Jawa 350 Road Test Review: Catches The Eye Of The Crowd

Gulzar Saahab once said ‘Nostalgia is not a place to live in,’ and most of us might agree with that. But when it comes to motorcycles, the nostalgic retro vibe is almost impossible to not be seduced by and get sucked into. And making use of exactly that seductive appeal, Jawa recently launched the new Jawa 350, which is one of the sexiest-looking two-wheelers in the market right now.

Design

I am kind of a sucker when it comes to retro motorcycles and find them distinctly irresistible, and the Jawa 350, phew! In the exquisite Mystique Orange paint scheme, the Jawa 350 doesn’t feel short of the DeLorean from the Back To The Future movies. It just transports you back in time with its clean pinstripes, chromed-out hardware and full metal front cowl. Honestly, if there was a benchmark of what a retro motorcycle should look like, the Jawa 350 would be it.

Engine, performance & Mileage

In our first ride review, we were decently impressed by the performance of the Jawa 350 and how much better it is than the previous model. Even for daily rides through the city, the new 334cc liquid-cooled single works like a charm. It brings a lot of drama and peppiness to your daily life. The ‘ready to go when you are’ nature of the bike puts you in a relaxed position when riding easy, but boy when you twist that throttle it is pretty quick for a retro bike and it makes you feel things.

So while it feels smoother (a lot more refined than before), it is still a revvy motor and has a very healthy mid-range. Tractability is pretty decent too, and in the city traffic, the bike feels pretty easygoing and smooth to ride. Special shoutout to the grunty exhaust note that makes riding the bike fun, and you grab a lot of attention on the road as well.

Out on the highway, on our first ride, the bike turned out to be vibey above the 90kmph mark. However, during our road test, we felt that while the vibrations were present, they were comparatively low and didn’t spoil the riding experience even while maintaining speeds of 120kmph. This could be because the DB killers had been removed from the exhausts of the first ride bikes, which resulted in heightened vibrations on the motorcycle.

Lastly, due to its short-stroke motor and peppy performance, the Jawa 350 is not that great in terms of mileage which is a bit of a bummer for a sub-350cc bike, but surprisingly it returned a better city mileage as compared to highway - a testament to this motor’s tractability.

Handling & Ride Quality

Despite weighing 194kg kerb, the Jawa 350 feels considerably light, thanks to its higher centre of gravity, and 17-inch wheels. This results in really agile handling, and great manoeuvrability. You will find it really easy to flick the bike through crowded city roads. And even out on the twisties, the Jawa 350 is equally enjoyable as it tips into the corners quickly and offers good stability.

Even the ride quality on offer here is reasonably good. The taller front fork is pretty plush and goes over all the bumps and potholes really well, but the rear suspension is on the firmer side, and if you go through a sharp bump, you’re likely to get a jolt right up your backside. 

With a good bite from the front brake lever and decent stopping power, the Jawa 350 has confidence-inspiring braking. Even the ABS is very well-calibrated and rarely ever catches you off-guard. There is one thing though, under hard braking, the softly set-up front fork dives a lot and can make you feel a little unnerved. That said, it doesn’t make the bike unstable.

Comfort

For riders even as tall as 6’2, the Jawa 350 offers a pretty upright and comfortable riding position. The raised handlebars and well-cushioned seat puts you in an erect position with lots of space to move around. To make things a bit more engaging, the footpegs are slightly rear-set, and interestingly, your legs are tightly packed, which means that there isn’t a lot of space to move your legs around.

If you talk about pillion comfort, the Jawa 350 gets a slightly narrow seat without rear grab handles, which puts the pillion rider in an awkward seating position. Adding to that is the firm suspension setup that can bounce pillion riders around, or whack them in their backside whenever the bike goes through a sharp pothole, which can be very unsettling.

Features

In the modern futuristic world, the Jawa manages to go back in time very fashionably. The analogue console on the 350 is unlike any other in the market and looks like the perfect ode to the old-school consoles. It looks premium, classy and quite gorgeous. There is one issue though, the angle of the meter is such that the lower portion of the speedometer is not easily visible to the rider.

Should You Buy The Jawa 350?

The updates and changes in the hardware and performance have made the Jawa 350 a very desirable (read sexy) motorcycle in the retro segment. Priced at Rs 2.14 lakh ex-showroom, the Jawa 350 gives stiff competition to its rivals, and makes for a mouth-watering retro bike, thanks to all it offers – a great balance between performance and looks. So if you are someone who isn’t afraid of getting lost in nostalgia and wants something that demands attention on the roads and keeps you satisfied with its performance, then the Jawa 350 can prove to be a great companion to attract all the right attention on your daily and weekend rides.