[hanoze]

Hi everyone,

I recently got my 1963 Jawa restored, started in December 2014 and finally brought it home mid June 2015. This bike has been in the family since I was born and I remember going to Goa with mom and dad when me and my brother were kids. My spot was between mom and dad and my brother always got the tank seat. The restoration could have been completed a bit sooner giving me and my brother an opportunity to ride it in the summer but both of us travel frequently for work so dad did not push to get it done sooner. Due to that very reason, I did not get an opportunity to post some true before pictures but managed to click a few before it got completely dismantled. The bike was not used for at least 7 years, so it was pretty beat. I also think we messed up a bit on the paint job (not selecting the right shade) as my brother and I were not around when the paint job started. But that's something that can be fixed at a later date. Right now I'm reasonably happy with the output and I am really looking forward to riding it long distance once the weather clears up in Mumbai.

Seeing the pictures, I would really appreciate comments, criticism, feedback and suggestion from my fellow bhpians here on this forum. We did a lot of running around sourcing various parts, even got cheated by one guy in Pune but eventually we managed to get it as near as original (I hope).

I would also welcome suggestions on sourcing some more parts, especially the speedometer (mph) which has been the most difficult piece to procure. I did read one member's post sourcing the original mph meter from ebay but even that's sold out now.

I hope you like these pictures and I would really love to hear your comments.

Thanks

[Tushar]

That's a job well executed Hanoze. The bike looks simply fantastic and in all honestly, the paint job looks fine to me. It makes the bike stand out and adds to the retro appeal. I've seen a Yezdi in a similar shade in person and it looks great.

[Viju]

Hanoze

That is a beautiful motorcycle. Seeing the condition it was originally in, I am sure it took a lot of effort to get it to the present condition.

The speedometer fascia looks tired on the otherwise brand-new looking bike. Please try to get it restored by a professional or try to source a new one. Also, I am not sure if the brake and clutch levers are correct for the 353. If not, please try to get the correct ones.

As Tushar mentioned, the colour looks absolutely fine to me too.

Fantastic effort!!

[hanoze]

Originally Posted by Viju

Hanoze

That is a beautiful motorcycle. Seeing the condition it was originally in, I am sure it took a lot of effort to get it to the present condition.

The speedometer fascia looks tired on the otherwise brand-new looking bike. Please try to get it restored by a professional or try to source a new one. Also, I am not sure if the brake and clutch levers are correct for the 353. If not, please try to get the correct ones.

As Tushar mentioned, the colour looks absolutely fine to me too.

Fantastic effort!!

Thanks Viju. Do you know anyone in Mumbai who can do a good job of cleaning up the existing speedo plate. My mechanic did his best without damaging it any further but I would love to get a new speedometer if I can lay my hands on the original mph version.

And I though the "ball" levers were a misfit. The pointed ones will be easy to source and I will get that replaced soon.

Originally Posted by Tushar

That's a job well executed Hanoze. The bike looks simply fantastic and in all honestly, the paint job looks fine to me. It makes the bike stand out and adds to the retro appeal. I've seen a Yezdi in a similar shade in person and it looks great.

I'll take your word for it. Thanks

[V.Narayan]

Hanoze, neat job. Congratulations. The paint & colour look just fine. I used to think that the maroon Jawa's were a premium version compared to the regular black Jawa's. Happy riding.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by hanoze

I would also welcome suggestions on sourcing some more parts, especially the speedometer (mph) which has been the most difficult piece to procure.

Nice job, You can get your speedometer restored to its original glory by a professional. i got it done for my Willys and Yeddi from Allahabad.
There must be someone in Bombay..........

Shubhendra Singh

[manishalive]

Dear hanoze,

The bike is looking awesome, however please get the speedometer done up asap. cause that is the only sore point on other wise awesome looking machine.

[hanoze]

Originally Posted by manishalive

Dear hanoze,

The bike is looking awesome, however please get the speedometer done up asap. cause that is the only sore point on other wise awesome looking machine.

Thanks, manishalive. I'm actively looking for an option. The best, as I have said earlier, would be to buy a new one but even cleaning up the faceplate, if I find someone who can do it, will be helpful.

I also noticed one thing in my existing speedo, it's from 0 - 80 mph. The very few ones I saw online are from 0 - 90 mph. I am wondering how this happened.

[karlosdeville]

Congrats on resurrecting a family heirloom - and seems to be a great job. Don't worry too much about minor cosmetics - that list is never completed Use the bike every weekend, iron out mechanical glitches - it will take a while, in all likeliness you aren't out of the woods yet!

Just one thing though - I would assume that the 63 bikes would still have the tank mounted Bakelite panel with ammeter and key - ask the elders if they remember changing the tank.

And regarding the meter, don't sweat about it - at least something on the bike should look 50 years old! Consider it character, or nazar utaarne ke liye

[hanoze]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Congrats on resurrecting a family heirloom - and seems to be a great job. Don't worry too much about minor cosmetics - that list is never completed Use the bike every weekend, iron out mechanical glitches - it will take a while, in all likeliness you aren't out of the woods yet!

Just one thing though - I would assume that the 63 bikes would still have the tank mounted Bakelite panel with ammeter and key - ask the elders if they remember changing the tank.

And regarding the meter, don't sweat about it - at least something on the bike should look 50 years old! Consider it character, or nazar utaarne ke liye

Love the "nazar utaarne ke liye" part. And I too was wondering about the tank switch. Let me ask dad but as far as I remember (growing up), there was no tank switch on the bike unless dad changed it years ago. It had a lot of Yezdi parts (engine block, handlebar, footrests, taillight, regular key start switch, etc) which I had to replace and it took some hunting. We have no shop in Bombay that sells any spares, it all had to be sourced by running to a few mechanics. I found one shop in Pune claiming to sell original parts for Jawa and a variety of other old 2 wheelers and even fell for that old man's claims considering his age and mistaking it for experience. But that ended up in me losing a good 10K in cheap quality parts which were not worth it. Other than that, I am enjoying the nostalgia of riding this bike, the sound and the smell once it heats up.

One question I had, do you recommend I use Nulon mixed with petrol along with my regular 2T oil (which currently is 50ml/ltr)

Thanks
Hanoze

[Sreespace]

Great work Hanoze. I am sure you have done your family legacy proud. This makeover seems pretty fine and detailed to the best extent. Only one can't comment on the engine and ride performance which I hope u must be enjoying now.

I specifically like the toolbox area where you seem to have fitted a key fired cover.

It's a class and much more worth than the Harleys and thunderbirds of today.

Happy riding

[hanoze]

Originally Posted by Sreespace

I specifically like the toolbox area where you seem to have fitted a key fired cover.

It's a Royal Enfield lock on both sides, I figured I'll need a lock to at least keep bike documents

[varunanb]

your bike looks beautiful and it is a wonderful restoration job. How was the engine and gear box before restoration and did you work on them?

[mithun_k_g]

Congrats, Great job. Appreciate your effort, this really requires a lot of hard work.

How much did you spent to bring it back to this condition?

[karlosdeville]

I'm travelling for a bit, but once I'm back I will scan you a copy of the manual (assuming you don't have one that is).