The Benelli Imperiale 400 BS6 was launched a few days back, with the changes limited only to its engine. The same was the case with its closest rivals, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 BS6 and Jawa Standard BS6 which received a cleaner powerplant. Now that all three have their own goods and bads, choosing one of them might be difficult. In order to make your buying decision easier, we compare these BS6-compliant modern classics in terms of features, specifications and pricing.
Design and Features:
All three motorcycles exude sheer nostalgia with their vintage styling, comprising of a round headlamp, straight handlebar, peanut-shaped fuel tank, spoke wheels and peashooter-style exhaust. Now, the difference lies in the number of chrome-finished components which dominate the overall appearance of the Classic and Jawa. Whereas, the Imperiale sports a blacked-out treatment on a majority of parts which lend it a touch of modernity.
Talking about modernity, these bikes stay true to their classic theme and come equipped with minimal features. Hence, they incorporate a conventional lighting setup. While the analogue console of the Jawa and Imperiale gets a small LCD dash, the one in Classic is an even more basic, fully-analogue unit. Notably, the Imperiale gets one extra feature in the form of a hazard lamp switch.
Engine
Leading the competition in this department is the Jawa Standard. Although it is powered by the smallest displacement 293cc engine, it is tuned to deliver an impressive 27bhp and 28Nm. Also, it is the only bike here which gets liquid-cooling and a six-speed gearbox. Both others feature an air-cooled motor which is mated to a five-speed gearbox. Powering the Classic 350 is a 346cc, fuel-injected engine which produces 19.1bhp and 28Nm. Meanwhile, the Imperiale 400 is propelled by a 374cc mill which belts out 20.7bhp and 29Nm.
Cycle parts
Starting with the frame, while the Classic is based on a single downtube chassis, the Jawa and Imperiale are underpinned by a double downtube frame which is meant to have more rigidity and strength. As for the wheels, the Jawa rides on an 18-17-inch combination, whereas, the Classic and Imperiale roll on a larger 19-18-inch combo which should provide slightly better stability.
All of them are suspended by telescopic forks up front and dual shock absorbers at the rear. Braking setup is also common with a disc at both ends. The Jawa and Classic can be had either with a single or dual-channel ABS but the Imperiale comes with dual-channel ABS only. Also, the single ABS version of the Jawa gets a drum brake at the rear.
Pricing
The most expensive offering in this list is the Benelli Imperiale 400 BS6 which costs Rs 1.99 lakh. Slightly more affordable is the Jawa Standard BS6 which is priced at Rs 1.74 lakh and Rs 1.83 lakh for the single and dual ABS models, respectively. As for the Royal Enfield Classic 350 BS6, its price starts at Rs 1.60 lakh and goes up to Rs 1.84 lakh, depending on the colour variant.
(All prices are ex-showroom, Mumbai)
