[arun1100]

Prelude to the Ownership review of my 2019 Jawa:

Very rarely do men like to go for shopping and then show off their shopping bag. This was the first time I did! My wife and little daughter were equally excited to accompany me for the weekend shopping.



Tale of the Classics!
Classic cars have been an integral part of my life. The first car I bought a decade ago was a used Premier Padmini, a Legendary Indian Classic car. In 2012, came home the Fiesta 1.6 Classic. A decade later, I bought my first motorcycle! This time too a Classic, well, at least the way it looks!

Presenting my June 2019 JAWA!


Booking and Delivery:
Booked the Jawa right on the day of Jawa launch in Nov '18. After a really long wait, the Jawa was finally delivered in June '19 from Synergy Jawa, Bangalore. The on-road cost is around 2.25 lakhs including the basic accessories. Special thanks to Team Bhpians - funkykar and Sandeep_K_Ram for the help & support in this purchase. Here are some first look pics of the Jawa at the dealer.





What I like:

• Beautifully crafted by Classic Legends Private Limited. Full marks on the looks front.
• Most of the design elements are exactly like the erstwhile Jawa motorcycles.
• Attention to detail of the brand 'Jawa' on the motorcycle is very well done; be it on the headlight, fuel cap, horn, seat, handlebar grip, footrest etc.
• Refined and powerful Liquid Cooled 293cc engine with 27 PS power.
• Vibrations are bare minimum at high speeds.
• Riding position is very comfortable for long rides and city rides too.
• Wife and daughter loved the low height flat seat for the convenience of getting onto the seat.

What I dislike:

• The weld finishing of chassis near the handlebar is an eyesore.
• The seat's cushion is a bit hard, not very comfortable for long rides.
• The speedometer's speed marking (speed range between 60 kmph to 120 kmph) isn’t clearly visible to the rider while riding.
• Due to faulty lambda sensor, the Check Engine Light glows always while the engine is turned on.
• Moisture is seen in the meter and headlight after few kms of riding.
• Rust issues are reported in media; so far no such major issues in my Jawa except in the silencers' tip.
• Jawa should have been launched with Dual Channel ABS as standard. My Jawa is single channel ABS.
• Long term reliability is unknown considering this is Classic Legends' first motorcycle.

Here is a pic of Bhpian funkykar's Mahindra Mojo which I have extensively ridden. The Jawa's engine specifications and performance is very similar to the Mojo.

[arun1100]

Nostalgia of Bullet and Jawa!
Dad owned a 1969 Royal Enfield Bullet for many decades which he rode and loved a lot. Unfortunately, he sold the Bullet in the mid ‘90s since he very much stopped riding. I was quite young to realize that I could ride it in future! Luckily his Premier Padmini continues to be with us along with the Premier Padmini I bought as my first car. Once I was out of college, I started to lookout for Dad’s Bullet among my friends and in the RTO records; however, my search turned futile. My Dad also rode the Yezdi Classic 250 for few years in the '80s. But this motorcycle was Govt. owned.

Here is a family picture from 1981


Having learnt driving in the Premier Padmini and having extensively driven the Amby, I always loved the old school vehicles. When it comes to Motorcycles, the Bullet and Jawa were always my dream motorcycles, mainly due to the rugged looks and less plastics. The option of buying the Bullet was always there. I was very interested in the Standard 350, only thing lacking was the self start. Little did I imagine that Jawa motorcycles would be reborn in India. The news of Jawa coming back was exciting more since the Jawa’s engine was partly based on the Mojo’s engine which I have extensively ridden.

The company Classic Legends Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, on November 15 resurrected the iconic Jawa Motorcycles-brand in India with the launch of Jawa and Jawa Forty Two. Soon after the launch, without a second thought, booked the Jawa online by paying booking amount of 5k. After a long wait, the Jawa was finally delivered after about 8 months of booking from Synergy Jawa, Bangalore.

