Jawa 42 Bobber first ride review: Most affordable bobber that you can buy

₹1.73 - 1.98 Lakhs*
*Ex-showroom price
3.5 out of 5
Pros
  • Extremely well styled and is an absolute head turner
  • Brings a brand of exclusivity to the garage
  • Engine offers decent performance for the setup
Cons
  • Not the most practical motorcycle for daiy-to-day riding
  • Stiff ride quality could be a deal breaker for some
  • The low ground clearance ends up scraping the belly too often
Jawa has launched a second product under the Factory Custom range. It is the 42 Bobber and is currently the most affordable bobber in the Indian marke
...
The 42 Bobber is the latest offering from Jawa.
It is the second motorcycle after Perak under ‘factory custom’ line-up.
In the line-up, 42 Bobber sits below the Perak and is quite different from it.
The fuel tank is borrowed from the Yezdi Roadster. It gets knee recesses and tank grips.
The single-piece seat is adjustable and there is no provision for fitting a rear seat for the pillion.
All the lighting elements are LED. The rear tail lamp is positioned on the fender rather than being under the seat like on the Perak.
There are bar-end mirrors which do not offer a good view of what is behind.
The engine is a 334 cc unit as found on other Classic Legend motorcycles but is now in a new state of tune.
The engine puts out 30 Ps of max power and 32 Nm of peak torque.
The instrument cluster is shared with Yezdi Roadster and is hard to read under direct sunlight. 
The headlamp is also taken from the Yezdi Roadster. It is an LED unit.
The fenders are finished in gloss black and the engine is in chrome.
The 42 Bobber also gets a twin-exhaust setup just like other models.
View all Images
42 Bobber is offered in three paint schemes - Mystic Copper, Moonstone White(above) and Jasper Red.
The 42 Bobber is the latest offering from Jawa.
1/13
The 42 Bobber is the latest offering from Jawa.
It is the second motorcycle after Perak under ‘factory custom’ line-up.
2/13
It is the second motorcycle after Perak under ‘factory custom’ line-up.
In the line-up, 42 Bobber sits below the Perak and is quite different from it.
3/13
In the line-up, 42 Bobber sits below the Perak and is quite different from it.
The fuel tank is borrowed from the Yezdi Roadster. It gets knee recesses and tank grips.
4/13
The fuel tank is borrowed from the Yezdi Roadster. It gets knee recesses and tank grips.
The single-piece seat is adjustable and there is no provision for fitting a rear seat for the pillion.
5/13
The single-piece seat is adjustable and there is no provision for fitting a rear seat for the pillion.
All the lighting elements are LED. The rear tail lamp is positioned on the fender rather than being under the seat like on the Perak.
6/13
All the lighting elements are LED. The rear tail lamp is positioned on the fender rather than being under the seat like on the Perak.
There are bar-end mirrors which do not offer a good view of what is behind.
7/13
There are bar-end mirrors which do not offer a good view of what is behind.
The engine is a 334 cc unit as found on other Classic Legend motorcycles but is now in a new state of tune.
8/13
The engine is a 334 cc unit as found on other Classic Legend motorcycles but is now in a new state of tune.
The engine puts out 30 Ps of max power and 32 Nm of peak torque.
9/13
The engine puts out 30 Ps of max power and 32 Nm of peak torque.
The instrument cluster is shared with Yezdi Roadster and is hard to read under direct sunlight. 
10/13
The instrument cluster is shared with Yezdi Roadster and is hard to read under direct sunlight. 
The headlamp is also taken from the Yezdi Roadster. It is an LED unit.
11/13
The headlamp is also taken from the Yezdi Roadster. It is an LED unit.
The fenders are finished in gloss black and the engine is in chrome.
12/13
The fenders are finished in gloss black and the engine is in chrome.
The 42 Bobber also gets a twin-exhaust setup just like other models.
13/13
The 42 Bobber also gets a twin-exhaust setup just like other models.

Bobbers, they are not practical and most people would not buy them. But can anyone possibly not admire the sheer beauty on display? Bobbers do indeed belong to such a niche community even though most manufacturers stay away from this body style. Before Jawa came to the Indian market, a person would have to shell out quite a bit of money to buy a bobber motorcycle because the most affordable bobbers in India were on sale by Harley Davidson and Triumph.

