While Yezdi will focus on domestic market, BSA will primarily target European countries
After resurrecting Jawa brand in 2018, Classic Legends is working aggressively on expanding its product portfolio. Currently, it retails three motorcycles, Jawa, Jawa forty two and Perak. The company has around 200 outlets across India and cumulative sales have been around 50,000 units. To power the next phase of growth, the company urgently needs to expand its product portfolio. That’s where Yezdi and BSA brands are going to play a critical role.
Yezdi motorcycle
With Yezdi, Classic Legends can generate higher volumes. In FY2021, the company’s sales were 20,801 bikes (excluding data from Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh). At current volumes, it may become difficult for dealers to sustain their business in a profitable manner. Yezdi has good potential in the Indian market, as it is a popular name among enthusiasts. Just like Jawa, it also evokes a sense of nostalgia.
Yezdi motorcycle is planned to debut during the festive season, around pre-Diwali period. It will be using the same 293cc, single cylinder, liquid cooled motor that does duty on Jawa. It is capable of generating 27.33 PS of max power and 27.02 Nm of max torque. It is mated to a 6-speed constant mesh transmission.
Yezdi could also borrow other hardware pieces such as suspension and brakes. It will be manufactured on the same assembly line that is currently being utilized for Jawa at the company’s production facility in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh. Under the revival, Yezdi could name their first motorcycle as Roadking, appropriate trademarks have been filed.
650cc BSA motorcycles
BSA brand has similar familiarity and fan following in European markets, just like Jawa and Yezdi in India. Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) was established way back in 1861. The iconic British motorcycle brand was bought by Mahindra a few years back for around Rs 28 crore.
Dedicated teams at Classic Legends are currently working to perfect a new 650cc engine. This will power multiple middleweight BSA motorcycles. The engine is being tested on various parameters such as dynamics, handling and emission compliance norms in UK. Simultaneously, the design of the motorcycle is being developed at the company’s design centre in UK.
BSA motorcycles will initially be launched in UK. They will be manufactured in India and assembled overseas. A dedicated assembly line has already been setup at Pithampur plant for manufacturing the premium BSA motorcycles. The new bikes could be unveiled at upcoming EICMA 2021 in Milan. However, launch timelines are not clear. These will take on 650cc motorcycles from Royal Enfield.
As per reports, Classic Legends is also working on an electric motorcycle that will be launched under BSA brand. For this, the company has been given a grant of 4.3 million pounds (around Rs 45.2 crore) by UK government.