Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350 : Battle of the retro-classics

The Jawa Forty Two and Royal Enfield Classic 350 are the only two motorcycles currently in the lower spectrum of retro-themed roadster m otorcycles. Here is the classic Royal Enfield Jawa comparison.

Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350  - Introduction

Jawa got resurrected back into the Indian market with the all-new Forty Two, a modern take on the retro-themed roadsters, with lots of chrome and an all-new engine.

The Jawa Forty Two takes on its competition directly with the Royal Enfield Classic 350, one of the most successful motorcycles India has ever witnessed, which is considered to be the de-facto choice of a majority of retro-themed motorcycle enthusiasts. The BS-VI-ready version of the Jawa Forty Two has already started reaching dealerships.

Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Dimensions

When compared head-on, the Jawa Forty Two looks slightly smaller than the Royal Enfield Classic, if not substantially, and this is down to the fact that the Classic 350 is slightly longer and taller than the Forty Two, with their width being completely identical. At the same time, the Classic 350 also has a higher seat height as compared to the Jawa Forty Two.

Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Design

Both the Jawa Forty Two and Royal Enfield Classic 350 adorn their cool retro-themed styling with their own respective takes. With lots of chrome around the cycle parts, the bling factor on both the motorcycles is quite high, despite their rather small dimensions. The Jawa Forty Two comes with a few unique design bits like an offset-mounted instrument console, which has a very unique layout for the speedometer and fuel gauge dials. The Royal Enfield Classic 350, like the Jawa Forty Two, gets a round headlamp, however, here on the Classic 350, it sits in a chrome bezel. The conventional placement of the instrument console on the Royal Enfield Classic 350 makes it easy to read while on the go, however, here on the Classic 350, the fuel gauge is replaced by a battery level indicator, which is not too useful as compared to the utility of a fuel gauge.

ArrayBoth the motorcycles get simple rounded front and rear fenders and curvaceous fuel tanks devoid of any knee recesses. The engine on both the motorcycles too is bathed fully in chrome, however, the Jawa Forty Two gets twin exhausts - one on either side, as compared to only in the Royal Enfield Classic 350. Another major difference here is the design of the seats - while the Forty Two gets a single piece long seat, the Classic 350 gets split seats, both of which are very different in design. At the back, both the Jawa Forty Two and the Royal Enfield Classic 350 get round turn indicators within chrome housings. The tail lamp on the Classic 350 is bigger and more rounded as compared to that in Forty Two. The switchgear on both the motorcycles looks up to date with the availability of an engine kill switch as well as an electric starter, and the Classic 350 also gets a kick-starter lever in addition.

Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Features

As with a majority of the retro-themed motorcycles, both the Jawa Forty Two as well as Royal Enfield Classic 350 are not too rich in terms of modern equipment. Both the motorcycles are blessed with a basic instrument console and get an electric starter and disc brake on the front wheel. The Classic 350 also gets a disc brake at the rear, and split seats which offer more comfort in comparison.

Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Engines

Like their overall styling, the Jawa Forty Two and Royal Enfield Classic 350 also have entirely different engines. Both the motorcycles have single-cylinder, fuel-injected engines, but on the Jawa Forty Two, it is liquid-cooled. The relatively smaller engine of the Forty Two (293 cc as compared to the 346 cc engine of the Classic 350) offers substantially more power output (26.5 PS as compared to 19.3 PS). However, the 28 Nm of torque output of the Classic 350 is marginally more than 27 Nm of peak torque output of Forty Two.

Along with offering more output and better refinement levels, the Jawa Forty Two also has a better 6-speed gearbox as compared to the 5-speed gearbox of the Royal Enfield Classic 350.

Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Ride and handling

The suspension setup of both the Jawa Forty Two as well as Royal Enfield Classic 350 are quite similar in construction - hydraulic telescopic forks at the front and gas charged twin coil springs at the rear. However, the front 18-inch wheel and rear 17-inch wheel of the Forty Two are comparatively smaller than the 19-inch front wheel and 18-inch rear wheel of the Classic 350. Also, the Classic 350 offers a better braking setup with disc brake on both the wheels (280 mm front/240 mm rear), as compared to the Forty Two, which gets a disc brake only at the front wheel (280 mm front disc/153 mm rear drum).

Jawa Forty Two vs. Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Price

With its extensive colour options commanding different prices, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 carries a slight premium over the Jawa Forty Two, courtesy of a larger engine, bigger wheels, and better brakes at the rear.

Also Read: BS-VI Royal Enfield Classic 350 vs. BS-IV Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Old vs New

That concludes our comparison between the two retro-classics: the Royal Enfiled and the Jawa. Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more such featured stories.