Old Time Royal Enfield Challengers; 10 Jawa and Yezdi Bikes That You Forgot

Jawa bikes have once again hit the Indian market and now are selling in the Indian market like hot cakes. However, the first time that these bikes hit the Indian market was in 1960. Later on the company changed the name of the brand and made it ‘Yezdi’ in India. It has been 23 years since the last Yezdi bike rolled off the production line of the company. However, the old timey enthusiasts still fondly remember the day when Jawa and Yezdi bikes ruled Indian streets. Sold under the tagline ‘Forever Bike Forever Value’ in its heydays, the recent return has excited the enthusiasts in the country. However, toady we will take a look at 10 Yezdi and Jawa bikes that the bikers today may not remember.

Jawa 250 Type A

Jawa 250 Type A was the first bike from the company to be sold in India. The bike came with a 249 cc two-stroke, air-cooled engine that was rated to deliver 12 hp of power. The design that the bike brought to the market was carried by several bikes that came after this and perhaps this is what made the bike so legendary. The transmission duties on the bike were handled by a 4 speed gearbox and the bike commands a high price tag and an even higher respect in the vintage bike market to this day.

Yezdi Roadking

Yezdi Roadking is perhaps one of the most famous bike that the brand launched in the country. Brought to the market to rival the Royal Enfield Bullet, Roadking came equipped with a a 248.5-cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine that was rated to deliver 16 Bhp and 24 Nm. Enthusiasts still love the exhaust note and the driving nature of the bike and it also outpaced the Royal Enfield Bullet because of its low weight which gave the bike a quicker acceleration time.

Yezdi Oilking

The Oilking was the predecessor to the aforementioned Roadking in India. The most iconic part of the Oilking was the protrusion near the gear lever that housed the oil pump. The engine casings were later on used in the Roadking models and although there was no oil pump in the Roadking models, the design stayed. However, high failure rates of the oil-pump spelled doom for the bike and the Oilking was soon replaced with the Roadking in the market.

Yezdi Monarch

Monarch came with the same mechanicals as the Roadking but it shared the underpinnings with the the Yezdi 175. However, the same engine and transmission as the Roadking meant that the bike produced 16 Bhp and 24 Nm and came with a 4-speed gearbox. The light weight of 136 kgs meant that the bike could also accelerate pretty fast when the rider wanted to.

Yezdi Classic

Yezdi Classic is what comes to mind whenever someone says the word Yezdi. The bike was marketed as a cruiser by the company and it was the first bike that used the iconic ‘Forever Bike, Forever Value’ tagline of the brand. The Classic rivalled the likes of Royal Enfield Bullet in the Indian market and came with a 250-cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine rated to produce 13 Bhp and 20 Nm.

Yezdi Classic CL-II

Classic CL-II arrived in the market as an upgrade over the existing Jawa Roadking. The bike came with a 248.5-cc two-stroke engine rated to deliver 13 Bhp and 20 Nm. However, it was the light weight of the bike that made it more famous as the bike could go from 0 to 60 kmph in under 4.6 seconds and the top speed was rated at 110 kmph.

Yezdi 175

Yezdi 175 was very peppy bike and was a more affordable presentation by the company. The bike came with a 175-cc single-cylinder 2-stroke engine that was rated to deliver 9.5 bhp and 14.27 Nm. The lightweight bike had a top speed of 95 kmph and was famous among the youth of the country at the time.

Yezdi 60

Yezdi 60 was a moped and a successor to the Jawa 50 in the Indian market. The moped had a step through design like the scooters and was targeted mainly at the young customers and women in India. The moped came with a 60-cc two-stroke, air-cooled engine that was rated to deliver 3.6 bhp and it was mated to a 3-speed gearbox.

Yezdi 350

Yezdi 350 was termed as a more affordable Yamaha RD 350 (Rajdoot). However, the bike did not tival the Yamaha RD 350 in the market. In fact, the Yezdi 350 was low on power when compared to the Japanese bike. Perhaps this is the reason why the bike did not do good numbers in the Indian market and hence is rarity in the vintage bike market today.

Yezdi Deluxe

Yezdi Delux shared its engine and a lot of parts with the iconic Roadking line-up and came with a 249 cc two-stroke engine that was rated to deliver 13 Bhp and 20 Nm. The lighter weight of the bike made it a fun to ride machine and the bike still is very popular in the vintage bike market today.