[SidharthaN]

Someone mentioned bikegasm. Truly gorgeous is one term. It gives a kick in the pants even to look at the. The Matt black is even better looking than Perak. Rubbing my hands in excitement...

[jpcoolguy]

Interesting nomenclature there from Classic Legends. The existing BS6 lineup are named "forty two", while the new lineup are named "42".

[Sudarshan42]

Looks stunning. Will be interesting to see a comparo between this, the CB350, and the Meteor. The Honda has set the bar quite high, and the new Classic 350 is due as well (on the Meteor platform). Interesting times!

Side note- My father started out on a Yezdi, followed it up with a Chetak and then a Bullet Standard. All 3 of them still exist in different avatars- milking nostalgia never gets old I guess.

[AlQuazi]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan42

milking nostalgia never gets old I guess.

Very well said!

My maternal grandfather owned a Yezdi that he'd bought for a grand amount of ₹5000 sometime in the 80s.

It was with him till the very late 90s. I think around 1998 or 1999 is when we sold it off as scrap.I remember riding around on the tank of that thing as a 5 year old. I have no idea which model it was within the Yezdi brand name though.

Slightly off tangent, but I'd be amongst the first to line up if the Yezdi is brought back. Classic Legends already owns the brand rights and all the rumor mills hint at an imminent launch for the Yezdi!

I could never relate to the Jawa the way I can to the Yezdi.

If they do launch it, it will definitely draw in a (comparatively) much younger crowd to the showrooms! I just hope they can deliver on the timelines for this 42 iteration since that has been the Achilles' heel for this company.

[kamilharis]

Not a fan of the headlight grill, otherwise this looks excellent for an update. Good thing is that the headlight grill is optional and not standard, while the dual-channel ABS is now standard.

They have to keep the JAWA alive and should have a closer look at how the dealers are handling the brand. Otherwise, no updates are going to favor the brand by any means.

I think it is a good move to sell the old model side by side because some might not prefer the blacked-out panels or all-black alloy wheels.

[himanshugoswami]

This bike begs for a TD. given the inordinate delay of my Meteor, if I like the TD ride (those foot pegs seem oddly placed- rear sets on an upright stance looks unnatural) and the showroom experience, and if delivery is within a reasonable time, I will cancel meteor and get this instead. In terms of looks the red looks HOT!! and it will be more sprightly than the meteor, which is an added plus- more like a modern day Roadking!

[.HEM]

I own a Jawa 42, bought in Nov, 2019 - It is less driven only ~1800 kms till date.
My bike has become a rust magnet. The chrome plated parts are already showing rust in most of the places. I was shocked to see rust on the shock absorber springs. My 10 year old RE classic 350 still did not show any rust in the places where there are rust in Jawa 42. The engine which has aluminium parts have shown signs of erosion, the engine cover which was Shiney during the delivery was not so now. I know this will happen, but off it has happened after 3 or 4 years, I would not grumble.

I have booked a Perak, but told the showroom, that I was not happy with the quality of the 42 and asked them to hold my booking.

I clearly see this update as the coverup of the rusting issues, hope the black paint job does not peels off after a year :(

[JJ1991]

Looks pretty awesome.Would very much like to get one for my father many horror stories about the quality is holding me back. Hope this one is sorted out properly.

[yesyeswe]

My friend is looking to buy a retro bike in the budget of 2.5 lakhs on road, we have 3 contenders to choose from, Meteor, Jawa 42 and Highness. First we went to the RE showroom, took a test drive, the engine is very smooth and refined compared to older REs. But the bike looks a bit big on my friend who is 5'6 and lean built. But the bike is very good, engine is a lot smoother and there's a good amount of power and torque available.

Then we went to the Jawa showroom, I love the looks of the glossy blue with the chrome engine, they didn't have the newer one with the black engine on display. Had a pleasant experience in the showroom, all information was provided and test drive was offered.

The test drive bikes were BS4, and had run around 10k kilometers, after riding the Meteor the engine on the Jawa felt like a downgrade, there were more vibrations present, the power and torque although more than the Meteor but didn't felt like it. The more I tried to revv the more the vibrations crept in. The instrument cluster is a very basic one, but I don't mind it. The seat was very stiff and was uncomfortable as well.

