The Legend Returns: Jawa 42 FJ Launch

The Jawa 42 FJ 350 cc was launched at a surprising price of ₹199,142 ex-showroom Delhi, reports Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com.
All Photographs: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

The name Jawa immediately took me back to my college days. Fresh out of SSC, I had scraped together enough money to buy a used 1970 Jawa 353.

That bike became my constant companion throughout my college years, and after customising it, it became even more special.

Fast forward to September 2024, I was invited to the launch of the Jawa 42 FJ.

The launch took place at the Mehboob Studios in Bandra, north west Mumbai. Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA are now all owned by Mahindra, and I'm always intrigued by their dedicated team's approach to engine development.

Mahindra has a strong emphasis on creating products that they themselves are proud of, and this dedication shines through in their machines. And of course, they never fail to disrupt the market with their competitive pricing.

The Jawa 42 FJ 350 cc was launched today at a surprising price of ₹199,142 ex-showroom Delhi.

Here are the prices of all the variants:

Present at the Jawa 42 FJ 350 unveil were the founder of Classic Legends, Boman Rustom Irani, chairman and MD of the Rustomjee Group, M&M Chairman Anand Mahindra, Classic Legends Cofounder Anupam Thareja alongside CEO Mr Ashish Singh Joshi. Rajesh Jejurikar (executive director and CEO, auto and farm sector, M&M, and M&M group CEO and MD Dr Anish Shah were making their first appearances at a bike launch.

Akhil Manchandani, the mastermind behind the bike's design, expressed his evident pride in the final product.

The team gave short speeches and made it interesting by talking just about the bike for 60 seconds each.

And Anand Mahindra shared why he loves to tell stories. Do see the video below:

And now to the launch. The Jawa 42 FJ

The Jawa 42 FJ was then introduced onto the stage. Leading the procession of bikes was a lady.

The 4 Jawa 42 FJ bikes that were brought up on stage for the launch.

The Jawa 42 FJ features an off-centre fuel cap, complementing its predecessor's signature off-centre speedometer and information display.

The Jawa 42 FJ, noticeably larger than its predecessor, boasts rearview mirrors mounted on the handlebars beneath the grips.

The prominent '42' branding on the headlight is unmisssable

The single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, DOHC engine is finished in black metal and the shape does remind me of my 250 cc Jawa 353.

The ignition and radiator cap are positioned close together, a clear indication of the bike's liquid-cooled engine, unlike the air-cooled engines found in many 100 cc motorcycles.

The Jawa 42 FJ is equipped with disc brakes on both wheels. The front disc brakes, larger than those at the rear, are designed to work with the 100/90-80, 56H tyres.

While the rear tyre is wider at 140/70-17, 66H, it maintains a comparatively smaller disc size for improved control during emergency braking on this larger motorcycle.

The Jawa 42 FJ features twin exhaust pipes, a common design for 350 cc motorcycles. We can only hope that its sound echoes the iconic heartbeat rhythm featured in the original 2020 advertisement.

Haven't seen it yet? Put on your headphones and watch the video below to experience the pulsating heartbeat of the Jawa 42 FJ.

Oh and before we end, do you know what the FJ in Jawa stands for? It is also in a very subtle way engraved onto the Jawa Logo.

Google won't tell you :) at least not till this article is published and shared enough. It stands for František Janeček, the founder of the Jawa motorcycles back in the 1930s.

And before I forget... about my 1970 Jawa 353.

Three years later, I sold it to a Bollywood stunt artist, who I believe used it in some films too making it immortal!