Classic Legends has set a new benchmark in the mid-capacity premium classic motorcycle segment with the launch of its groundbreaking 'Jawa Yezdi BSA Ownership Assurance Program.' This initiative, aimed at delivering peace of mind to riders across India, introduces a market-leading 4-year/50,000 km standard warranty, with options for extended coverage up to 6 years. In doing so, the OEM has positioned itself as a disruptive force in the industry once again.
But what drives this high degree of trust in their product? It is the state-of-the-art technological capabilities of the plant, coupled with stringent checks and balances at every stage of production, that ensure each motorcycle that rolls off the assembly line is flawless.
A Legacy Of Innovation
The Classic Legends factory, originally established in 1986 as part of Kinetic Engineering, is a testament to both history and innovation. Though the structure remains unchanged, it has undergone five significant renovations to stay at the forefront of manufacturing excellence. Today, it stands as a state-of-the-art facility for Classic Legends, sharpening its focus on quality and precision.
The factory houses three major sections: the powertrain plant, the paint shop, and the assembly line. In the powertrain plant, six variants of engines are produced, powering the three iconic motorcycle brands—Jawa, Yezdi, and BSA.
The machine shop, a critical part of this process, carries out the precise machining of vital performance parts such as the cylinder block, cylinder head, and crankcase, ensuring that each engine meets the highest standards of performance. Meanwhile, the remaining parts are sourced from trusted suppliers, both in semi-finished and finished conditions.
Precision Engineering - The Heart of Manufacturing Excellence
A key component that sets the company apart is the use of advanced tool-setting machines. These machines are digitalized and ensure that every setting is made with an accuracy of just one micron—a level of precision that is hard to achieve. To put this into perspective, the thickness of a human hair is around 25 microns, making the accuracy at Classic Legends an industry leader. This exceptional precision directly enhances engine performance and efficiency, contributing to the reliability and power that the motorcycles are known for.
The data from these precise settings is captured digitally and stored in chips embedded in bar/QR codes, allowing for seamless tracking and integration into the production process. This plant runs three parallel manufacturing lines dedicated to the machining of left-hand and right-hand of crankcase, cylinder heads and cylinder blocks, utilizing cutting-edge machines from Italy. These machines ensure repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) of parts with less than 10% MSA - measurement system analysis—a performance standard that is considered best-in-class globally.
Further elevating the level of precision is the use of CNC machines with probes and Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) tools. PCD, a synthetic material known for its extraordinary hardness and wear resistance, is used for cutting and shaping critical engine components with utmost accuracy. This technological edge allows the OEM to achieve improved machining results, ensuring the longevity and performance of every engine part.
In addition to precision machining, online process control plays a crucial role in maintaining consistent quality across the production line. Every part produced is tagged with a 2D matrix, enabling complete traceability throughout the assembly process. These matrices link to an interconnected server system, ensuring that every component is logged and monitored throughout its journey on the assembly line.
Once machining is complete, the parts are sent to the Millipore (or gravimetric testing) cleaning station, where they undergo an intensive cleaning process using a combination of high-pressure washes and chemical solutions. Parts are thoroughly cleaned to remove any contaminants such as metal chips, cotton fibres, or dust, which are meticulously filtered and weighed. With cleaning pressures reaching up to 500 bar, the process goes far beyond industry standards, which typically operate at just 15 milligrams of residual contamination per set of parts, while Classic Legends’ process achieves less than 5 milligrams. This attention to detail is a key reason behind the company’s industry-leading warranty offering.
The advanced technologies used in the plant have their origins in the four-wheeler industry, where higher precision manufacturing standards have been well established. Leveraging knowledge gained from Mahindra’s automotive engineering experience, Classic Legends integrates these world-class technologies into its motorcycle production process. This transfer of knowledge and technology from the four-wheeler sector has played a pivotal role in elevating the quality and performance of Classic Legends motorcycles, enabling the company to offer its groundbreaking Ownership Assurance Program.
Engine Assembly
The engine assembly process at the factory is a fine example of precision engineering and meticulous attention to detail. The assembly line is designed to ensure that each engine is built to the highest standards, with numerous advanced techniques in place to prevent mistakes and guarantee flawless production.
Before the assembly process begins, secondary packaging is removed, and parts are heated to the required temperature for fitting. Certain components, such as bearings, are directly opened on the line to ensure 100% protection from contaminants. This focus on cleanliness is paramount, as the engine assembly happens in a pressurized shop to ensure that no dirt or debris comes into contact with the parts. To achieve this, the shop is equipped with an air exchange rate of 13 air changes per minute, which is more than double the industry standard of 6 air changes per minute, ensuring a clean and controlled environment.
