Recently, Jawa Motorcycles organised an online contest called Kommuniti Kustoms to keep its fans occupied during the COVID-19 lockdown. It encouraged enthusiasts to design their own custom Jawa. There were no limitations, boundaries or budget constraints as one would usually expect when given a design brief. The fun activity allowed the inner artist in oneself to go wild and come up with some radical concepts using the Jawa Forty Two as a base.
From the looks of it, the participants did manage to grab the eyeballs quite well. There was a range of entries on showcase- from cafe racers, adventure tourers to scramblers. The brand has now shared the top-4 final entries of its art contest on its social media handle ahead of announcing the final winner. The shortlisted entries give custom motorcycle builders and Jawa owners interesting modification ideas.
It looks as if the campaign was aimed at demonstrating the Forty Two’s ability to take on customization. Aftermarket modifications contribute hugely to Royal Enfield motorcycles’ brand image and being a direct rival, Jawa Motorcycles is aiming to achieve similar recognition. One of the most attractive designs was the concept which morphed the Jawa Forty Two into a neo-retro adventure tourer inspired by the radical-looking Husqvarna Norden 901. It’s simple, clean and elegant and could possibly be used as one of the directions if Jawa ever intends to step into the adventure touring space. Sure it does look far-fetched but isn’t that what these competitions are all about?
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The scrambler entries have distinctly different appeals. While the hand-drawn modern tailpiece looks robust, the digitally created one raised exhaust tube and a flat seat with serious off-roading intentions shows its badass nature. This bloke managed to change the entire ideology behind Jawa while managing to keep the gorgeous engine as the centre of attention. The design also shows how neatly the raked front end flows into the slender tank and a slim overhanging seat.
Jawa Forty Two is powered by a 293 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine derived from the Mahindra Mojo. Paired to a 6-speed gearbox, the motor produces 27 hp and 28 Nm of torque. The stock motorcycle is equipped with the conventional telescopic front fork and twin gas-charged rear shock absorbers. Braking is taken care of by 280 mm front disc with single-channel ABS and a 153 rear drum. The Jawa Forty Two is priced at Rs 1.60 lakh (ex-showroom). While the competition has come to a close, we just can’t wait for Jawa to pick a winner.