Difference between Jawa & Royal Enfield exhaust notes EXPLAINED [Video]

Jawa recently resurrected the brand in the Indian market with the launch of two all-new bikes – Jawa and the Jawa Forty-Two. With the launch of the two new bikes, Jawa is targetting the Royal Enfield brand directly, which is the pioneer in the retro segment in India at the moment.

Classic Legends, the owner of the Jawa brand in India has taken immaculate attention-to-the-details to ensure that it brings the legendary image of the Jawa bikes created in the memories of the enthusiasts in India.

Here is a video made by YouTuber – DCV that shows the key differences in the sound of the Royal Enfield single-cylinder and all-new Jawa bikes. The Royal Enfield bike used in the video is a Thunderbird 350. The difference between the exhaust notes from both the bikes is quite clear.

The Royal Enfield offers the signature thump, which has given it the identity and has made it popular in the market. Even though the newest parallel-twin cylinder engine-powered Royal Enfield bikes do not offer the similar kind of thump, the people notice Royal Enfield bikes on the road because of the thumping sound it makes. The Jawa, on the other hand, produces a very smooth rumble through its twin exhaust set-up. In fact, the Jawa sounds like a twin-cylinder engine with the dual exhaust set-up.

One of the biggest reasons why the Royal Enfield sounds so different from the Jawa is the engine and not the exhaust set-up. The Royal Enfield uses the UCE engine that has a longer stroke than the Jawa’s engine. The longer stroke means that it takes a longer time to complete a full rotation, which gives enough time to hear the thump loud and clear. Also, the longer stroke means more air and fuel mixture and a bigger blast in the chamber causing a louder thump. The Jawa bikes use the short stroke engine that complete the cycle much quicker and create a rumbling exhaust note instead. The all-new parallel-twin engine from Royal Enfield uses the short stroke engine, which is why they do not have the thumping sound. Short stroke engines are more rev-friendly and can build up power quickly while the long-stroke engines are good for low-end torque.

One of the biggest challenges that the manufacturers face while bringing back such an iconic model back to the Indian roads is the exhaust note. The Jawa was originally powered by a two-stroke engine in India when it was discontinued. Most of the memories involving Jawa includes the puttering, smoking and oil-leaking image of the bike. The two-stroke engines are not anymore in play and it is quite difficult to produce an identical sound from a 4-stroke engine.

Royal Enfield also offers after-market exhaust that increases the exhaust sound and Jawa would do the same when the deliveries began next year. Jawa showcased a motorcycle with a modified exhaust system that amplifies the exhaust note. The aftermarket accessory is likely to be sold at the dealerships but Jawa has not officially announced anything on it officially.