The assembly line is designed to be error-proof, with systems in place to prevent any mistakes from progressing further down the line. This focus on precision and accountability is reinforced by the use of Poke Yokes—mistake-proofing techniques that are implemented in various forms, including optical sensors and contact-based mechanisms. These systems ensure that only the right parts move to the next station.
Classic Legends also employs a kitting process for part supply, ensuring that every part required for assembly is available and correctly matched. Coupled with programmable electric nut runners, this system ensures that no part is left unassembled. The nut runner only allows the pallet to move to the next station if all parts are correctly installed, further ensuring flawless production.
One of the most critical steps in engine assembly is the tappet setting, a crucial process that ensures the proper functioning of the engine. To achieve this, a range of shims between 15 and 20 microns are selected based on the specific engine’s requirements. Each shim used is documented and linked to the engine number, which becomes part of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for future reference. Only when all the parameters are correctly set can the engine move to the testing phase.
Classic Legends also employs intelligent pressing technology, which adjusts the load and displacement based on the part’s geometric parameters, for few components including bearings. The force-versus-displacement graph generated during this process ensures that each press is authentic and meets the required standards. This setup is deployed across 46 presses in the engine assembly shop, providing a high degree of accuracy in the pressing process.
When it comes to sealant application and tightening fasteners, the company ensures not only the correct profile but also the right quantity of sealant. The machines used for tightening fasteners display prompts to the operator, guiding them through the planned sequence, ensuring that each part is secured in the correct order.
The engine assembly process comprises 36 stations, and the company produces around 200 engines per shift. With this highly efficient system, 99.3% of the engines pass through the assembly line without issue, proceeding to the engine test bed, where each engine undergoes a rigorous 145-second test. Only 0.7% of the engines require minor adjustments, a testament to the precision and quality control embedded in every step of the assembly process.
Painting Process: From Preparation To Perfection
At its dedicated paint shop, all the motorcycles undergo a meticulous multi-step process to ensure their coatings are both durable and visually striking. The shed is divided into different sections, each specialised for painting ABS and metallic parts besides chrome plating.
For the metallic components, the painting process follows a highly detailed ten-tank procedure, starting with Cathodic Electro-Deposition (CED), a water-based coating process designed to provide anti-rust protection. This process ensures the parts are treated against corrosion before the next stages of painting. These parts are then subjected to various treatments, including base coating and clear coating, to ensure the highest standards are met.
For plastic components, the process differs slightly. These parts go through a special base coat and top coat room, where no CED process is involved. However, when it comes to chrome tanks, some areas are painted, while others undergo a buffing process to maintain a clean finish. For these parts, a high-priority primer is applied to ensure adhesion before the final painting and clear coating stages.
In the final stages, the parts undergo decal testing, ensuring that all designs and finishes are precisely applied and meet quality standards. The process concludes with careful final inspection before the painted parts go the vehicle assembly.
Vehicle Assembly
The vehicle assembly line is a blend of efficiency and precision, with 36 stations dedicated to crafting the perfect motorcycle. It is capable of producing up to 300 units per shift, ensuring that production demands are consistently met.
The entire assembly process is digitally interconnected. Each station is linked to a central server, capturing every action and detail for each model. This real-time data capture enables complete traceability, ensuring that every motorcycle can be tracked throughout the assembly process.
A key feature of this line is the 'No Fault Forward' mechanism, which ensures that any incomplete or faulty assembly is immediately flagged, preventing it from progressing to the next station. At each station, electrical tools provide feedback to operators, ensuring that all steps are completed correctly before the vehicle moves forward.
The line operates with a TAKT time of 187 seconds, meaning that every three minutes, a new motorcycle rolls off the assembly line. This tight timing ensures that production is not only fast but also efficient.
What makes the assembly process even more sophisticated is the use of five conveyors that merge to deliver part kits, engines, painted components, and sub-assemblies directly to their respective stations. Each conveyor system is finely tuned to deliver the right components in sync with the assembly line.
To assemble a single motorcycle, parts from the paint shop are transported via 143 carriers, while engines and sub-assemblies require 78 carriers each. These components must be perfectly synchronized to ensure that each station receives the right parts at the right time, enabling the assembly of any model or variant on the same line.
According to the company, this approach is unique in the country; no other two-wheeler manufacturer uses this methodology, allowing it to maintain flexibility and efficiency in its production process. After final testing the vehicle is tested in track to check all parameters. While the vehicles for the domestic market goes by road, those for exports are carefully packaged for shipment. We saw an export-ready BSA motorcycle, which is packed in protective carton boxes and ready for shipment. Classic Legends ship its products to several overseas markets including the UK, Europe, and the USA.
The combination of cutting-edge technology, precision machining, and rigorous quality controls is what sets Classic Legends apart as a true innovator in the motorcycle manufacturing industry, providing riders with unmatched performance and peace of mind.
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