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What are these?

The rebirth of an iconic brand. These three motorcycles here are the flag bearers for reigniting the Yezdi name in a completely modern fashion. They are the first of the many other motorcycles that will be introduced in the coming future. The Yezdis then were the Indian version of the licenced Jawas that were manufactured and sold by Ideal Jawa from 1960, until the company shut shop in 1996. Classic Legends (a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra), which also own the Jawa, has relaunched the Yezdi moniker ushering a new breed of motorcycles, catering to the motorcyclists of today. As mentioned above, the company has launched three motorcycles, each different from the other with its own individual persona — the Scrambler, the Roadster and the Adventure.

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Like how the Yezdis of yore were based on the Jawas of yesteryear, the three motorcycles here also have a similar relationship with the Jawas that Classic Legends manufactures. The chassis, powertrain and cycle parts have been extensively reworked by going back on the drawing board and specifically designed to suit the character and purpose of the bikes. In terms of looks, as their names suggest, the Scrambler has a minimalistic design featuring a flat seat, flat raised handlebar, wired wheels and semi on-off tyres. The Roadster slots itself in the touring class of motorcycles with a more relaxed rake angle, wide handlebar, alloy wheels and road-biased tyres. The third one is the Adventure which is an adventure touring type of motorcycle that is designed to be ridden off the tarmac and on trails besides munching miles on highways. The bike sports a larger tank, provisions to mount luggage, a tall windscreen, an upswept exhaust, larger wired wheels and the highest ground clearance of the trio.

All the three bikes get the same LED headlamp with a grille which is similar in design and different in terms of dimensions. The tail lamp unit on all these bikes is absolutely identical and so is the digital instrumentation. The Adventure, however, gets an additional tiltable housing which also includes a small display for turn-by-turn navigation and other tell-tale lights. Also, all the three bikes get two power supply ports, one USB and the other a C-Type port, which is much appreciated.

Speaking of features, the Scrambler and Adventure come with a total of three riding modes — Road, Rain and Off-Road, each offering a different ABS setting as required. While Road mode is for normal everyday usage, the Rain mode dials up the ABS intervention for more safety, and in Off-Road mode switches off the ABS for the rear wheel. The Roadster, on the other hand, doesn’t get in riding modes as such. The Adventure comes with a single-sided upswept exhaust to match its utilitarian nature, meanwhile, the Scrambler and Roadster both feature dual exhaust pipes. Although, I had hoped for the Scrambler to have a typical scrambler-styled exhaust. Besides that, the overall styling of all three bikes is appealing. However, it is the Scrambler that stands out the best in my book.

Whom are these for?

These bikes are for those who once owned a Yezdi or had one in the family, and want to relive that experience again in modern times. Beyond that, these Yezdis are also for the new crop of motorcyclists who want to experience different styles of motorcycles. While there are other examples of the Roadster and Adventure in the market, the Scrambler is the only one of its kind in the segment it sits in. All of this comes with more refinement, new technology and features in comparison to the Jawa counterparts.

Do they handle?

Quite well, actually. These Yezdis have been built around a double-cradle frame, with the engine as a stressed member. While the general construction of the chassis might be common, the rack angle is different for each bike. The event was held at Adventure Park in Aamby Valley City where the folks at Yezdi had curated individual courses for the bikes depending on their nature. Let me elaborate on this aspect one bike at a time.

The Scrambler was the first one that we rode. It has the smallest wheelbase here and a 28-degree rake angle. We rode the bike on a trails course that had a terrain that was a combination of grit, soft mud, loose gravel and rocks. The riding triangle on the scrambler is mostly upright and the wide mid-rise handlebar helps to steer the bike well. The bike does feel top-heavy by a tad bit, but that was prominent only when manoeuvring the bike through an obstacle. The bike has 200 mm of ground clearance which was ample for all the scrambling that we did. With regards to the suspension, it has a telescopic fork at the front and gas-charged dual shocks with preload adjustment at the rear. The setup is more on the stiffer side instead of being softer, considering the bike’s nature. The stiff setup does rob away some of the confidence when it comes to riding off the tarmac. However, for the little time that we got to ride on the road, the Scrambler was a lot of fun around corners. One can adjust the preload at the rear and dial down the stiffness for a more flush ride if wanted.

Next was the Roadster that we got to ride. This one has the second-longest wheelbase here but has the most relaxed rake angle of 29-degrees. Since the Roadster is primarily meant mostly for paved roads, we rode the bike on the twisting roads of Aamby Valley City and were quite impressed by it. The low seat height and the wide handlebar and the positioning of the footpegs fall right in place the moment you get on the bike. You get a nice commanding stance which helps to be in a relaxed position when riding on straight roads. And as far as corners are concerned, the Roadster manages to do a good job here as well. The bike feels natural when leaned into corners thus making the experience a lot more engaging. The Roadster has the same suspension setup as the Scrambler but with lesser travel. The test bike we rode had the preload set one click to the softer side, which did offer a nicer ride quality compared to the Scrambler. That said, we got to extensively test the brakes on the Roadster and we are happy to report that they performed the task well providing the necessary feedback, bite and progression.

The last bike that was ridden was the Adventure. Given its nature, it has the longest wheelbase and also the smallest rake angled at 25-degrees. We rode the Adventure on an off-road course that was specially chalked out for the motorcycle. The route consisted of all sorts of obstacles that one could possibly come across at the time of off-roading. There were steep inclines and declines, dried river bed crossing, water crossing, hardcore rock patches and lots more. The Adventure managed to clear through the entire course without any red flags to talk about. The 220 mm of ground clearance provides enough height to clear most obstacles without scraping the underbelly. The seat height is set at 815 mm which can be a bit of a concern for short riders, especially when off-roading. We got to test the Off-Road mode on the bike which switches off the ABS for the rear which proved to be very helpful when going down steep downhill sections and technical off-road patches. In terms of ride quality, the telescopic fork and the link-type monoshock at the rear isn’t as soft as most adventure touring bikes, but for the time that we got with the bike, it wasn’t a bone-jarring experience either.

How fast are they?

Yezdis have always been known for their torquey nature. While all the three bikes share the same powertrain, the power and torque curves are different in order to match their individual character. While the power curve is almost the same for all three, it is the torque curve that’s different. In the case of the Scrambler, it has an almost flat torque curve which works in its favour when scrambling. Even on the road, the engine’s character is the most engaging which makes you want to ride fast and attack corners with more speed.

Coming to the Roadster, it has a slightly relaxed torque curve but packs enough punch to cruise comfortably on highways around the 90 kph mark. When riding in the city, one can ride the bike at 50 kph in the sixth cog comfortably without any juddering. On the open stretches, the Roadster managed to clock a top speed of 112 kph on the few occasions that we got.

As for the Adventure, it has the highest torque figure which helped a lot in the off-road course. The additional punch from the motor helped to keep a constant pace when going uphill or while crossing the technical section. Since we rode the Adventure mostly off-road, we didn’t get a chance to test the top speed of the motorcycle.

Are they fun?

Absolutely! These bikes might not be the exact modern interpretations of the older Yezdis, but even in their modern form pack a lot of fun. Each bike stands true to its character well, which makes them motorcycles that you’ll enjoy riding. All three bikes score well in terms of look (the Scrambler the highest), pack a potent powertrain that although is a bit noisy and a little viby, delivers a powerful punch whenever needed. And lastly, the bikes offer a good balance of agility, slightly on the stiffer side in the case of the Scrambler, but overall are fun to ride around corners. Overall, Yezdis modern lineup of motorcycles is promising and we can’t wait to spend more time riding them.