The Jawa weighs around 20kg less than the Meteor which resulted in better handling and very less effort while parking. The bike is smaller than the Meteor so my friend and I felt more comfortable on it and didn't feel big which the Meteor did. The front braking was good, the test drive bike had drum brakes at the rear and were not adjusted properly so couldn't comment on them. And finally to me the bike looks better than other bikes in the segment.

After the test drive the sales person Mr. Vishal took my feedback, I told him what I felt, and I mentioned that I am coming after test driving the Meteor. He said BS6 is better and vibrations and power delivery has been improved as well. I asked for a test drive but they didn't have any BS6 bikes for test drives. He promised to call me back after some permissions to get the newer bikes for test drives.

My friend and I were about to leave but he asked us to wait, went to talk to the manager and came back after a while with a smile, they were ready to give us a test drive on the display bike. He started getting the bike ready in the meanwhile the manager, Mr. Abhishek came to me started talking about my bike RE Continental GT 650. Turns out he's a big enthusiast and love the RE 650 Twins, we had a long discussions on various motorcycle and agreed on the shortage faced by the early adopters of Jawa and how it's not there anymore and showed me the various changes made on the BS6.

He requested me to have a ride on my bike and I agreed, he back grinning from ear to ear and praised the 650 platform a lot. Meanwhile my friend returned from the ride of the BS6 version, he said it's a lot better and could be considered now. (he had said not considerable after the BS4 test drive). Mr. Abhishek asked me to have a ride as well.

The BS6 version felt different as soon as I sat on the bike, the seat was softer and felt a bit comfortable(not as comfortable as the Meteor which has a very good seat). As soon as I released the clutch I felt a very nice tug of the acceleration which was absent on the BS4 version, the vibrations were less as well but were there, this time due to less vibes I could actually feel the pickup and acceleration this time. Braking was good, no complaints there. Handling was good, the bike responded pretty quickly to changes in direction. The horn was very weak, will have to change it ASAP.

I came back, Mr. Abhishek and the Mr. Vishal took my feedback and were happy to hear what I had to say. I was very happy with the showroom experience, somehow after reading online I was expecting to be disappointed. Took a test drive of the Perak too but it was BS4 so the engine wasn't good and the suspension was stiff too, moreover there were no rear view mirrors so couldn't ride the bike comfortably.

If it was for me to decide I would go with the Jawa but it's my friend who's gonna own the bike so let's see what he decides, we will be going to have a look at the Honda Highness too. He wants a bike on which he can sit straight without leaning forward(he has back pain issues) and between Meteor and Jawa it's the Meteor which made him felt more comfortable.

[Subby]

I was also looking for a light-weight classic motorcycle for week-end ride. I have been a rider since 1989 and used various models, right from old Yezdi, Kawasaki RTZ, Avenger 220 and my last possession was RE Himalayan BS4.

The current updates of Jawa 42 with new colors and alloy wheels appeared too tempting to me even at my age of 54 and I got one in March. So here is the initial feedback.

I ignored all the negative feedback in social media, however few of those feedbacks seemed to be real !

On the way home from showroom after taking delivery, the engine of the new bike shut off thrice in a distance of just 10 Kms. The engine also refused to fire immediately. The engine stalls on its own whims when I release the accelerator or disengage the clutch to shift gears. The engine stalling problem went away after running approx. 200 kms

From day 1, there was loud noise from rear brake when rear brake was applied. The bike was taken to Service Centre to fix that. They did some work on the rear disc brake and returned the vehicle.

The very next day I had to tow the vehicle once again to service Centre as the noise from rear disc brake became continuous and one just could not ride in that condition. They worked on the problem and it appeared that they fixed it. While returning from the service Centre, the problem resurfaced.

I contacted Jawa service Centre once again. This time they kept the vehicle for 3 days and solved the issue with somewhat reduced rear brake effectiveness. The noise did not disappear totally but was not bothersome anymore.

Meanwhile I also got feedback from other Jawa owners, who also reported same problem with their new motorcycles. I wrote to Jawa customer care and got a routine reply, but not sure if Jawa higher officials were aware of the quality issues with their new products. No one contacted me to get the feedback so far.

