[NikhilReddy]

Dear friends I am in a very unique dilemma and need your suggestions to resolve the same.

The dilemma in short - Shall I buy JAWA Perak or stretch the budget and buy Royal Enfield Interceptor. Is the Royal Enfield Interceptor an upgrade over JAWA Perak.

Jawa Perak:


Royal Enfield Interceptor:


My test riding experience:

Looks - I liked the looks of both the motorbikes. However Perak is definitely a head turner between the two.

Performance - Interceptor performance is the best no two ways about it and you can feel the 17 BHP advantage over Perak. However Perak performance is adequate for my requirements.

Comfort - I felt Perak was more comfortable both within the city and on highways rides compared to Interceptor. Could manage 100+ speeds with zero vibrations.

Features - Both the motorbikes comes with bare-bone features. But Preak has tubeless tyres.

Customization - Don't see any customization options for Perak while the RE Interceptor has decent customization options.


Reliability - No idea how reliable both the motorbikes are. Royal Enfield has more service centers and is also offering a maintenance package up-to 5 years for its motorbikes.

Legacy - Love the legacy of both the motorbikes. But more impressed with Royal Enfield history.

Value - Both the motorbikes are great value for money.

Fuel Economy - well not a problem for me. OK with both the motorbikes for their respective sizes and power.

Practicality - Interceptor is more practically impractical for the occasional 2 riders on a bike. The reason I say this is, during one of the test rides a friend of mine was a pillion and after I finished the ride I had to really pamper him to keep him by my side JAWA Perak is a Bobber and you will not want to fix a second seat even if there is an option. Royal Enfield has more service centers (a hell lot more) compared to JAWA. Availability of spares I am hoping is not a problem for both the motorbikes.

Requirements:

How do I see riding the bike - 60% riding within the city and 40% on Highway. How reliable are both the motorbikes. Need help from JAWA owners who already own and ride the JAWA classic and the JAWA 42. If Royal Enfield Interceptor owners can comment on the JAWA and Royal Enfield motorbikes reliability it will be of great help.

JAWA PERAK DELIVERIES TO START FROM LAST WEEK OF THIS MONTH (JULY). THE DEALERS IN HYDERABAD CONFIRMED THE TIMELINE BUT NOT THE EXACT DATE.

Please don't suggest alternate motorbikes and increase the Dilemma.

Thanks for all your suggestions in advance.

[rajushank84]

I don't have any nice things to say about the Perak. I don't see the point of a single-seat bike in its segment, especially for Indian needs. If I am shopping in that segment at all, which I am (in terms of price, displacement, performance), then I am going to need a pillion seat at some point or other. If I ever become the sort of bike-snob that I have a bike to use with a pillion and another for myself, am not particularly budget-constrained, then I have much better bikes to choose from that would be better aspirational bikes starting with the Interceptor, even the entry-level Triumphs and Harleys. Or a vintage, like an RD or Yezdi. If I can afford the luxury of a "second bike", then why would I pick something that is not exciting from any angle?

Oh but cruiser, you say. No, the Perak is nothing like a cruiser to me. A stance that low doesn't make any sense without at least slightly forward controls. I don't see myself riding it for anything more than short distances with that posture. So I guess only reason I would have a Perak (or even a Triumph Bobber) is if I were a rather lonely celebrity: no passenger to worry about, paparazzi at every corner so when I get out of the house in my boots, Raybans and leather (never mind the scorching heat) to go to a coffee-shop that is reasonably close to where I am (because that posture!), I would end up on the cover of some magazines in the process of my lonely coffee leather runs.

The Interceptor on the other hand is everything I wanted, except for a small gripe that the handlebar is a little too forward-set. Everything else about it just makes so much sense, both emotionally and logically.

But it is not even a matter of comparison, even by itself the Perak doesn't make any sense to me.

[neil.jericho]

Word on the street is that the support levels extended by Mahindra to it's dealers to fix the various quality issues is very low. There have been cases of dealers paying out of their own pocket to fix Jawa bikes with niggles after the company had not given them any support on the warranty claims. Neither does the company update its standard operating procedures in line with the technical feedback from the dealers.

This information is from someone who worked in a Jawa dealership. So I would stay away from their products till things improve.

[ast.ggn]

It is a no brainer for me, Interceptor any day. Unless you are smitten by Perak's looks, Interceptor is a superior bike in almost every criteria you have mentioned.

[AlQuazi]

This comparison does not make sense.

While the Perak is absolutely beautiful, no two ways about that, it is also highly impractical. Unless your idea of touring luggage is a backpack, there really is no option of hooking anything on the Perak. This severely limits your choice of destinations with this bike.

The bobber is a glorified weekend tool, best at home in the city or the breakfast ride. Definitely not as the only bike in the garage.

No doubt luggage options will crop up in the aftermarket. But these will take their sweet time seeing as not a single bike has been delivered yet.

If it is a bobber only that you want, there is no looking beyond the Perak. Otherwise, the 650 is way ahead in every other aspect.

