably in early 2019 or late 2020. Given Jawa's heritage and the aggressive pricing, the bikes do look like promising prospects. But not everything works in the brand's favour at the moment. Let's start with the positives first.
Rich brand history and authentic styling
Jawas were popular in the country in the 60’s up to the early 90’s, until strict emission norms resulted in two-stroke engines being phased out. Apart from making appearances in a number of Bollywood films, the Czech brand also enjoyed good presence in motorsports at the time, further strengthening its brand recognition. You can read all about Jawa and its rival, Royal Enfield’s history in India in our sister site [here]. Jawas were also considered one of the most affordable 250cc performance-oriented motorcycles of their time. This also helped it gain a cult following, with owners’ clubs that are active even today.
The new motorcycle appears to be heavily inspired from the 1964 Jawa 350 Type 360. The body panels, and even the pinstripes are reminiscent of the original motorcycle’s design. Since familiarity plays a huge role in a competitive two-wheeler market like ours, potential customers who are aware of Jawa’s existence will instantly be able to relate with this design. And given Jawa’s legacy, the new motorcycles could very well be on track to become a success.
Modern motor with adequate performance
The all-new 293cc engine revealed in October has been developed completely from the ground up. It has the characteristic design of its predecessors, but cleverly packs modern liquid-cooling tech, a DOHC layout and fuel injection. Since the engine is built on a BSVI-ready platform, Jawa shouldn’t have to spend too much to make it emission compliant in the future either.
With 27PS and 28Nm on tap, the engine is claimed to have a “generous mid-range and a flat torque curve”. This should make the motorcycle highway-friendly. And with a kerb weight of just around 170kg, we expect good performance as well. Since the engine’s bore and stroke is based on the Mahindra Mojo (but the engine itself is heavily reworked), we believe it should be pretty refined too. The icing on the cake is that Jawa assures us that the engine will have a unique exhaust note, which will be similar to the 2-stroke Jawa motorcycles of the past.
Backed by a financially strong company
Being a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, Classic Legends should have strong financial backing. It gives a sense of security to both, the investors and the customers when a brand is associated with a prominent auto major. Mahindra sure took its own sweet time in developing the Mojo. However, the delay was worth it, considering the fact that the Mojo’s engine was one gem of a unit. If that’s anything to go by, we expect new-gen Jawas to have a similar character.
Moreover, Classic Legends has already signed up 105 dealers across the country in the first phase. This is pretty impressive for a new entrant. The first dealership will open on 5 December. However, online bookings are open now, at a token amount of Rs 5000. As of now, only the standard Jawa motorcycle and the Jawa 42 are available for booking. Deliveries for which will commence from early next year.
Incredible Pricing
Here’s the real kicker though. Classic Legends really managed to blow everyone’s minds with killer pricing. The most affordable model, the classic-with-a-modern-twist Forty Two, starts at Rs 1.55 lakh, while the properly retro one, called just the Jawa, starts at Rs 1.64 lakh (both prices ex-showroom Delhi). That puts these smack dab in the middle of Royal Enfield Classic 350 territory - Jawa’s primary rival. Going by how popular the Classic 350 is (it does sell over 50,000 units per month), we believe that this pricing is really going to help Jawa’s case in the Indian market. Even Jawa’s yet-to-be-launched bobber model, the Perak, comes in at Rs 1.89 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Given its head-turning styling, superior components such as a monoshock tucked away under the seat and a rear disc brake, along with increased cubic capacity, power and torque, it too feels like great value for money.
Not everything’s favourable, though…
On closer inspection of the bikes at the launch event, we found the build quality to be a bit of a let down. Fit and finish levels, at some places weren’t up to the mark compared to what we’ve come to expect from this segment.
Though the new Jawa bikes have properly modern powertrain, the equipment level seems a tad underwhelming, especially when it comes to brakes and instrumentation. The Jawa as well as the Jawa 42 come with a single-channel ABS with 153mm rear drum brake. We aren’t exactly too happy about this cost-cutting measure since it compromises on safety.
Furthermore, the instrument console is a bit too retro for our liking as there’s nothing much apart from speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge and tell-tale lights. We feel the digital inset could’ve been designed to accommodate a tripmeter and perhaps even a fuel efficiency readout and a clock. However, fans of old-school motorcycles will welcome the clutter-free layout.
That said, while there will be some who might feel that these motorcycles are a little too old-school and under equipped compared to more modern bikes, we do believe that these Jawas really have what it takes to make a splash in the Indian market.
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