Jawa 42 FJ

Nostalgia is a really powerful emotion, and it’s one of the big drivers behind the success of so many brands like Harley-Davidson, Royal Enfield and the born-again Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles. The 42 FJ you see here is the latest motorcycle from Classic Legends, and the initials in its name are a tribute to Jawa’s founder, František Janeček. It has been over four months since the bike went on sale, and Classic Legends finally gave us the opportunity to ride one. And they took us all the way to Ooty to do so. 

Jawa 42 FJ engine, chassis

While it shares the first half of its name with the smaller Jawa 42, the reality is that these two bikes aren’t very closely related. The FJ not only moves from the 293cc engine to the bigger 334cc mill, but it also uses a different chassis, one that is more closely matched to the Yezdi Roadster. And it is this engine that proves to be the most impressive aspect of the motorcycle. 

New Alpha 2 engine is quick and enjoyable.

This Alpha 2 engine is the same 334cc as has been seen on some earlier Jawa/Yezdi motorcycles, but it’s been significantly reworked internally. The unit now makes 29.2hp and 29.6Nm, which is a slight drop, but that’s fine because it has made big gains in terms of refinement and rideability. The fuelling is almost perfectly judged, and you’ll encounter no irritating surging or snatchiness at low speeds.

Classic Legends has also tried addressing multiple customer complaints about engine heat. Their solution has been to use a larger radiator fan with a new shroud that is supposed to direct hot air away from the rider’s legs. The weather in Ooty was far too cold for me to confirm how well this has worked, but I can tell you that the fan is quite loud.

Jawa 42 FJ performace, handling

The best part is the strong mid-range performance, aided by rather short gearing. The Alpha 2 effortlessly pulls you forward in almost any situation, and I even found it comfortably climbing uphill in 4th gear at speeds as low as 28kph. The 6-speed gearbox also feels more crisp and precise, and the whole experience is topped off with a nice soundtrack from the dual exhausts. They not only belt out a surprisingly loud sound but one that’s also deeper than before and is accompanied by some occasional burbles and pops.

The Alpha 2 engine seemed perfectly at home whether ridden at a gentle pace or wrung out over some of the faster winding roads in the region. The chassis was also happy to play along, and the 42 FJ can best be described as easy and agile. Classic Legends quotes 184kg weight without fuel, so this will be about as heavy as a Classic 350 with its 12-litre tank brimmed. In reality, though, it feels lighter and more manageable, and the company has done a good job with this.

The FJ was good fun around the Nilgiri’s non-stop bends, with enough lean-angle clearance that it doesn’t scrape its exhausts very easily. That said, it’s not particularly sporty, and you don’t get much feedback about what’s happening on the road, but there’s enough stability, grip and agility for you to trust the bike and carry quite a high pace. The braking is also decent – more front-end bite would have been nice, but the bike slows down well enough, and you have the security of dual-channel ABS.

Jawa 42 FJ ride comfort, design

The suspension can also be described as decent; I’d have liked it to be a bit more plush and absorptive, but it’s not bad, either. It would have been nice to have a more supportive seat, as this one starts to get achy in about an hour. As for the riding position, your arms are slightly stretched forward to the handlebar while your feet are in a neutral posture. At first, it felt a bit strange, but I found that it’s not bad over longer periods, and the seat-to-footpeg ratio is not as cramped as on the original Jawa 42. 

As for the design, this is a good-looking bike with some typical Jawa traits, like the flowing side panels and twin exhaust pipes. However, the brushed aluminium tank and the overall colour palette seem a bit too derived from the Ducati Scrambler. Quality levels are rising steadily with every new product from Classic Legends, but the overall fit and finish is still some distance away from the competition.

Jawa 42 FJ price, verdict

At the end of the day, nostalgia will only take you so far, and the product has to stand for itself. Classic Legends’ products have been a bit behind the curve, but this new wave of bikes has brought about some big improvements, and the bikes are now genuinely good to ride.

Of course, the company also has to fix its reputation for quality and reliability, and that’s something only time can prove. But for what it’s worth, I’ve ridden the 42 FJ for three days now with quite a bit of hard riding and speed-breaker jumping, and nothing has come loose or fallen off, and that’s not been the case with past Classic Legends bikes. 

With ex-showroom prices in the Rs 2 lakh-2.2 lakh range, the FJ goes up against the likes of the Triumph Speed T4, RE 350s and Honda CB 350 RS, and I think it now makes for a worthy challenger. So yes, seven years after the first Jawa bikes were launched, Classic Legends appears to be at the cusp of a new era, and I now look forward to what’s in store.

Also See: Jawa 42 FJ video review