Which Jawa to buy in India: 42, 42 FJ, Bobber, 350 or Perak

The Jawa badge is back on five motorcycles, and they are not five versions of the same bike. Two engines, two riding positions and a single seat on one of them separate them. Here is the short answer before the detail.

Buy the 42 All Stars if you want the cheapest, lightest and most everyday Jawa. Buy the 42 FJ All Stars if you want the stronger engine with a normal upright seat and a pillion. Buy the 42 Bobber All Stars only if the look matters more than practicality. Buy the 350 if you want the bike that looks closest to an old Mysore Jawa. The Perak is the costliest and the most styled, and it is the one to see in the flesh before paying.

What each one actually is

Autocar India's price list puts the All Stars 42 at ₹1.85 lakh, the 42 FJ at ₹2.02 lakh, the 42 Bobber at ₹2.09 lakh, the Jawa 350 at ₹2.11 lakh and the Perak at ₹2.20 lakh, all ex-showroom Delhi.

The 42 All Stars went into deliveries on 14 September 2026 from ₹1.80 lakh for the Black and Ivory colour, rising to ₹1.90 lakh. It uses the smaller 294.72cc liquid-cooled single making 27.19hp at 7,950rpm and 26.3Nm at 6,000rpm, weighs 175kg at the kerb and now runs a wider 150/70-17 rear tyre, with 280mm front and 240mm rear discs and dual-channel ABS. Classic Legends claims more than 60 changes, including frame and swingarm stiffness.

The 42 FJ All Stars, launched on 28 August 2026, uses the 334cc engine with 29.17hp at 7,500rpm and 29.62Nm at 5,500rpm, and runs 41mm forks with five-step preload adjustment at the rear. The 42 Bobber All Stars followed on 7 September 2026 at ₹2.09 lakh for Mystic Copper, with the same 334cc unit quoted at 29.9hp and 30Nm, and Autocar describes the All Stars update as cosmetic only.

The Jawa 350 is the odd one out. It arrived on 15 January 2024 at ₹2.15 lakh with the 334cc engine detuned to 22.5hp at 7,000rpm and 28.1Nm at 5,000rpm, a 194kg kerb weight with its 13.5 litre tank full, a 790mm seat and 18-inch spoked wheels with tubed tyres.

The trade-offs, stated plainly

Weight is the big one. The 42 All Stars at 175kg against the 350 at 194kg is the difference between a bike you can shuffle around a Bengaluru basement and one you plan your parking for. Tubed tyres on the 350's spoked wheels also mean a highway puncture is a tow or a tube change, not a plug.

Power is the second. The 350 makes 22.5hp, roughly 7hp less than the 42 FJ and Bobber, so the retro-looking Jawa is the slowest one. If you ride two up on ghat roads, the 334cc tune is worth the extra money.

Then there is paint. On the 42 FJ, Red and Aurora Green cost ₹2.02 lakh while the Chrome is ₹2.16 lakh, with no mechanical change. The Bobber runs from ₹2.09 lakh to ₹2.20 lakh the same way. That is a lot of money for a colour, and resale rarely returns it.

If you want a real one instead

None of these is a classic. The original Mysore bikes are, and that trail has a legal postscript: Ideal Jawa stopped making Yezdis in 1996, its assets were auctioned in 2003, the old trademarks lapsed between 2007 and 2008, and the Karnataka High Court restored Classic Legends' rights to the Yezdi marks after Classic Legends filed fresh applications in 2013 to 2014. An original Jawa or Yezdi today is a parts-hunting purchase with no dealer warranty behind it. That is a different decision from the five above, and it should be made with your eyes open.

Sources

• Jawa bikes price list, Autocar India
• Jawa 42 All Stars launched at Rs 1.80 lakh, Autocar India
• Jawa 42 FJ All Stars launched from Rs 2.02 lakh, Autocar India
• Jawa 42 Bobber All Stars Edition launched at Rs 2.09 lakh, Autocar India
• Jawa 350 launched at Rs 2.15 lakh, Autocar India
• Karnataka High Court restores Classic Legends' rights to the Yezdi marks, LiveLaw