Incidentally, my father in law is an ex-employee of Ideal Jawa, Mysore. He was thrilled to see my new Jawa. We Bangaloreans and Mysoreans have a strong nostalgic affection for Jawa because of the Ideal Jawa factory at Mysore. Now an apartment complex stands in its place.

My Jawa with Bhpian funkykar's Yezdi and Bajaj Super

[arun1100]

JAWA's Looks!
Classic Legend's efforts to bring back the legendary Jawa is impeccable. The beautifully crafted 2019 Jawa oozes of Chrome and beautifully crafted metal work to make it so reminiscent and nostalgic of the erstwhile Jawa.

Eye candy! From kids to college students to elders, all loved the looks of the Jawa!




Couple goals! Who doesn't like twin silencers!! But these silencers sounds like any other modern motorcycles.






The road less traveled!

[arun1100]

Pics - Jawa's Attention to detail!
2019 Jawa is a combination of best of Past and Present Jawa. While the looks are retained of the erstwhile Jawa, the engine and safety features are of todays standards. The brand 'JAWA' is very artistically embossed on many parts of the motorcycle.

The pin-striping, which is done with paint and clear coat over it, glorifies the Classic design language.


The rider's view of the tank and handle.


Simple meter cluster. While the Odometer is digital, the speedometer and fuel gauge are analogue.


When the Ignition is turned 'On', only the parking light turns on. On starting the engine, the headlight turns on. This helps save battery when the engine is turned Off with the switch on handlebar. No Led lights here.


The well designed fuel cap is my favorite styling element in the Jawa.


Single tone Horn looks cool and does its duty well.




Handle grip is nice to hold; I did not feel the need to add an additional grip.


'JAWA' on footrest too!


The seat is quite small resulting in less space for the pillion if the rider is well built.


The Ignition and handle lock key slots are not in one place - inconvenient at times.




Quality of the switches on the handlebar is basic but feels durable.




The indicators on the front and rear are well integrated.

[arun1100]

Engine Specs
Jawa is powered by BS-VI compliant 293cc single cylinder engine with 27 BHP power. It is liquid cooled and fuel-injected mated with a 6-speed gearbox.

The Jawa I bought is equipped with single channel ABS; the dual channel ABS version is available now at an extra cost of around 10k. The fuel tank capacity is 14 ltr and kerb weight is 170 kg.

The erstwhile Jawa had the iconic left side kicker and gear lever. 2019 Jawa has no kicker at all!


The gear shift pattern is one down, five up.


Quite a large radiator for liquid cooling. The engine heat can be felt near the legs after long rides. The radiator's fan sound is bit high.


City commute
For city commuting in Indian city like Bangalore, Jawa fairs just right. The clutch is smooth and gear shifts are quite perfect. But for my daily office usage, I would prefer the gear less scooter at least in my case since my office ride is not so long since my office and home are in city center. The low height seat makes it easy to get onto the bike for the rider and pillion for quick city rides with family. The mileage I am getting and as per my Jawa friends is around 33kmpl.


My daughter's preferred mode of commute to school bus stop daily. The low height seat is very convenient for her.
She loves to be called as a JAWA Girl!




Road to the Bangalore Palace


Riding on the highways
On the highways, the Jawa cruises quite comfortably till about 90kmph. The engine is quite refined and only at around 100kmph, I could feel slight vibrations. Riding the Jawa around the curves is real fun. Regarding the brakes, me being a sedate rider, the single channel ABS suffices me. The rear drum brake works well too.

Clicked by my wife on our first ride.




Niggles and Improvements needed

1. I could see rusts spots in the silencer just after few rides in the rains. Note the sealant is also in orange color.


2. OE Exide battery went kaput within a week of delivery and was changed under warranty.


3. Moisture is getting formed in the meter and headlight right from day one.


4. Check Engine Light is glowing always while riding due to the faulty Lambda sensor (used to measure the oxygen content in exhaust gases) just after 200 kms of riding. The SA cleared the error, however the issue persisted after few kms of riding.