[Cyborg]

If it’s a single bike which you have, then it should be the Interceptor. Never know when you will need the pillion seat and regret buying the Perak for this reason.

Like mentioned by so many earlier, the Interceptor trumps the Perak in almost every way, except maybe the looks, which are subjective anyways.

Like Neil mentioned, if the support system for Jawa is not robust, I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.

Cheers

[Nikhildrao]

In terms of visceral reaction I get from looking at the bikes, the perak looks drop dead gorgeous and the interceptor looks like a budget triumph. Voted for the interceptor because the large engine is very under stressed so it would be great if I got the perak looks with the interceptor engine

[KarthikK]

You mentioned your city - highway usage 60/40% breakup but you didn't mention whether your highway usage is for breakfast rides with same day returns, or whether you need luggage options for overnight stays, etc. Like some of the previous members have mentioned, if luggage is a criterion this clearly rules out the Perak in the prerequisites stage itself.

I use the interceptor for city commutes as well as solo highway rides alike, and for solo use it is a superb do-it-all motorbike with very few niggles or fault points. Beautifully tuned gear ratios, more than adequate power for all situations, good build quality and dynamics, minimal heat, RE maintenance costs are cheap and their service network is eons ahead of Jawa. Perhaps the only fault point on the interceptor would be the compromised pillion ergonomics, but then that isn't a factor for you because the Perak doesn't even have a pillion seat!

If you're purely buying for aesthetics and the Perak fascinates you more than the interceptor, go ahead and get it but keep in mind the limitations. The interceptor would be a much more superior bike overall in almost every aspect, but then aesthetics choices are personal and ultimately that is up to you to calculate that tradeoff

[Axe77]

My vote: Interceptor

I agree that visually the Perak is a head turner. But as a motorcycle, the Interceptor is far superior.

You can make an Interceptor look "like" a Perak, "as good" as a Perak or "even better" and therefore bespoke than a Perak (without necessarily spending a lot of money). But its much harder to make a Perak match up to the Interceptor. The Interceptor is a fantastic canvas for modifications.


If pure money outflow is not a concern (given they are at different price points), that's how I would look at it.

[Grease_Monkey]

Hands on Interceptor is better in every aspect. Interceptor is not exactly a cruiser bike though, more of a Standard or Street motorcycle or Retro modern.
Perak would be suitable for those who have multiple other bikes / cars and want a bike for Show-off purposes. I have not ridden Perak but Jawa /42 was a disapointment after putting down booking amount in Dec 2018 and cancelled it next month seeing the company's lethargic attitude towards everything except social media and creating hype.
If you want something more stylish than Interceptor go for Continental 650, if you don't mind the slightly lean forward posture. Either of the 650s are an awesome package for the outlay

[NikhilReddy]

Thank you all for your insightful responses. I am also contemplating to lean towards the interceptor.

Got an official email from JAWA today confirming that the deliveries will start from July 20th. They also mentioned that they have used the covid time to tinker with the motorcycle and cranked up the torque to 32.74 Nm and up the power to 30.64 PS. They have reworked on chassis with a new swingarm. This means that linear stability might have improved further. I will test drive the motorcycle again before the final call.

Please continue your responses.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

You mentioned your city - highway usage 60/40% breakup but you didn't mention whether your highway usage is for breakfast rides with same day returns, or whether you need luggage options for overnight stays, etc. Like some of the previous members have mentioned, if luggage is a criterion this clearly rules out the Perak in the prerequisites stage itself.

My highway ride is solo. Generally we have a group car which carries all our stuff and all the bikers have nothing to carry except their riding gear.
In the city I need to find a place to tuck-in my laptop. May be will have an after market accessories for this.

[Ohh!Oxygen]

Dude!
From a Petrol head perspective it has to be Interceptor.
Sudden power surge with your chest/riding gear getting wind-blasted is the true biking experience. Everything else can be ignored.
17 bhp difference is as per books but the real world difference would be totally different. Single cylinder vs two cylinders are chalk and cheese. I have ridden Jawa 42 and Interceptor.

Perak has definitely an edge in looks dept but Interceptor is not ugly.
Interceptor ticks all your other requirements.

[ukalia]

Hi

IMHO both bikes don't compare as they serve different segments while pricing is also different. If you want a smooth twin cylinder engine, then my suggestion will be to go for Interceptor. But if you want to buy a proper bobber then go for Perak.

If you are looking for highways, then Interceptor beats Perak hands down as it will be more adapt at touring as compared to Perak.

[Geo_Ipe]

Your comparison is not a fair one to start with.

Perak - 330 cc, Single cylinder, 30 bhp @ ~ 2.3 L
Interceptor - 650 cc, 2 cylinder, 48 bhp @ ~3.3 L

If budget is not a limiting factor, Interceptor is any day a superior motorcycle to Perak. Also, Royal Enfield is a much more established brand than Jawa, which definitely will reflect in after sale service as well.

[Na_sh]

The Perak would be a good option if you already have an Interceptor..

Int650/ContiGT are clearly a segment above the Jawa siblings.