Team-BHP - Mahindra is bringing Jawa back. EDIT: Launched @ Rs 1.55 lakh

Visited the Jawa showroom at Safina Plaza yesterday.
I liked the way the showroom was done up. On lines with RE, but not as crowded with stuff or people.
Just two bikes for display and we could sit on it and fire it up. They had the baffles removed and it was quite bassy when revved in the showroom.
Sitting on the bike reminded me of the old Jawa 250, small yet a nice riding position. Couldn't sit on the 42.
The bikes actually look good and I liked the way the 42 look too except for the speedo. Didn't inspect closely for fit and finish since I was admiring them standing few steps away.
Test rides will start in a week and there is a 8 month waiting period.
They collected my info and said they will fix a date for a test ride. Can't wait to ride them and feel nostalgic.

Some pics I could manage.

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Originally Posted by shajoshi (Post 4521141)

The new Jawa bikes do not have a center stand. Will it be available as an accessory at least - or does the design not accommodate it?

This is a bad miss - the old Jawa/Yezdi's sold in India had a center stand, and the side stand was an after market accessory.

How do you change a flat tyre without center stand?

Would like to know from the experience of owners of other bikes that don't have this important feature - like Bajaj Dominar, KTM etc?

I stand corrected. I visited the Baner, Pune showroom again when it was not crowded. The new Jawas do have a centre stand.

I also took a test ride for about 2 km. The attendant came double seat, so could not experience riding alone. The overall experience is good - handling, suspension, gear shifting, acceleration, general sound of the engine. Only issue was with the drum rear brake, it did not have enough bite on the test vehicle.

I'm excited for riding the Jawa for nostalgia as well as below average experience with RE quality in case of TB350 & DS500 (IMO M&M can definitely deliver better quality that RE any time).
Also many people may consider it as a competition to RE350s but with 27 BHP on tap it's almost as powerful as 500 for most riders (have ignored milkmen). Also, I am of opinion that if ridden sanely it can be as efficient as RS350s because of the small size engine.
There's a showroom in my place, but bit away from my home & will wait for initial euphoria to go down & the ownership reports trickle in before I plan to go back for Jawa (after a decade of regular rides & 3-4 years of leisure rides).

Rear grab rail is missing on all jawa 42 display vehicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevivek (Post 4516622)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumathindra (Post 4517035)

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Originally Posted by tharian (Post 4538322)

From the jawa website , rear grab rail is only for Matte finish colours and not for Glossy ones (jawa 42)

Also on the website , the seat foam pattern appears to be different for Matte and Glossy colours.

This can be attributed to an image photo shopped for various colours for Matte and Glossy , but still why this disconnect?

Atleast on their website , they should provide the image of the final product planned , don't they ?

I hope they also publish the list of accessories planned. I read in one post that the back rest would be provided as an option .

Also , I wonder why no reports/news on the imminent final production version , or alteast a spy shot !!

Not even a blip on the bikes other than showrooms getting opened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.G (Post 4541027)

Rear grab rail is missing on all jawa 42 display vehicles
From the jawa website , rear grab rail is only for Matte finish colours and not for Glossy ones (jawa 42)

Also on the website , the seat foam pattern appears to be different for Matte and Glossy colours.

I guess we are reading too much into those images posted on their website and in all likelihood accessories/standard fitments (if not seat pattern) shall remain uniform for matte and non matte color options .

I got a mail from my dealer last week asking to reconfirm the bike variant and color which ignited hopes of an early delivery. Subsequently a call made to the dealership to enquire further details divulged no further details.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ar134 (Post 4541069)

I guess we are reading too much into those images posted on their website and in all likelihood accessories/standard fitments.

Where else should I look as a primary source of info ? I may be nit picking , but that is the only thing I can do at this point.

No showroom , no display bike , nothing at my place .

Good that you got a mail , I am not that lucky yet. Is your booking for non dual channel abs variant ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.G (Post 4541072)

Good that you got a mail , I am not that lucky yet. Is your booking for non dual channel abs variant ?

