Apart from the Jawa 42, the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 will rival a range of other bikes, including the Honda H’ness CB 350, Benelli Imperiale 400 etc
Royal Enfield recently launched a new motorcycle in the Indian market called the Meteor 350, which takes place of the Thunderbird 350 in the automaker’s line-up. The Meteor 350 is the most modern Royal Enfield motorcycle yet, however, it had also gained a few new rivals as compared to what it predecessor put up against.
One of its rivals is the Jawa 42, which was launched in the Indian market almost two years ago. Here is a detailed specifications comparison between the Jawa 42 and the Royal Enfield Meter 350, take a read to know more in detail about the two motorcycles –
Powertrains
Powering the Meteor 350 is a 349 cc air-oil cooled SOHC 4-stroke single-cylinder engine that belts out 20.48 PS of maximum power, along with 27 Nm of peak torque. The transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed gearbox.
| Motorcycle | Royal Enfield Meteor 350 | Jawa 42 |
| Engine | 349 cc air-oil cooled single-cylinder | 293 cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder |
| Power | 20.48 PS | 26.51 PS |
| Torque | 27 Nm | 27.05 Nm |
| Transmission | 5-speed | 6-speed |
On the other hand, the Jawa 42 makes use of a 293 cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine that is mated to a 6-speed transmission. However, the 42’s smaller engine puts out 26.51 PS power and 27.05 Nm torque, which is more than the Meteor 350.
Underpinnings
The Royal Enfield Meteor has been built on an entirely new J platform, and underpinning the bike is a dual cradle frame instead of the single-frame unit seen on the Thunderbird X. The Meteor gets telescopic front forks and twin tube emulsion shock absorbers with 6-step adjustable pre-load at the back.
The Jawa 42 is also built on a double cradle frame, and gets a telescopic hydraulic front fork, as well as twin shock hydraulic setup at the rear.
Equipment
The Meteor 350 gets a 100/90 R19 tyre up front, while the rear wheel is 17-inch in size, and has a 140/70 tyre. The Meteor 350 has been equipped with a 300 mm front and a 270 mm rear disc brake, while dual-channel ABS is standard. It gets a twin-pod semi-digital instrument cluster, which offers Bluetooth-enabled turn-by-turn navigation as well.
The Jawa 42 on the other hand, gets a single-pod analogue instrumentation. It gets a 90/90 R18 tyre up front and a 120/80 R17 tyre at the back. A 280 mm front disc brake and a 153 mm rear drum unit is standard, while Jawa also offers an optional 240 mm rear disc.
Price
The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is available in three different variants, namely Fireball, Stellar and Supernova, priced at Rs 1,75,825, Rs 1,81,342 and Rs 1,90,536 (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively.
On the other hand, the Jawa 42 currently retails at a base price of Rs 1,65,228 for the single-disc variant, and Rs 1,74,170 (both prices, ex-showroom, Delhi) for the dual-disc version.
Comparison Verdict
The Jawa 42 gets a smaller engine as compared to the newly launched RE Meter 350, however, the former’s engine produces more power than the latter. In addition, the Jawa 42 is slightly more affordable than the Meteor, and a single-disc variant with a difference of around Rs 10,000 as compared to the entry-level Fireball variant of the Meteor 350, makes the bike accessible to a wider group of buyers.
In contrast, the Meteor 350 comes equipped with more features like a tripper navigation, a semi-digital instrument cluster and Bluetooth connectivity, which justifies the premium it entails over the Jawa 42.