Jawa to Interceptor 650 to Intruder 150, 2018 signalled the return of the classic

The iconic bike maker will roll out Jawa, Jawa Forty Two early next year, while the costlier Perak will make it way to the roads later in the year. Booking for the Jawa and Forty Two will begin from November 16. (Image Source: Stanford Masters)

The introduction of GST rates and revised taxation policies gave the two-wheeler industry in India a big reason to cheer. A plethora of bikes were introduced, and many were even localised, with KTM taking the lead in Indian motorcycle manufacturing. Along with KTM, Suzuki localised their Hayabusa and BMW set up their first showroom in Maharashtra.

Along with the brand new, cutting-edge motorcycles, we also got some classics which ruled bygone days and have come back to reclaim their stake in the hearts of Indians.

EICMA 2018 proved to be a major turning point in the history of the Indian motorcycling scene as the Jawa brand was brought back to life by Mahindra. Jawa is a Czech motorcycle brand founded in 1929.

The brand which produced excellent two stroke bikes and ruled small capacity commuter motorcycle market fell back after being overtaken by more modern technology of the day. Jawa, however, made its reappearance in 2018, with the launch of the Jawa, the Jawa 42 and a custom bobber called Perak.

The next name which reappeared in the list of motorcycles is the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. Although it was launched with an all new and powerful Continental GT 650, the Interceptor caught the most attention as it was the revival of the orginal Interceptor by Royal Enfield.

The 650cc parallel-twin engines powering both the motorcycles have been well received and are a fresh change from the erstwhile single cylinder engines.

Suzuki too jumped on the bandwagon too with the Intruder 150. For the uninitiated, the Intruder was Suzuki’s flagship super commuter, sporting a massive 1800cc engine but it proved to be more of a menace than a pleasure.

However, with the reduction of the engine size to a pocket friendly 155cc, and by borrowing hardware like the digital instrument cluster of the Gixxer 150, the Intruder became a fresh and exciting alternative to the Bajaj Avenger.

In all, the classics had returned with much fanfare and their comeback has augured well for both the industry and the enthusiasts.