Jawa vs Royal Enfield Classic 350 vs Benelli Imperiale 400: Comparison Review

The Jawa is the best city bike of the three - period. It requires no learning or adaptation, and its overall compactness and lightness (170kg, kerb!) make it perfectly nimble for the urban cut-and-thrust. With that sort of high-energy motor at your service, you can average faster speeds than the traffic around you as long as you stay in the right gear. It’s almost a sort of sleeper motorcycle, because nobody expects a bike that looks like it to be as fast. It goes from 0 to 60 kmph in just 4.07 seconds (5.06s for the Imperiale, 6.72s for the Classic) and is quicker in every other aspect of acceleration as well. On the flipside, Jawa’s choice (or limitation - the foundation is still the Mahindra Mojo’s motor, remember?) of working with a short-stroke motor severely restricts low-speed tractability, and this is not the sort of motorcycle you’ll enjoy puttering around town on empty Sunday streets. 

Fuel-efficiency:

The Jawa is also the most fuel efficient. Blame it on the 6-speed gearbox or the most modern mechanicals, but the Jawa rules in the efficiency department, even if not by a substantial margin. In the city, it returns 35.6kmpl while the Imperiale returns 35 and the Classic, 35.3 kmpl. On the highway, the Jawa increases its lead by going 41.2km to the litre, while the Classic emerges second, returning 38.7 and the Imperiale is the least efficient, at 34.3 kmpl. What sweetens the Jawa’s efficiency deal is its fuel tank, which is the largest in this company, at 14 litres. The Classic’s tank takes in 13.5 litres (including a 2.5-litre reserve capacity) while the Imperiale’s tank is the smallest, at 12 litres. It is, therefore, the Jawa that offers the longest range - and, thus, warrants fewer breaks over a long riding day.

Comfort, Handling, Ride, Braking:

Or maybe not. The overall configuration and architecture of a motorcycle plays a pivotal role in how long-distance friendly it is and here, it’s the Imperiale that comes to the forth. It is the longest, heaviest motorcycle in this test (at 205kg, it is heavier than even the 194kg Classic 350) but with it comes stability and a sense of fatigue-free aptitude for long-distance riding. It responds with composure to steering inputs and its larger wheels (same as the 19/18 front/rear as the Classic, but larger than the 18/17s on the Jawa) inspire confidence, especially over not-so-ideal surfaces. The telescopic fork virtually glides over bad roads although the gas-charged shock absorbers (featured on all three) are set on the firmer side; they aren’t back breakers, but are visibly firm even at the lowest preload setting. This does impact the Imperiale’s cornering ability, if you take an enthusiastic approach at least, resulting in a fair bit of wallowing. The one major fault in the Imperiale’s package is the front brake. It is entirely devoid of progression (the only adjustable brake lever in this class is of very little utility) and feels wooden, which is not ideal for panic braking. In urban confines, the one irritant in the Imperiale package is the positioning of the footpegs (dead centre and wide-out), which aren’t spring-loaded, so walking the bike out of a tight parking slot, for instance, can give your shins a tough time if you’re anything shorter than 5’11. 

The Classic proves its popularity (if you excuse the fact that there has been no real alternative…) in this environment, by providing a close-enough sense of composure. However, with anything beyond sterile inputs, the Classic begins to show its age, with its responses being less than predictable. However, over rough roads, the Classic nonchalantly plods on, letting its suspension do all the hard work. It still is a fun bike to ride, and it is always fun to watch a ‘Bullet’ being ridden enthusiastically, and thankfully, it has the brakes to help you return to sanity, with good progression and decent bite. 

The Jawa fares decently in stability and agility, and it’s the best to throw around into a set of corners. It also rides quite well, even on bad roads, where its potential as a scrambler shines through, although at present, its suspension seems to offer relatively limited travel. With two heavyweights aboard, it can bottom out (and graze its underbelly on speed breakers, although not in a nasty way), and given that long-distance riding involves less than ideal roads almost everywhere in India, this is something you will have to keep in mind. Thankfully, it’s got the most modern-feeling brakes around, so you will at least be able to slow down quickly enough to avoid something unpleasant that may have made the highway its home - like a cow, for instance. 

However, what impacts the Jawa’s touring ability most is its smallness. Given the relatively small distance between the seat base and the footpegs (same goes for the pillion), you will find yourself wanting to stretch out at shorter intervals. The seat itself is flat and devoid of any contours, and while the soft cushioning is subjective to the rider’s weight, it’s still less than perfect. It gets worse for your pillion (especially if he/she is anything larger than a size-zero supermodel) because the seat simply isn’t long enough, and there’s no real grab rail except a crevice under the seat. In comparison, the Imperiale and the Classic are about two sizes larger and the split seats they offer are far more conducive to two-up riding. I also found the Imperiale’s riding position most well-balanced, with the centre-set footpegs and the easy-reach handlebar. The Classic’s handlebar is too flat and low and while the Jawa’s handlebar feels great (and mimicks the original), I found myself tugging at the bars, especially under heavy acceleration. 

Prices (ex-showroom)

Verdict:

Now imagine, after all that reading you’ve been doing, if I told you ‘motorcycles are subjective and therefore, you must pick what you like.’ Not going to happen. The three motorcycles here, each an achievement in its own way for providing you as analogue an experience as the modern era will allow them to, couldn’t be more dissimilar. The cheapest of the lot, the Classic 350 (Rs 1.46-1.64 lakh) is still a wonderful motorcycle, even if greatly imperfect. It has achieved a lot in its decade-long lifetime, including kick-starting the retro motorcycle revolution, perhaps globally. Now, however, its time is clearly up and thankfully Royal Enfield is going to roll-out an all-new generation of Classics, which is expected to build on its goodness and iron out the niggles. 

The Jawa is the superior motorcycle in comparison to the other two. It does nearly everything better, and what it doesn’t, you could forgive it for just how stunning it looks. Its Rs 1.64 lakh price tag is fair, too - it’s literally a collector’s item going for a steal. But, at the end of the day, it’s a motorcycle in a segment that demands functionality as much as a full spectrum of sensory, emotional experiences. And it is here that the Jawa disappoints. Sure, it’s in character to play the reincarnated Jawa - fast, taut and gorgeous - but it lacks the state-of-mind-altering personality the other two motorcycles possess so richly. It works superbly as a classically styled alternative to a conventional 200cc bike, though, and if Jawa could step up the few practicality aspects it doesn’t deliver on as strongly, then it has the potential to broaden its appeal.

That leaves us with the Benelli Imperiale 400. You don’t expect Benellis to win comparison tests but, as is evident, all it takes is a really good motorcycle. The Imperiale is no more perfect than the other motorcycles here, but its character elevates the riding experience beyond the sum of its components and their respective functions. Here is a motorcycle that positions riding pleasure as something omnipresent, rather than something set at a certain point in its powerband or torque curve, and that’s what makes it so impressive. Benelli India has done well to localise it and keep its Rs 1.69 lakh price tag competitive, but it would be wiser to address at least the more function-based issues (front brake, rear suspension) if it desires to strengthen its reputation as a manufacturer with a serious India-focus. All eyes on you, Benelli. Hope you enjoy the pressure!