Classic Legends to bring Yezdi bikes back on Indian roads after 25-year gap

Launches three models with prices starting from 198,000 from 300 dealer outlets

Classic Legends, the motorcycle company part-owned by Mahindra Group, on Thursday re-launched the Yezdi brand of classic motorcycles for the Indian market.

The brand is making a comeback in India after 25 years and part of a larger strategy to tap into the fast-expanding, mid-market segment (350-600 cc) in India and globally, and create niches within that, Anupam Thareja, co-founder Classic Legends, told Business Standard.

With prices at Rs 1.98-2.19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) across three styles — the Roadster, Scrambler, and Adventure — the models are on sale in 300 showrooms of the company.

“Globally the mid-market segment has expanded. And it was time somebody made an honest effort and expanded the mid-market segment in India too. We started with the Jawa range, which is an ode to Classic,” said Thareja, pointing out that the Jawa brands — the Perak, Jawa Jawa, and Forty Two — helped in creating segments in the mid-market segment.

According to him, mid-segment motorcycle buyers earlier had the option of purchasing either classics or sports. They never had so many options. With six models in its fold -- three each from Jawa and Yezdi -- Classic Legends is looking to “grow the space”, he said.

Unlike the Jawa models, where the design theme is retro, Yezdi motorcycles boast contemporary designs and features, including a digital instrument cluster, LED headlamps and tail lamps, turn indicators, and clear lens. Adventure and Scrambler also get standard handlebar-mounted USB and Type C charging points.

Meanwhile, Classic Legends recently revived the iconic British motorcycle brand BSA in the UK. It will come to India. Also in the works is an electrified version of the Yezdi. Even as the e-bike is ready for launch, the company may not bring it anytime soon because the market and charging infrastructure are not ready just yet, said Thareja. “We are ready to launch as and when electrification in the motorcycle segment kicks in. It will start from BSA and then percolate to Jawa.”

Being a start-up, the backing of a large group like Mahindra gives the company agility, he said, adding that Classic Legends would be the only company that “will fire on the twin cylinders of ICE (internal combustion engine) and electric”.

Classic Legends first revived the Czech brand Jawa in 2018 and was sold in no time after the models broke cover. However, the company could not capitalise on the initial launch euphoria due to supply-side issues and the wait for the models extended to more than 12 months. The pandemic from January 2020 heightened trouble for the start-up.

High reliance on single suppliers for parts and aggregates led to the undoing. “We have learnt from our mistakes and are better prepared this time around,” he said.

The Classic Legend’s 125-acre plant in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, has an annual capacity to crank out half a million bikes. In the last two and a half years, the company has ramped up capacity across its supply chain.

With Yezdi, Classic expects to grow its monthly sales two to three times. On average every month it is selling close to 10,000 bikes of the Jawa brand. Classic’s network of 300 dealers is smaller than that of its rivals. As part of the next leg of the growth strategy, it will go deeper into the markets it has a presence in.

Classic Legends has invested Rs 700 crore in the design and industrialisation of the motorcycle market.

Exports will be another important pillar for the company’s growth strategy.

The three brands -- Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA -- will cater to varied global motorcycle markets. While Jawa and Yezdi will address the developing markets, BSA will serve the western markets, including Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia, said Thareja.