Yesteryear Motorcycle Brand Jawa Is Back In India With New Models And So Is The Nostalgia

It is not everyday you see a company with a formidable history making a re-entry into the market. Remember Yezdi (renamed from Jawa), the much appreciated bike back in its days? Some might. Some might not. Some might not even be aware of anything by that name. But to say that it is the general notion, would be very very wrong. All thanks to the decades of heritage that the brand carries with it. That is also why the recent re-launch of the brand left many teary eyed. And amidst all the emotions, Jawa Motorcycles unveiled three new bikes for the Indian market.

The Jawa, Jawa Forty Two and the Jawa Perak made their global debut at an event in India on Thursday. Sporting the classic design language of the company, the Jawa and the Jawa Forty Two are pretty much the same offerings, having similar engine transmission (293cc, 27bhp, 28NM), chassis, right down to the weight (170Kg) of the bikes. As a result, there is a similar price tag as well, with the former retailing at Rs 1.64 Lakh and the latter at Rs 1.55 Lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi). Slight design changes can be seen though, mostly for accommodating different riding postures. The Perak, on the other hand, would be brought to the market later, priced at Rs 1,89,000.

What’s more interesting than the bikes though is the manner in which the company has found its way back. Nearing 90 years of its existence, Jawa Motorcycles has had a long history in India, with its first launch in the country dating back to the early 1960’s, almost half a decade after Royal Enfield’s entry. After several decades of sales in the Indian market, Jawa took a sabbatical, RE stayed.

And now that it is back, the company, now under the bandwagon of Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.), made sure it played good on all the emotions attached with the brand. As mentioned by Anupam Thareja, founder of Classic Legends, on the stage during the launch, the heritage of the brand easily converted into a massive money saving scheme. Dealers across India were on-board without even looking at the product, as per the team.

The perks of reviving a long-established brand expands to the production as well, as the company had the way to go about the parts. Of course, everything was built from scratch for the new Jawa Motorcycles. But with the backing of Mahindra Group which plays in the top leagues of the Indian automotive scenario, and a set framework to build upon, things couldn’t have been any simpler for Classic Legends.

Where the wit of the company came into play is how it kept the emotions attached with Jawa intact. Glimpses of this can be seen through small but smart moves. Take the Jawa Perak for instance. While the bike is supposed to be the most premium offering by the company post its launch, its name has been derived from the classic 1946 model, widely considered to be the top motorcycle in Jawa's line-up to date. The bike was the dream of Jawa's founder, František Janeček, who kept working on it in secret, even under the Nazi oppression. The bike made its global debut at the Paris Motor Show in 1946, to much acclaim and a Gold medal. Sadly enough, Janeček had passed away by then, which made the bike's inception an even dearer event for many.

With all these reasons in place (and mostly the nostalgia), the company is aiming big in India. And it would not come as a big surprise if all the emotions reflect in the sales numbers. After all, why wouldn’t you want to drive what your dad or granddad drove, or at least a refreshed version of that.

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India Times