Jawa 350 Californian
JAWA 350 CALIFORNIAN
Cycle World Road Test
Solid, Staid And Reliable, The JawaRoadster Even Has Automatic Oiling. But It Is An Anachronism, Nonetheless.
ONE OF THE MOST consistent competitors in international motocross competition during the past several years, the Jawa firm, and its sister company CZ, have been industry leaders in experimenting with and adapting new and successful innovations into their motocross machines. But their street machine sales in the United States have been, at best, small, even in view of their robust and reliable bikes.
Several years ago Jawa drastically restyled their traditional "360/00" 350-cc Twin in an attempt to make it more attractive to American buyers. In fact, they even brought out a few colors to supplement the maroon, which was just a trifle drab for the average American. The side covers under the seat and the attractive cast aluminum carburetor cover were removed, as was the rear chain's total enclosure, and the smallish, 16-in, wheels were replaced with larger 19-in, units for a sportier look. Small fenders and the removal of the headlight nacelle added to the facelift and reduced the overall weight somewhat. But somehow the older model looked better. Removing the side panels and carburetor cover took away from the former smooth lines of the Twin.
The latest Californian seems much the same; it still fails to charm us as much as its predecessor, the "360/00." More styling changes include an oddly shaped gas tank and upswept mufflers, and the 19-in, wheels have been replaced with 18s. An oil tank for the new oil injection system nestles under the left-hand side of the seat, and a similarly shaped metal cover on the other side hides the battery and aircleaner from view. However, the Jawa is still unmistakably a Jawa. The heavy and strong rectangular section steel frame members have an old-world charm and improve the steering of the Californian Iv-
The footpegs are located far off the ground and the center and side stands don't protrude, so the Californian IV can be leaned way over before anything touches. With the high footpegs, wide handlebars and well padded seat, the Jawa is a comfortable machine for in-town riding, but long-legged riders and passengers may find the peg positions a little high for extended periods of time.
Handling qualities are good, in spite of the high center o gravity, but the beefy frame, wheels and a set of very goo~ front forks keep the machine tracking tru'e over badly surface roads. The rear shock absorbers are not adjustable for sprin~ rate, but with combined rider weights of as high as 275 lb. w didn't notice any bottoming of the rear shocks, and ou 130-lb. test rider felt them comfortably sprung as well.
With a brake loading of only 9.4 lb./sq. in. (with the machine unladen) we had high hopes for the brakes, which are housed in beautiful, full-width alloy wheel hubs. But 60-mph-to-O panic stops got progressively longer with each try. The brake lining material heats up very quickly with hard usage, which might be expected from a set of brakes that feel spongy when applied. Braking is smooth, if not overly powerful, and is adequate in view of the machine's docile performance.
A pillar of reliability might be a trite expression, but the Californian has been known as just that for many years. The alternately firing Twin puts out a maximum of 28 bhp at a lazy 5250 rpm, and doesn't want to rev a bit more. At 5500 the piston speed is only a shade over 2300 rpm, a figure so low that long life is practically guaranteed if nothing else breaks! Enormously heavy flywheels make the engine sound sluggish when the throttle is blipped, and makes starting from a stoplight a new experience. -
At speeds up to approximately 4600 rpm the engine is very smooth, but spin it higher and vibration through the footpegs rises rapidly to a high level. While we felt no vibration through the handlebars, there were other annoying traits we didn't care for. A large amount of carburetor intake noise and a slightly sharp exhaust note detracted from the ride somewhat, and a very strong throttle/oil.pump return spring tired the right hand in very little time.
Mechanical noise from the engine is low, aided in no small way by the cast iron cylinder barrels with tight piston clearances. The barrels, featuring sportier port timing, have been redesigned for a one-bolt attachment for the exhaust pipe in each barrel. We liked the previous method of attaching the exhaust pipe with a ring that encircled the pipe and screwed into the cylinder. The new ones leak unburned oil onto unwary socks and deposit said oil on the machine in the form of ugly, black droplets. The cylinder heads give a higher compression ratio by incorporating smaller combustion chambers, and they have increased fin area to aid dispersing the increased heat.
The most radical departure for Jawa was the new automatic oiling system to keep the rider from having to mix oil with gas for every fill-up. Here again simplicity is the keyword.
Oil is drawn from the tank under the seat into the oil pump, located on the left end of the crankshaft. From the pump, oil is directed right into the top of the carburetor where it mixes with the incoming fuel/air charge in almost the same manner as if it had been mixed with the gas in the gas tank. Since all the oil to lubricate the engine arrives through the carburetor (there are .no injection points to the main bearings, etc.), the pump is easily dispensable.
In the event of an oil pump cable break, there is a clever feature which keeps the machine from running above idle: the throttle cable runs directly to the oil pumpend another cable runs from the pump to the carburetor. If you break the throttle cable, the oil pump won’t open, but neither will the throttle. The pump varies the oil/fuel ratio from 120:1 at idle to 20:1 at full throttle, regardless of whether the engine is working, pulling a hill, or coasting downhill.
Jawa has retained the combined kickstarter/gearshift lever which performs yet another function, that of disengaging the clutch automatically when it is moved in either direction. In other words, shifts can be made either up or down without pulling in the clutch lever, but downshifting using this method could prove surprising to the unsuspecting. Upshifting is very smooth, and we see how easy it would be to get to the repair shop if you broke a clutch cable.
The transmission is very strong and features a one-up,
three-down shift pattern on the left side. Shift lever travel is decidedly long, and the size of the pedal, which has to double as a kick starter, feels strange at first. The large lever, coupled with the semi-automatic clutch disengaging mechanism, makes shifting in average situations slower than on bikes with a conventional set-up.
To start the Jawa, flood the carburetor, push in the kickstarter/gearshift lever, and rotate it back until the starter dogs engage. Only a couple of kicks are necessary to get the bike running from cold, and it soon settles down to a slow, even idle. Because the carburetor jetting was too rich (for breaking in the engine) and our test machine hadn’t enough miles to loosen up, test results were somewhat disappointing.
But it must be remembered that the Californian is put together with tight clearances between the moving parts so it will last a long time. We feel that with more miles on the machine and slightly leaner jetting overall, performance would be better. But the Jawa is not a high speed road burner; it^s an extremely sturdy and reliable, utilitarian machine with sports roadster styling.
Quality of the finish is generally good, first prize going to the paintwork. Black and red enamel are set off with fine gold pinstriping on the gas tank and fenders, but we would prefer a black frame instead of red. The aluminum sidecases and brake hubs were slighted somewhat at the buffer’s shop, however, and there were several places where the chrome was very thin or not buffed properly.
In spite of some small flaws, the Jawa is well executed for its intended use—transportation. Yes, Virginia, it will outlast the Rock of Gibraltar, and its price is low. But there are many low-priced, reliable machines around that excite us more.
JAWA 350 CALIFORNIAN
$720
