Trackday With Classic Legends; Twisting & Turning On Modern Classic Motorcycles

When you think of modern classics, you visualise a motorcycle that offers old-school charm, has minimal features and is best-ridden leisurely. But, when we received an invitation from Classic Legends - the brand that sells motorcycles under three iconic brands - Jawa, Yezdi and BSA, for a ride experience at NATRAX in Indore, most of us were left scratching our heads! We were also told that we will be riding some motorcycles on the handling circuit at NATRAX. In my mind, the Maths was not mathing at all, until I got on the motorcycles and actually rode them on a tight, technical track. What happened next was nothing short of a revelation.

BSA Gold Star 650

The BSA Gold Star 650 is a motorcycle I have ridden before, but not like this! We had a 15 min track session with a sighting lap included. I did my best to imprint the track in my mind, trying to figure out the best possible lines and apexes in the first few laps. Lap 4 onwards, I felt confident enough to go really fast and as the laps progressed, I was mighty impressed with what the Gold Star 650 had to offer. The 650 cc single was in its elements and loved being revved. Now I am a heavy rider and the motorcycle had no problems crossing 140 kmph on the couple of straight sections that the track had. What was even more impressive is the fact that it had surprisingly good dynamic ability. 

The Brembo brakes dropped speed effectively, the motorcycle handled much better than I had imagined, executing all the inputs in a near flawless manner. The motorcycle did not have a problem leaned over to the extent that I was grinding the feeler bolts on the footpegs. And the exhaust too hit the right notes at full chat. The heady mix of good handling, stable chassis, a lively motor and solid brakes meant we spent a lot of time on the motorcycle with the throttle wide open. 

But the motorcycle itself was not without flaws. The rear suspension made it tricky to negotiate mid-corner bumps, at times almost threatening to throw you off and the throttle felt a bit choppy, which meant slow, technical corners needed more attention and a gentler throttle input. The number of occasions on which you will be riding your BSA in a 'MotoGP' fashion is going to be between far and few. But it felt really good to know that in case you do get a chance to absolutely belt your motorcycle in the way we did, it is more than happy and more importantly capable to do so.

Jawa 42 FJ 

The next motorcycle we rode on the handling track was the Jawa 42 FJ. With a 334 cc engine and a new chassis along with some reworking on the engine to make it livelier and more refined, the 42 FJ proved to be a lot of fun too. The engine was quite tractable and the throttle response was sharp and precise. The Jawa 42 FJ handled well, reacting in a predictable manner to all the inputs. It felt neutral while leaned over and had decent cornering clearance too. 

But the brakes on the 42 FJ could have been better. Now don't get me wrong. The brakes will work well when you ride the motorcycle normally in the city, on your daily commute but if you do push the motorcycle, particularly in a controlled environment, which will be really rare, then you will find the brakes to be lacking in terms of bite and feel.

Overall Experience 

It was a unique ride experience for sure and what is really likeable is the fact that Classic Legends were confident of their motorcycles' dynamic abilities and this was an opportunity for us to experience just that, in a safe, controlled environment.