Jawa 42 Bobber

Bobbers have always been the outlaw of all the motorcycle categories. They laugh on the face of practicality and comfort, and attract those who want a motorcycle as an extension of their own personality and not just a workhorse. And over the years many bobbers have arrived on the scene but none have been able to survive. Jawa though remains adamant. They launched the Perak early into their second innings in India and now have 42 Bobber with a better engine and slightly modern looks. 

The Jawa 42 Bobber is hands down one of the most classically handsome made-in-India bikes I’ve ever laid my eyes on and even if you’re not a bobber enthusiast, just their looks and overall vibe can make you want to get one home. I had the chance to ride a 42 Bobber on our broken roads for quite a while and realised there’s more going for it than just its looks. Should you buy one then? Here’s what I think: 

Of course I’ve to begin by talking about the Bobber’s looks! Put simply, the Jawa 42 Bobber looks very handsome and there are no two ways to it. For starters, there are the round elements: the round headlight, console, indicators, tail light and even indicators, all of which add a beautiful old-school touch. The mirrors are not only bar-end units but also turned below the handlebar, not above it. And while that might not be the best in terms of usage, they do look so good! The slashed dual exhaust setup makes the bike look symmetrical and it’s really pleasing to the eye. Look at the 42 Bobber from the side and it looks long, low and gorgeous. While I’m not big on bike scale models, the 42 Bobber scale model is one I’d happily keep at my desk for my eyes to feast on every day. 

Jawa 42 Bobber Colours

The Jawa 42 Bobber is on sale in 5 colours: Jasper Red Dual Tone, Black Mirror, Mystic Copper, Moonstone White, and Red Sheen. Let’s just get the Jasper Red and Mystic Copper out of the way, for they don’t make the bike stand out, they don’t do justice to how good the bike looks otherwise. Now I understand a lot of you would automatically gravitate towards the Black Mirror colourway given its chromed-out treatment.

But maintaining chromed-out bikes can be an absolute pain especially on our dusty, muddy, dirty roads. And once that chrome fades out or degrades, the very same bike could then start looking a bit shabby. Trust me, we’ve had first hand experience with our long termer Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Mr. Clean. So the one I’d recommend is actually Moonstone White. Bikes with an all-white paint scheme look very handsome, in my opinion and for all the chrome enthusiasts, there’s still a chrome treatment to the 42 Bobber’s engine, for you to sit back and adore. 

One more thing is that 2 of the colours (Red Sheen and Black Mirror) are equipped with alloy wheels (and hence tubeless tyres). Now while I am all for the practicality of tubeless tyres, this design of the alloys just doesn’t go well with the bike’s overall look. The 20 spoke alloy looks a bit too cluttered for what is an otherwise extremely clean, minimalistic bike. If Jawa wanted to give it alloys, maybe something like a 3-spoke alloy wheel design would’ve looked better.

Jawa 42 Bobber Build Quality

Now this is one area where the 42 Bobber still has a bit of ground to improve. There are those little welding spots and gaps near the headstock as well as messy wiring in that same area. On an otherwise excellent-looking bike, these seemingly little things stand out even more. Jawa has been consistently working on improving the build quality of their motorcycles, and the newer bikes could have better quality.

Jawa 42 Bobber Safety Features

The Jawa 42 Bobber doesn’t have many safety features except dual-channel ABS and a side stand engine cutoff feature. It’s not that it needs a lot of safety features, because the 42 Bobber isn’t a particularly difficult bike to ride. 

Jawa 42 Bobber Convenience Features

The 42 Bobber has a round LCD console and what definitely did not make things convenient was its readability. The font on the console is too light and when the sun was directly above my head, I found myself squinting, trying to read it. Another thing is that the console doesn't have Bluetooth connectivity or even a turn-by-turn navigation system. While I have no issues with that, some people might associate the amount of features a bike has with its premiumness. The other feature supposed to make things convenient is the charging port on the left side of the handlebar. While it can be convenient, the quality of the port’s plastic could’ve been a bit better.

The 42 Bobber wasn’t built for comfort and it shows. Its seat for example, while being adjustable, is on the softer side. So about an hour into riding the bike, I found myself sinking into the seat and it did leave my backside a bit sore. But my bigger issue was with the ergonomics. While there’s more room than the Jawa Perak, it’s still a tight bike for a 6’0 person with long legs. The footpegs, for example, are still quite close and about an hour into riding, I wanted to get off and stretch my legs. But again, these aren’t necessarily glaring issues with the 42 Bobber, but more to do with this genre itself. Bobbers aren’t supremely spacious motorcycles and taller people historically struggle with them.

The Jawa 42 Bobber’s 334cc liquid-cooled engine makes 29.9PS and 30Nm. Those are solid figures given that it’s pretty much the only bike with a liquid-cooled engine in this retro segment. From the Perak to the 42 Bobber, Jawa gave the 42 Bobber new fuel mapping and better throttle response. Here’s how the bike fared in our performance tests: 

Jawa 42 Bobber City Performance

The 42 Bobber’s engine was such a surprise, a pleasant one in some ways. If you think its retro, pleasant looks would translate to an easy-going engine, you’d be wrong. This engine enjoys being ridden hard, being revved out. While Jawa tweaked the engine to make it more tractable in its latest form, it’s still not a bike that’s happy to be in a gear or two higher. It sounds clattery and quite mechanical. 