Now, apart from all these niggles, this Jawa 42 2.1 motorbike is nice to ride, nimble with good road manners. Being a comparatively lightweight machine with low saddle height, it is easy to handle also. Riding posture is also comfortable, and I have not suffered from any back pain till now.

Engine performance is adequate, but do not expect low rpm lugging power like REs. I also expect the engine to become smoother after first service. Happy with the product.

Jawa local Service Centre engineers/technicians were polite and cooperative to attend the customers’ concerns. I really appreciate that.

[aamishdhingra]

Mod note: Post edited to Trim quoted post, please avoid Quoting entire large post for replies. Thanks.


Hey Subby!

I am gifting the Jawa 42 to my father on his 54th Birthday. He's always loved riding bikes until 1995, when I was born and he had to focus to driving more as he had a family.

Anything in specific you'd like to recommend me while I finally make the complete payment and complete the purchase process. Please let me know for any inputs.

Regards!

Originally Posted by Subby

I was also looking for a light-weight classic motorcycle for week-end ride. I have been a rider since 1989 and used various models, right from old Yezdi, Kawasaki RTZ, Avenger 220 and my last possession was RE Himalayan BS4.
=======
Jawa local Service Centre engineers/technicians were polite and cooperative to attend the customers’ concerns. I really appreciate that.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by aamishdhingra

Anything in specific you'd like to recommend me while I finally make the complete payment and complete the purchase process. Please let me know for any inputs.

Jawa 42 engine is having short gear ratio. So one needs to change gears frequently in city traffic, which could be bothersome. Other than that, ride quality and handling of Jawa 42 is good. Fuel efficiency is around 28-34 Kms/litre.

Few concerns which I have witnessed

Paint Quality
Rear Brake noise
Engine stalling issue

If possible, please ride the vehicle for few kilometers to check.

Thanks

[Mika fan]

Hello Guys,

We are buying a bike for my son. He wants to get a cruiser. We checked out Jawa 42, 2.1 and RE Meteor (he has set his heart on 42). Test drove both. We live in Pune and I dont see many Jawa's around. Hence asking Jawa 42 owners:

1) Any feedback on reliability of the bike?
2) Any feedback on riding comfort?

Personally, I felt RE was better package but my son who is 5'4'' and lean feels Jawa 42 suits him better in terms of riding position, comfort and handling.

Any help will be appreciated. Thx.

Adwait

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by Mika fan

Hello Guys,

We are buying a bike for my son. He wants to get a cruiser. We checked out Jawa 42, 2.1 and RE Meteor (he has set his heart on 42). Test drove both. We live in Pune and I dont see many Jawa's around. Hence asking Jawa 42 owners:

1) Any feedback on reliability of the bike?
2) Any feedback on riding comfort?

Personally, I felt RE was better package but my son who is 5'4'' and lean feels Jawa 42 suits him better in terms of riding position, comfort and handling.

Any help will be appreciated. Thx.

Adwait

It definitely makes sense to opt for the bike he feels more comfortable in, especially if he finds the RE big.

I think with the launch of the Yezdi range, we'll definitely see even lesser Jawas on the road due to internal cannibalization. Perhaps the Yezdi Roadster is another good alternative? The Roadster has low seat height and its a light bike as well.

The Jawa hype has definitely died down in the market and the Yezdis are the current rage.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Mika fan

Hello Guys,

We are buying a bike for my son. He wants to get a cruiser. We checked out Jawa 42, 2.1 and RE Meteor (he has set his heart on 42). Test drove both. We live in Pune and I dont see many Jawa's around. Hence asking Jawa 42 owners:

1) Any feedback on reliability of the bike?
2) Any feedback on riding comfort?

Adwait

I have been using Jawa 42 2.1 for last one year or so, and as a user, I wouldn't recommend this product.

The quality of Jawa motorcycles is below the industrial standards. The number of disgruntled customers are more than satisfied owners.

There are lot many issues, like rusting problem, engine stalling, starting problem, oil leakage, electrical failure and so on.

The service support is also not worth mentioning and company is grossly insensitive to owners' plight.

PS : I also own RE Meteor. Meteor is more comfortable to ride.