Is the new Jawa 300 the most authentic modern classic ever?
With Jawa showcasing their new 300 model to the public in Europe, we ask if this is the most authentic modern classic we’ve seen…
Jawa has unveiled it’s new 300 model for the first time in Europe this week. The bike was revieled in the Czech Republic, the country where Jawa first began building bikes back in the late 1920s.
The new bike’s public outing was the first time the machine had been seen outside of India, where the new range of Jawa machines is being built by the Mahindra group and distributed and exported by classic legends.
The pictures of the new bike featured here were taken some time ago and not in the Czech Republic, although they are the first clear snaps of the machine we’ve seen since its announcement.
The new bike features a 293 cc single-cylinder engine (despite looking more like a twin) with a DOHC setup. The liquid-cooled unit is linked to a 6-speed gearbox. The bike is claimed to produce around 27bhp and 21ft-lbs, although the UK spec bike may differ.
What is interesting about the machine is how totally classic it looks, aside from a few small details giving the game away, the casual observer would be hard pushed to tell that this isn’t actually a bike from the 1950s. The fuel injection system is neatly covered up tidy looking panels, and all the polished parts, from the engine cases to the lovely looking fuel tank, are all time-warp like in their appearance.
The bike does though run modern brakes, with a single ByBre (Brembo’s Indian subsidiary) upfront and an authentic drum item at the rear. It almost makes you think that had Jawa been able to run a drum at the front also – which is trick as the ABS would need some serious engineering – they would have done to keep the look totally authentic.
With the bike making it to Europe through the firm’s original home country, it’s very likely that should some motorcycle shows happen this winter, we’ll be seeing a UK spec version then.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
