Jawa-BSA 650cc Cruiser Spotted Testing In India, Packs A Single-Cylinder Liquid-cooled Engine

The retro styling, exhaust position and mechanicals may hint towards a Triumph, but it’s in fact the new BSA

Mahindra announced the revival of BSA Motorcycles for the UK last November.  It said it will be in charge of designing and developing BSA motorcycles in Britain, funded partly by a £4.6 million grant from the government’s Advanced Propulsion Centre. And from the looks of it, it’s well on its way to introducing its first bike. 

A 650cc BSA cruiser has been spied testing in India. The overall design has a retro flair to it, and almost looks like the Bajaj-Triumph offering we were all anticipating. But the design of the engine gives it away. Besides, Bajaj and Triumph clearly stated that their launch plans had been delayed due to the pandemic. So there’s that. 

Getting into the nitty-gritty of the bike. The motor, a single-cylinder unit, seems to have the same design as the Rotax engine found on the BMW F 650 Funduro. And even though it has fins for cooling, it’s actually a liquid-cooled mill, a dead giveaway of which is the coolant piping near the head of the exhaust.  Expect the motor to be a 650cc powertrain pushing out about 45-50PS of power, mated to a 6-speed transmission. This puts it in the same league as the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 which has been crowned the best selling bike in the UK. 

As for the design, well, that’s a bit confusing. You see, everything leading from the dome-shaped headlight, Bonnie-like fuel tank, the bench seat and the long flowing rear fender point towards a Triumph. We’d even go as far as saying that it looks more Triumph than BSA even with the camouflage. But the bike still looks like it’s in the early stages of development. So what the end product will look like is anyone’s guess. 

Unfortunately, this bike won’t be available for the Indian market. Not anytime soon at least, as it’s been designed and developed specifically for the UK and other international markets. According to Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group and Classic Legends, selecting Britain has its long-term and competitive advantages, from design, expertise, to automotive innovation.

In fact, about 80 percent of these bikes will be exported to international markets such as the US, Australia and Japan where there is a greater demand for the brand. Price-wise, we could expect BSA to position the bike around the same bracket as the Interceptor. So around the £ 6,000 (around Rs 6 lakh) mark. Expect the production version to be unveiled by 2022. 

Image courtesy: Gauravmayur