Jawa 42
The Jawa 42 dresses up for the New Year, claiming to be better than ever before
A classic legend reborn. Again
In about 12 months, ClassiC legends have registered an impressive sale milestone of 50,000 units. impressive, considering the challenges CoViD-19 threw at us all. With hopes riding high on 2021, the company has given the Jawa 42 some nips and tucks for the new year. in the last year, Classic legends have had a clearer demarcation of the target audience. it seems people buying the 42 often tend to customise it more than the standard Jawa owners. so, they’ve also introduced a range of accessories as well as official merchandise.
the most obvious change on the mY21 model are those black alloy wheels that replace the wirespoke ones. the alloys look nice and get “Classic legends”, “Jawa”, and “42” branding. although the size of the wheels has not been altered (90/9018 front and 120/80-17 rear), the tyres are now tubeless, so fixing a puncture won’t be as stressful.
Visual changes also include blacked-out components, including the front and rear suspension and the engine, and the chrome exhausts have been replaced by all-black ones. the headlamp gets a black metal grille and a small flyscreen, giving the new 42 a distinct face. also new are stylish bar-end mirrors, but these greatly restrict the grip on the handlebar. the bike also gets a dedicated tripmeter button on the right switchgear.
the 42 looks trendier with the new paint schemes sporting mustang-like racing stripes that run from the fuel-tank all the way to the rear fender. the “hammerhead spoiler” (read: pillion grab-rail), which was sold as an accessory earlier, is part of the standard kit now. this makes mounting saddle-bags more convenient. the stitching on the seat is different and Classic legends claim to have improved the cushioning further. We’ll need a longer ride to support that claim.
Visually, the bike does stand out, but the finish needs attention. For instance, the seat mounting bolts scratch the paint off the rear fender and the edges of the trademark twin exhaust tips were already chipping off. also, the positioning of the brake oil reservoir near the rear right shockabsorber seemed a bit odd.
last year, the engineers had updated the 293cc liquid-cooled engine to meet bs6 emission norms by introducing cross port technology. they say that this increases the engine’s volumetric efficiency by allowing a better flow of exhaust gases and charge. this has been improved yet again by optimizing the groves further. this, along with the newly positioned lambda sensors, promises to offer a crisper throttle response. it now produces 27.33 hp, which is a shade better than the bs6 2020 model that made 26.5 hp. the 27.02 nm of torque remains unchanged, though.
the enhancements aren’t drastic and seem marginally better than last year’s model. the
throttle is more alert than that on the bs4 models we rode earlier and there’s a tad more usable low-end power now. a concern is the inconsistent fuelling which at time tends to become lurchy. overall, the character of the bike has not changed much and it remains a light and nimble motorcycle to ride. the company has also improved the suspension damping to ensure it doesn’t bottom out easily and it seems to be set on the firmer side. also, the side-stand design has been improved so that it does not scrape while cornering… but it still does.
and that’s the thing. it’s great that Classic legends have acted on the demands of their customers but, like the bar-end mirrors or the side-stand, the upgrades could do with some more fine-tuning. the 42 looks more attractive than before and is offered in three new colours: red, white, and black. the all-black model especially looks pretty mean.
the 2021 model commands a slight premium over the older model with prices beginning at Rs 1.84 lakh (ex-showroom), which was expected anyway.