2024 Recap: Top 5 Retro Bikes That Launched This Year

If you have an inkling for anything that looks like a period piece on two wheels, chances are you like retro bikes. 2024 saw more than a couple of them launch, and we couldn’t be happier. Here are the top 5 of them that we liked the most. 

Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350

Yes, it’s a bobber that looks finished with just the single-seat, and yes, it’s the most expensive 350 cc bike from Royal Enfield, yet. But look past these two hurdles, and you have a motorcycle that looks so nice, and not to forget “loud”, that there’s no way one wouldn’t take a second look at that. 

It’s the most funky and trippiest-looking bike to come out of Chennai, and that nomenclature further reasserts the kind of effortless coastal vibes the Goan Classic 350 is aiming for. It’s so cool, that it rides on tubeless spoke wheels, making it the second RE after the Himalayan 450 and the first retro bike in the company's portfolio to get this kind of wheels. And when you couple that with that soulful, smooth 349 cc, J-series engine to the mix, the Goan Classic 350 will deliver that proper laidback “susegad experience on two-wheels”. 

Jawa 42 FJ

The retro aesthetic has always been inherent to Jawa motorcycles. But the new 42 FJ gave it a slight twist, albeit in larger proportions. Its beefed-up, yet proportional appeal finished in a clean matte look, gives it a proper premium and substantial feel. Equally engaging is that 334 cc, Alpha-2 series, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine making 28.80 bhp and 29.6 Nm. We have enjoyed this mill in the Jawa 350, however, in the 42 FJ it produces more power and has its own gear-mapped tune. Coupled with that brappy/ raspy exhaust note, the neighbours will always know that you’re riding your Jawa 42 FJ down the alley.

BSA Gold Star 650

A lot of nostalgia is going on here with the new-age Gold Star 650, wherein several design elements have been kept as they were back in the old days. Whether it's the all-analogue instrument cluster, that beautiful teardrop-shaped tank, or the fact that this is the first and only one of its kind in the Indian market to be available with a big single-cylinder, 650 cc engine. Performance figures are right up there with the twin-cylinder Royal Enfield 650s. So, when it comes to its ride experience, it impressed us by leaps and bounds. To know how. check out the video below:

Royal Enfield Bear 650

Another heritage-backed bike in this list is Royal Enfield’s 650 cc scrambler, the Bear 650. The badge name can be traced back to the 60s, when Royal Enfield used to take part in The Bear Run, a desert race held in California, USA. Paying homage to its bike that raced in that competition, is the scrambler iteration of the Interceptor 650. 

More than just a couple of mechanical and hardware tweaks have given us a perfectly enjoyable bike that can do more than just highway touring. Unlike the Interceptor 650, which is more about style with two big silencers, the Bear 650 has been designed from the ground up to be lighter. By going for a 2-in-1 exhaust set-up, RE has managed to eke more torque out of it, and at the same time make it sound a bit gruff and bolder. Plus those gorgeous colour options on offer just enhance the overall ownership experience. 

Triumph Speed T4

Built on the same 400 cc engine platform as the Speed 400, the Triumph Speed T4 will be the easiest bike to ride in and around the city from the British marque. It's lighter than the Speed 400, has solid low and mid-range performance, and aesthetically, it continues to boast the same high Triumph standard. So, all in all, we were not just impressed with how the Triumph Speed T4 will make you feel, but just how cleverly it has been engineered for its price point.