It was an illusory experience, otherworldly if you will. You see, the White Rann is a barren land, laced with salt plains stinging naked eyes. But the retro motorcycle segment in India paints a contrasting picture with its horde of offerings piggybacking on their legacy. Constant evolution while still preserving the heritage is the key here, if you wish to unlock a motorcyclist’s heart who aspires to own a retro beauty with modern underpinnings. Classic Legends, a Mahindra-owned subsidiary responsible for the revival of two of the most iconic motorcycle brands in the Indian subcontinent, understands that. The reason why they invited us to the wild lands of Kutch, Gujarat to get a taste of their most authentic retro roadster - the Classic Jawa. It is now thankfully called the Jawa 350, not the Jawa Jawa and let us tell you this, a lot has changed apart from just the namesake!
A homage in its truest sense, that’s what the Jawa 350 is aesthetically as it harkens back to the OG Jawa 250 and 350 that sparked a two-wheeled revolution in this part of the world. The silhouette as well as the overall design philosophy deluded the masses that it is indeed a 1960s automotive poetry in motion. Its previous iteration was authentically retro as well but it suffered at the hands of below par quality in most of the places. It felt like it wouldn’t age well and will be salvaged in the years to come, rather than running in pristine condition even after having thousands of kilometers on the odometer. The 350, drifts far away from that mass-conceived notion. Its durability is still yet to be tested but the initial first impressions were indeed promising as Classic Legends has improved it on all counts including better finished body panels, better switchgear quality and chrome finish.
This story is from the February 2024 edition of BBC TopGear India.
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This story is from the February 2024 edition of BBC TopGear India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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