Jawa & Yezdi Day
Celebrating the iconic brands
Old world things have a certain charm to them. Remember the thrill one got out of those little portable video games we played with as kids, or perhaps your first walkman? Well, if you are wondering why the nostalgia, it is because we are talking about a motorcycle brand that perhaps is the epitome of that very feeling. We are talking about the Jawa and Yezdi which with their signature ‘ring ding’ exhaust note has enthralled classic motorcycle aficionados for years. While most of you might consider brand Jawa as a defunct one, let me share some interesting news on the matter. Our very own, homegrown company Mahindra now owns the brand and going by a recent tweet by Anand Mahindra, chairman Mahindra Group, we expect the brand to return to India this year and take on the Royal Enfield. More of that later, however first let’s look at its humble beginnings.
First founded in Prague, then in Czechoslovakia in 1929 by František Jane ek, who
bought the motorcycle division of Wanderer, the name ‘JAWA’ was established by concatenating the first letters of Janeek and Wanderer. Thus Jawa came to be known. However, the story of Jawa in India is similar to that of Royal Enfield. In 1960 the Czech manufacturer issued a license to Ideal Jawa, an Indian company based in Mysore to manufacture these motorcycles in India. This trend continued till 1973 when the company launched the same motorcycle with a new name: Yezdis. This was accompanied by a rather catchy tag line ‘Forever bike forever value’. The motorcycles which came out of this factory were essentially based on the Jawa 250 Type 353. Hence motorcycles like the Yezdi Classic D250 owe its origins to the original Jawas. But that’s not all. The Indian company launched several derivatives based on the same platform. Motorcycles like the Road King and the Monarch featured a modern look complete with independent headlamp, twin pod instrument panel, indicators and so on. The engine though remained the same all throughout. The company also launched the Yezdi 350 Twin which today is the rarest of the lot and collectors lap them up as soon as it’s on sale. This is the only motorcycle they say which in its day could take on the legendary Yamaha RD 350. The Jawas and the Yezdis thrived till the 80s when Japanese manufacturers came up with mototorcyles that were largely based on the ‘Fill-it, shut-it and forget-it’ principle. This created havoc for the two-stroke Yezdi which was not as efficient or reliable. Gradually sales declined and in 1996, and the Yezdi factory in Mysore closed its doors.
But like many classic motorcycle brands, Jawas and Yezdis today have become popular