Jawa Perak: Your Questions Answered

Yeah, it has been a long time coming. We had to endure the better part of a year to finally get our hands on the Jawa Perak for a thorough road test. And you know what, it wasn’t half bad. It might not blow your socks off but it surely does indicate that the Jawa brand is moving in the right direction. Amongst the tonnes of comments praising the Perak’s beauty, there were a few queries that you guys still had. Here’s us answering some of the common ones:

When will Jawa launch a tourer with this engine?

That is what we are looking forward to as well. The 334cc motor on the Perak is so usable in a wide variety of riding situations that we'd love to see it being adopted on to other Jawa bikes. It cruises at 100kmph pretty well and while we don’t think Jawa will go the whole hog of building an adventure tourer, it could look at building something to go toe to toe with a Bajaj Dominar.

Why does its exhaust note not have a rumble?

That’s pretty simple: unlike its competition that runs with 2-valve heads and air-cooling, the Perak’s motor is liquid-cooled and has a 4-valve head. Plus, it isn’t a thumper: it has a shorter stroke than other 350cc classic bikes. All of these lend it an almost sporty naked sound, which doesn’t really go with the whole bobber persona of the bike.

Can you install a pillion seat?

Officially, no. Jawa has no aftermarket accessory that makes pillion riding possible. But there are aftermarket solutions anyway. That said, you would be spoiling the whole look of the bike. More importantly, the monoshock has been tuned for a solo riding experience. Addition of another rider will upset the balance and will lead to the shock bottoming out, the mudguard fouling the pillion seat and causing some form of damage.

Is the riding posture comfortable for taller riders who are only looking for city rides?

For any rider taller than 5 feet 10 inches, the riding posture is going to be discomforting. Spending more than an hour in the saddle gets bothersome. This is mainly due to the mid-set footpegs that force the rider to sit rather knees up.

Is it worth waiting?

Let’s put it this way, if you already have a motorcycle in your garage that will do your daily duties and is capable of hitting the highway if need be, then the Perak is a good second addition to the garage. It looks beautiful and there’s no bobber available at this price point. However, you will have to be sure that you are not going to be too bothered by its rough edges, cramped riding posture and lack of practicality quotient.