Then the Classic Legends brought back the Jawa brand in the Indian market. Their flagship motorcycle is the Perak which became the most affordable bobber, the manufacturer did face some issues in dealing with production constraints but eventually, everything was sorted out. The Perak belonged to Jawa's Factory Custom Range and now, there is a new motorcycle that joins the same range. It is called the 42 Bobber, and as the name amply makes it clear, it is also a bobber. In fact, the 42 Bobber has become the most affordable bobber in the Indian market. So, how is it and should you consider it? Read on to know more about the Jawa 42 Bobber.

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How does Jawa 42 Bobber look?

In the line-up, 42 Bobber sits below the Perak and is quite different from it.
In the line-up, 42 Bobber sits below the Perak and is quite different from it.

I am a sucker for bobbers and 42 Bobber is one great-looking motorcycle. It does manage to turn heads on the road a lot of times. Jawa borrowed the fuel tank from the Yezdi Roadster, the same goes for the instrument cluster, switch gear and front headlamp. But all of these elements have been integrated well so they do not look out of place. The fuel tank has knee recesses and gets tank pads. Having said that, the instrument cluster is difficult to read under direct sunlight and the headlamp, despite being an LED unit, does not offer a good throw.

There is a new handlebar with bar-end mirrors which offer a decent view of what is behind. Then there is a new single seat which is not shared with the Perak. On the handlebar, there is a charger mounted which houses a USB C as well as a USB A socket to charge mobile devices. It does look a bit out of place as it is not integrated well.

The Perak gets all-blacked out elements whereas the 42 Bobber is more inviting with multiple paint schemes on offer. Moreover, the engine is finished in chrome and the fenders are finished in gloss black. On the Perak, the tail lamp is positioned beneath the seat. For the 42 Bobber, Jawa decided to move it to the rear fender.

What are the specifications of the Jawa 42 Bobber?

The 42 Bobber also gets a twin-exhaust setup just like other models.
The 42 Bobber also gets a twin-exhaust setup just like other models.

The engine on the 42 Bobber is the same unit as the Perak and the other Yezdi models. So, it is a 334 cc, single-cylinder unit that gets liquid-cooling. It puts out 30 bhp of max power and a peak torque output of 32 Nm. Jawa has retuned the engine with a new map that has better low-end delivery.

The engine is fine for the most part but it does sound mechanical, although it is an improvement over the previous iterations of the same engine. There are also vibrations that start to creep in around 5,000 rpm mark. The low-end is good on the 42 Bobber but in the 5th and 6th gears, the engine feels alive only after crossing 4,000 rpm and below this rev range, the engine sounds very unpleasant. For overtaking, a rider would need to downshift if he or she is below 4,000 rpm. One needs to twist the throttle to extract the power from this engine. Speaking of twisting the throttle, the on-off throttle transitions can be a bit choppy.

As far as the gearbox is concerned, it is a 6-speed unit and is quite clunky. There is a slip-and-assist clutch on offer which does improve things a bit so the clutch action is moderately light.

How does the Jawa 42 Bobber ride and is it comfortable?

The handling of the 42 Bobber is better than what I was expecting. This is because of its stiff suspension. However, for me, it was a bit too stiff. This means that the rear mono-shocker transfers jolts directly to the rider's back. So, he or she would need to slow down substantially whenever there is a pothole or a speed breaker.

The 42 Bobber gets the same 334 cc engine as other Jawa motorcycles.
The 42 Bobber gets the same 334 cc engine as other Jawa motorcycles.

In bumper-to-bumper traffic, the motorcycle feels light and is easy to manoeuvre. This is thanks, to the low seat height and wide handlebar. However, because of the single-seat, one needs to be conscious that there is still a significant portion of the motorcycle behind him while cutting through traffic. In parking spaces, moving the motorcycle can be a bit of a task because there is no rear grab or anything to hold on so one needs to use the handlebar only. Moreover, I even managed to scrape the motorcycle once because of the low ground clearance.

The seat is on the stiffer side but gets adjustability. The foot pegs are also moved forwarded when compared to the Perak. So, the riding triangle is comfortable. The tank pads help the rider in gripping the tank so he or she does not slip while accelerating hard.

So, should you buy the 42 Bobber?

The 42 Bobber is priced between 2.06 lakh (ex-showroom) and 2.09 lakh (ex-showroom). At this price, the top-end variant costs the same as the Perak but both are significantly different feeling and looking motorcycles. Yes, the engine sounds a bit rough and the ride quality is quite stiff. But the decision of buying a bobber comes from the heart and not from the head. So, if one decides to buy a 42 Bobber then he or she will probably end up buying the 42 Bobber.

First Published Date: 26 Nov 2022, 08:28 AM IST
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