EXCLUSIVE: Jawa 350 Spotted On Test In Mumbai

A new Jawa has been brewing in the pipeline for quite some time now. We have been invited for a ride of an upcoming motorcycle in the coming few days and we have finally spotted a new Jawa (the classic roadster that bears the same name as the company) on test in Mumbai. The heavily camouflaged motorcycle does give off the distinct impression that it is from the Indo-Czech brand and here’s what you can expect from the new bike.

For starters, it will have a name, most likely to be called the 350. So, that’s one big confusion out of the way. Now the 350 tag has been quite an important part of Jawa legacy, right from the first single-cylinder 350 OHV in 1935 to the last twin-cylinder 350 in 1991. Jawa has also been playing up its ‘350’ legacy on its social media of late, so the likelihood of the moniker reappearing is high.

That obviously leads us to the engine of the classic-ally styled retro roadster, which will be the 334 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that virtually all Classic Legends motorcycles come equipped with except the 42 and the now-outgoing Jawa Jawa. The engine tuning is likely to be altered, the spiritedness from the Perak and 42 Bobber are likely to be toned down for a more wholesome experience. However, it will still be more energetic than the 349 cc thumper that Royal Enfield’s J-platform motorcycles, namely the Classic 350, use.

The spied motorcycle also looks fairly larger in size than the previous classic roadster. The rear tyre appears to be wider and the chassis as a whole appears to be sitting a lot higher than it used to. The older Jawa suffered from a fair few belly rubs, especially when riding with a pillion. So, hopefully the new 350 solves that issue to a great extent.

The seating space too seems wider with more cushioning present at the back. We guess the 350 will have the same sporty retro stance as before. One bug bear that we still can spot on the test mule is the flatly-mounted console. Hope the crucial data isn’t hidden as was the case previously.

We hope Jawa doesn’t command a significant premium for the updated roadster. The current Jawa Jawa dual-channel ABS trim bears a price tag of Rs 2.03 lakh (ex-showroom). It would be great if Jawa could offer it at the same pricing because the Perak is priced at Rs 2.13 lakh. And with the revised updates, the Jawa 350 would stand a better chance to take on not only the Royal Enfield Classic 350, but also the Harley-Davidson X440, the Triumph Speed 400, and also the upcoming Hero Mavrick 440.