I have booked a non dual ABS variant of Jawa 42 on the day bookings opened online. I intend to use my bike within city limits with speeds not exceeding 60 KMPH most of the times and thus see no point in waiting for the ABS variant.

Yesterday I happened to ride the Jawa 42 and Jawa again. One thing I noted was that we can feel the engine heat around the thighs to some extent. The dealer was saying it is because it was being used continously on test rides. However, what I observed is that the design is such that the radiator completely blocks the engine from natural air circulation. This could be the reason that the heat exchange happens via sides and closer to the thighs !! And I am not convinced that we should even feel this given that I drove in Bangalore where it is still 28 degress !!

Not knit picking here but I am not sure how this will become a factor during summer in places like Rajasthan or Gulbarga. Remember Jawa was launched in November, at a time where there is no summer across India. I hope Jawa has done some testing or planning the same before they deliver :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by power ranger (Post 4541462)

Not knit picking here but I am not sure how this will become a factor during summer in places like Rajasthan or Gulbarga. Remember Jawa was launched in November, at a time where there is no summer across India.

That's bad to hear. Another reason could be the fact that the fins on the head look smaller, identical to the 2 stroke engine (which is done keeping nostalgia in mind), and hence, the heat dissipation is weaker.

All said and done, if the motorcycle felt hot at the thighs in Bangalore at the current temperatures, it will definitely be uncomfortable in summers. :(

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath (Post 4541515)

Another reason could be the fact that the fins on the head look smaller, identical to the 2 stroke engine (which is done keeping nostalgia in mind), and hence, the heat dissipation is weaker.

The fins in the Jawa twins are just cosmetic. I don't see any purpose to have cooling fins on a liquid cooled bike. The fins in place are just reminiscent of the old Jawa models. So, the size of the fins does not matter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath (Post 4541515)

All said and done, if the motorcycle felt hot at the thighs in Bangalore at the current temperatures, it will definitely be uncomfortable in summers. :(

As I have mentioned earlier in my brief test ride experience in Bengaluru, my foot happened to touch these very parts and while it was warm , it was nothing like I was getting a feeling of standing near an oven like hot engine . To add to that, mine was the last test drive of the day and I managed to drive around 30 minutes. With Mahindra at the helm and engine largely being a Mojo one , it's better to get a first hand account and decide for ourselves.

Classic Legends Legendary Customer Service

I booked the Jawa Forty Two three days after the launch, on November 18 2018. On November 20th, I wrote to Classic Legends on the email id they had provided asking for further information on the motorcycle. The launch itself provided very little data, and even stuff like ground clearance was unknown. So I asked about ground clearance, about whether dual channel ABS would be available some time, when I could expect a test ride, etc. Perhaps 3 or 4 questions.

There was no response AT ALL. Nothing in November, nothing in December, nothing in January.

But never say Classic Legends Customer Service is dead. Come February, a mere 75 days after my mail, I get a mail from Jawa customer care. I had given my Booking ID in my mail but of course this was ignored and I got a near boiler plate response which I am pasting below:

Dear XXXXX,

Thank you for showing interest in Jawa motorcycles. Sincere apologies for the delayed response. The ground clearance of the vehicle is 165mm. You can visit your nearest dealers in Pune for Test drive and modification of variant or colour scheme. There is an additional option to select dual ABS channel with rear disc brake. The delivery for online bookings will be prioritized and begin from March 2019 and dual channel abs version will be available in June 2019,fresh bookings shall have a waiting period of eight months. Feel free to reach us 1800-210-4200 & 1800-103-2342 or revert to this mail.

Meanwhile I had cancelled my booking in January and I have written about my reasons for doing so in an earlier post. So Jawa neither knew I had booked nor that I had later cancelled. Blithely ignorant kind of sums up the situation.

This is one more reason it may be best to sit out Jawa for a year or two until they get their act together.

I am unable to understand why there is 4 month gap between launch of this bike and commencement of its deliveries (from November 18 to March 19)? This is not a CKD or CBU which may require some time for deliveries to commence.

Mahindra needs to do something to bring this 8 month waiting period down. And this is for a product which is yet to establish itself in market.