The Return Of Jawa

The iconic motorcycle of yesteryear is back, full of old-school charm, surprising capabilities – and a few niggles.

- Pablo Chaterji

YOU KNOW THE ONE about nostalgia not being what it used to be? I’d argue that in the case of the Indian two-wheeler market, the reverse is often true – nostalgia is almost exactly what it used to be. The prime example of this is Royal Enfield, which continues to manufacture motorcycles that wouldn’t look out of place if they were to be time-warped into the 1950s and ‘60s.

These machines (which look determinedly retro, but have been given technological updates) sell in their hundreds of thousands every year, so clearly someone’s doing something right – and the buying public has a soft corner for sepia tints. Other examples (among others) are Vespa, which makes popular, old-school scooters (and Lambretta, which will return with its scooters to India in the next couple of years), Triumph (with its Bonneville range of motorcycles), Harley-Davidson and Indian (with, well, everything) – and now Jawa.

You already know the story behind the much-loved brand’s resurrection, but I’ll give you the précis. Three enthusiastic men – Anand Mahindra, Anupam Thareja and Boman Irani – got together, decided that it would be an excellent idea to bring back the Jawa name, formed a company called Classic Legends (which also has the rights to two other legacy motorcycle brands, Yezdi and BSA) and next thing you know, three Jawabadged biked were ready for the market – the Jawa, the Forty-Two and the Perak (the last named will be launched later this year). For Mahindra, it was almost a no-brainer, since he already had a motorcycle engine available (from the intriguing-but-flawed Mahindra Mojo) and a manufacturing facility to go with it, in Pithampur, MP.