Jawa Motorcycles is a global
motorcycle brand, which was founded in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in the year 1929
by Frantisek Janecek. He bought the motorcycle division of Wanderer, a German
manufacturer of bikes, motorbikes, automobiles, etc., and, thus Jawa was born.
The word ‘Jawa’ has an interesting etymology. The first two letters of the
brand come from Janecek and the last two from the German company, Wanderer.
The first Jawa bike – the Jawa 500
OHV – borrowed its design and mechanical parts from the Wanderer 500. In the
1950s, Jawa became one of the top motorcycle manufacturers in the world, with
exports to over 120 countries.
During the early years of World War
II, in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, Janecek worked relentlessly on the next models.
That model is now known as the Jawa Perak. 1941 was not a great year for the company,
as it saw the death of Frantisek Janecek. In 1946, the Jawa Perak was showcased
at the Paris Motor Show and won a gold medal.
Ideal Jawa was a firm that was importing
Jawa motorcycles to India. It began a proper production of Jawa motorbikes in
Mysore in the early 60s, leading to Jawa motorcycles India innings. In the same
decade, the company ventured into road racing. Subsequently, it secured eight
first places in six-day trials and won six motocross world titles. In the
1990s, the company had to shut down production due to severe losses. However,
the brand was resurrected as Jawa Moto in Tynec nad Sazavou, a Czech town, in
1997.
In
India, Mahindra & Mahindra resurrected Jawa Motorcycles in December 2018.
Jawa Bikes India then had two motorcycles in its portfolio – the Jawa Forty-Two
and Jawa Standard. The design of both Jawa motorcycles is a near-perfect
amalgamation of classic and modern design elements.