10 Forgotten Jawa & Yezdi motorcycles of India

Classic Legends has brought back iconic brands like Jawa and Yezdi to the Indian market. But how did they become iconic? There are numerous Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles that made the brands glorious. Well, Jawa first came to India in the 1960s and was produced in Mysore under official license. Which are the motorcycles that made these brands iconic?

Jawa 250 Type A

Yezdi sold the Jawa Type 353/04 in the Indian market. It was one of the first motorcycles from the brand. The design of the motorcycle made it stand out in the crowd. The Czech motorcycle came with a 249cc, two-stroke, air-cooled engine that produces a maximum of 12 PS. It came with a 4-speed transmission. It has become a favourite among vintage automobile collectors in India.

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Yezdi Roadking

The Yezdi Roadking came to the market to take a pue from the Royal Enfield Bullet. It weighed about 140 kg and was very quick off the mark. Roadking became popular for its acceleration. The Roadking came powered by a 248.5cc, single-cylinder, two-stroke engine that produces a maximum power of 16 PS and peak torque of 24 Nm.

Yezdi Oilking

With the popularity of Roadking growing, Yezdi launched the Oilking in the market. It was an exact replica of the Roadking apart from the oil pump. It came with an oil pump that promised smooth acceleration. It did not become as popular as the oil pump used to fail a lot.

Yezdi Monarch

The Monarch came to the market as a facelift of the Yezdi 175. The chassis came from the Yezdi 175 and the bike weighed only 136 kg. The lightweight Monarch was a really fun machine though, especially with the same Roadking engine.

Yezdi Classic

The Classic was the second motorcycle from the brand and it is as iconic as Royal Enfield Bullet. It was a cruiser motorcycle for long-distance touring. Yezdi’s slogan of “Forever bike, forever value” became popular with the Classic. It came with a 250cc engine producing a maximum power of 13 PS and 20 Nm of peak torque.

Yezdi CL-II

The Yezdi CL-II was the upgrade to the Roadking. It came with a 248.5cc, two-stroke engine that churned a maximum power of 13 Bhp. The Yezdi CL-II became very popular because of its lightweight construction. It could do 0-60 km/h 4.6 seconds, which is quick even according to today’s standards.

Yezdi 175

The Yezdi 175 became very popular in the Indian market as it was much more affordable than the bigger displacement motorcycles. The 175 was extremely peppy to ride and could go up to 95 km/h. The Yezdi 175 came with a 175cc, two-stroke engine that generated a maximum power of 9.5 Bhp and 14.27 Nm of peak torque.

Yezdi 60

Yezdi launched the 60 as an upgrade to the Jawa 50 in the Indian market. The motorcycle became very popular among the young women riders as well. The motorcycle was powered by a puny 60cc, two-stroke engine that churns out a maximum power of 4 PS. It got a three-speed transmission.

Yezdi 350

Yezdi’s plan was to disrupt the Yamaha RD350 or the Rajdoot in the Indian market. The 350 was launched exactly for that. But it was quite difficult to match up with the popularity of the iconic Yamaha RD350. Even though the Yezdi 350 was more affordable, it offered less power as well.

Yezdi Deluxe

The Yezdi Deluxe is another iconic motorcycle that is found in many garages of collectors. The motorcycle came with a 248.5cc engine and weighed only 131 kg. The Deluxe and the Jawa Classic shared a lot of parts including the suspension and the brakes.

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