But put it in the right gear, open the throttle and the bike surges ahead with a sense of excitement. It revs to 5,000-6,000rpm happily and it’s a lot more exciting than what everything else about the bike might suggest.

Jawa 42 Bobber Highway Performance

Out on the highway, the 42 Bobber maintains a steady 100kmph without the engine feeling too stressed. That said, there are still some of those vibrations and the bike doesn’t feel as smooth as I would’ve liked when peacefully cruising on the highway. But if you’re ready to put up with the vibes, the engine itself can hold speeds of 100-110kmph without much fuss.

Jawa 42 Bobber Mileage

The Jawa 42 Bobber isn’t a particularly thirsty motorcycle. In the city, the bike returned a healthy mileage of 30.56kmpl, meaning my wallets weren’t crying the way my back was. Even if you ride it hard, the figure shouldn’t go much below 27kmpl, which is still fine for a nearly 350cc liquid-cooled bike. 

Jawa 42 Bobber Underpinnings

The Jawa 42 Bobber gets a telescopic fork and monoshock setup For braking, there’s a 280mm disc brake at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear. Its seat height is obviously at a super low 740mm and it tips the scales at 185kg. There’s a 18-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel shod with 100/90 and 140/70 tyres respectively.

Jawa 42 Bobber City Handling

After its engine, the other thing about the 42 Bobber which might surprise you, is its handling. It’s a long and low bike but it feels very responsive to inputs. In fact, I found myself filtering through traffic at a very good pace, something I could never really do with bikes this long and low. After a point, the only thing holding me back were the bar-end mirrors. They look gorgeous but they do make the motorcycle wider, restricting how much you can filter through dense traffic.

Jawa 42 Bobber Highway Handling

The 42 Bobber’s highway handling won’t set new benchmarks but it’s responsive and can be fun. Direction changes even at 90/100kmph feel relatively light and that’s a nice thing because between how many potholes we have on our roads and this bike’s suspension, it was nice to be able to avoid some of them even after seeing them at the last moment. The bike’s overall length also makes it feel quite stable.

Jawa 42 Bobber Braking

The 42 Bobber’s braking is nice and strong and I loved it. The bikes have a strong initial bite and I could shed speed quickly. I’d say they are in proportion to the engine, meaning the way the engine eggs you on to go quicker, the brakes can actually match that and help stop the bike from that high pace. On the whole, I’ve no complaints with the Bobber’s brakes.

Jawa 42 Bobber Ride Quality

The 42 Bobber’s lower comfort levels extend to its ride quality too. Every time I saw bad roads in front of me, I just had to slow down the bike as much as the traffic behind me would permit and just brace for impact because my 67kg frame was tossed around a lot. Speed breakers are fine but those little potholes which you often see at the last moment were what had me yelping. It’s not harsh and you can definitely live with it, mind you. It’s just that you’ll have to get used to feeling every sensation from the road transferred to your backside. 

One thing though, is that my 95kg colleague found the Bobber’s suspension okay and he didn’t have much to complain about. So if you’re on the heavier side, the Bobber’s stiff suspension might not feel as bad. But for most of us, it will make us bounce around a fair bit.  

But then again, these issues are inherent with the bobber format and aren’t specific to the Jawa 42 Bobber. For aesthetic purposes, Bobbers have rear suspensions mounted right under the seat. And that means every little undulation from the road will be felt right under your backside. It is something you’ll have to put up with when getting a bobber.

In case it wasn’t already, let me make it very clear once again: the Jawa 42 Bobber isn’t a bike you’d buy for comfort or practicality. It’s a bobber, a slightly bratty one, for it encourages you to go faster and just have fun. And honestly, I quite liked that attitude, for it’s something different from the usual class of slow revving, easy going retro bikes that we’ve mostly seen over the years. So if solo fun is what you’re looking for without a thought about comfort and practicality, the 42 Bobber could be a fun little addition to your garage.

Jawa 42 Bobber Variants

The Jawa 42 Bobber is on sale in 5 variants, spread over 4 price points. The Moonstone White colour (which I recommend the most) costs the least, at Rs 1,93,133. Then at Rs 2,02,720 are the Jasper Red Dual Tone, Mystic Copper, and Red Sheen. And finally, the top-of-the-line chromed-out Black mirror colourway cost Rs 2,16,180 (all prices ex-showroom). Apart from the colour schemes, the only difference is that Red Sheen and Black Mirror get alloy wheels with tubeless tyres, while the rest get much better looking spoke wheels but with tube tyres.

Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350

Both the Jawa 42 Bobber and the Goan Classic 350 might be bobbers on paper, but the major similarities end there. The Classic 350’s engine is an easy-going, relaxed unit that makes for delightfully peaceful riding. The 42 Bobber’s engine isn’t hard to ride slowly and peacefully but what it truly enjoys is being revved out and ridden hard. Getting a test ride of both bikes will make your buying decision very simple since both bikes bring very different riding flavours and you will not be confused between the two once you ride them both. 

Jawa Perak

In this battle between 2 Jawa bikes, one can’t help but feel that the Perak is old-school, maybe a bit too old-school. With its changed design, revised ergonomics, smoother engine, optional tubeless tyres and better features, the Jawa 42 Bobber has a bit of edge over the Jawa Perak while not losing out on that old-school charm. In short, I’d pick the Bobber over the Perak any day