Jawa Forty Two: A closer look, price, colours, features, spec, rivals and more

Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd., the new entity in which Mahindra Group has a major share, brought back the cult brand Jawa in India on November 15. In the latest outing, Jawa Motorcycles offers two classic styled bikes named Jawa and Forty Two along with a bobber model christened Perak.

All the three new bikes of Jawa Motorcycles can be summed up as 'past, present and future'. Didn't ring the bell? The bike named Jawa celebrates the essence of erstwhile Jawa bikes sold in India such as the 250 Type A. Meanwhile, the Perak is a futuristic bobber model that explains where the brand is heading up to. It is also not on sale for now.

The Forty Two is the motorcycles that define the modern-day Jawa. The head honchos at the launch even rightfully said the Forty Two explains the evolution of the brand for the present day. Let's take deep dive to know more about the Jawa Forty Two.

Jawa Forty Two - Design

The Forty Two is essentially a Jawa model and hence it's not shying away from the fact that it's a retro model. However, the Forty Two is not an outright classic machine like the standard Jawa. From the engine section onwards to the rear, the Forty Two looks identical to the standard Jawa while albeit excessive chrome touches. Instead, it gets matte-black elements and that gives the bike a neo-retro look.

The Forty Two also gets offset instrument cluster and bar-end mirrors, adding modern roadster touch. The Forty Two is a fine balance between being an extreme classic or extreme new model and that will surely attract a lot of millennial.

Jawa Forty Two – Colours

Jawa Motorcycles offers the Forty Two in six colour options- Galactic Green, Halley's Teal, Lumos Lime, Starlight Blue, Comet Red and Nebula Blue. In line with the target audience (millennial) in mind, many of which are the matte finish.

Jawa Forty Two – Engine and transmission

The Forty Two is powered by a 293cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC engine that develops 27hp and 28Nm, mated to a six-speed gearbox. Classic Legends claims the engine is BS-VI ready and has a future-ready catalytic converter as well.

Jawa Forty Two – Cycle parts

The Forty Two is based on an all-new double cradle unit and suspension duties are carried out by telescopic forks up front and gas charged twin hydraulic shocks at the rear. Braking power comes from a 280mm disc brake at the front and a 153mm drum brake set-up at the rear, in addition to the single-channel ABS.

The Forty Two uses 90/90-18 tyres at the front and a 120/80-17 at the rear. The motorcycle runs on spoked wheels wearing tubed tyres.

Jawa Forty Two- Dimensions and weight

The Forty Two comes with a 1369mm wheelbase and 765mm seat height. The lower seat height should offer better access to the short riders as well. The motorcycle weighs 170 kg and it has fuel tank capacity of 14-litres.

Jawa Forty Two – Price

Among the three bikes Jawa launched, the Forty Two is the most affordable at Rs 1.55 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi.

Competition check

The rival-in-chief for Jawa Forty Two should be Royal Enfield's most popular model, the Classic 350. The Royal Enfield bike larger displacement 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled motor while the power output of 19.8hp is way too inferior to the Forty Two's 27hp. Torque figure for both the bikes are at 28Nm.

Royal Enfield Classic 350 range is more affordable than the Jawa Forty Two at a starting price of Rs 1.47 lakh (front and rear disc variant) and Rs 1.53 lakh (for the Gunmetal Grey model with a front and rear disc and dual-channel ABS).