5. The chassis welding near the handlebar could have been better.


6. Rider's limited view of the speedometer's range between 60 kmph to 100 kmph marking.

[arun1100]

Was the Jawa purchase a right decision?
My Jawa's purchase was purely a decision of heart. The 1000 kms of ownership so far has been a blissful one. Barring the few niggles, I am quite satisfied with the motorcycle. I only hope Classic Legends proactively takes care of the customer feedback, manufacturing defects if any and the niggles.

Is the Jawa worth the price?
Classic Legends have priced it right. However, I wouldn't have minded paying 10k or 20k more only if it could have been a more perfect product. Wish it was done first time right. The test mules were seen a week before the official launch. Not sure how well the product was tested.

Will I recommend to buy the Jawa?
Considering Classic Legends itself is a new company and Jawa being their first motorcycle, the long term reliability is unknown. Also, the Service Advisors I have met are not so well versed with the technical aspects of Jawa. Anyone looking to buy a Jawa anytime soon, and want to have a trouble free ownership experience, I would suggest to wait for a year or two till the reliability is proven and if any issues are identified, are all well sorted. Meanwhile, hope Classic Legends sort their manufacturing and cancellation refund issues too asap.

Which other motorcycle?
Below are some of the very good options available in the order of my preference.
Suzuki Gixxer 250
Yamaha FZ25
Duke 250
Mojo 300

Among the Royal Enfield motorcycles, the upcoming 2020 range of RE motorcycles will surely give tough competition to Classic Legends. A good option in the next segment would definitely be the Interceptor or Continental GT.




From the day of booking the Jawa, to this day of ownership, it feels like I have come a long way with my JAWA already..


..and surely a long way to go!


Thank you,
Arun

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Kosfactor]

I cannot remember any bike getting this much attention in the office parking lot, and that parking lot has seen many Japanese and Italian exotics.

Interestingly enough most of these admirers were not born when the old jawa was ruling the streets, when I was growing up, yezdi was around but Jawa , I do not remember seeing them around(maybe once or twice). But it looks strangely familiar, nostalgic, an artwork in comparison to modern bikes.

Dear Arun, Please never let anyone see this vehicle dirty , is there a way to re locate the number plates?

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

is there a way to re locate the number plates?

Any reason for suggesting the change? Just curious. In my view, Number plates are exactly at right position where it should be, for a classic bike.

[shobhit.shri]

Now, I too want to buy a Jawa!

Is the seat as low as in scooters? That should make the city driving really easy.

Also, the old iconic Jawa had a reverse gear too. I think it was the only bike that came with it!

[V.Narayan]

Arun, Congratulations you lucky so and so. Wish you many happy & safe miles. The new Jawa looks even better than the original Jawa. :-) A generation and more back the Jawa was the modern man's bike. Only one or two chaps in my college days had a Jawa and would permanently be r the envy of all the guys even if he didn't have a girl on the back seat.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

Also, the old iconic Jawa had a reverse gear too. I think it was the only bike that came with it!

Just for my information. Which jawa model came with reverse gear?. I take it by that you mean the kick starter also served as the gear shifter?.

[LoneRidder]

I liked your way of writing, crisp and appealing. Wishing you trouble free ownership.

How has been the response from service team regarding the niggles?

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

Also, the old iconic Jawa had a reverse gear too.

Don't think so. But the old 2 Stroke would sometimes start running the wrong way. And you engage gear, release clutch - and fly off backwards.

Regards
Sutripta

[Passiautonate]

Love they way you put it all together. Pic from the past created the nostalgia.

A quick Q from my side having booked Jawa 42 myself with test ride due! How would you compare handle bar positioning of both? I mean which is more comfortable and relaxed? and which one is more good in handling?

Cheers!