Yes I do! I live 4km from factory Jawa in Tynec nad Sazavou. They made mainly motorcycles for teenager (Jawa 50 and 125), still made bestseller Jawa 350 (construction of this bike is around 25years old). Their newcomer is Jawa 650 with Rotax engine.
I am now a pensioner. I’ve ridden bikes all my life until recently, in Britain, Sweden, Australia, raced MX in Sweden in the 70′s, toured europe for 20 years (best bike: Honda CX 500). I still have my 350 Jawa 638 (’87, alloy engine 180W alternator) but I’ve not ridden it for 15 years as the gearbox keeps breaking. Not only crap steel, but crap design. Even the British Albion and Burman gearboxes fitted to Villiers/Greeves and DOT (plus a few 4-strokes) were MUCH better and stronger designs! Jawa designed the bike and engine, but ‘your friends up north’ decided that CZ make the engines. And CZ obviously didn’t care about quality. There are other parts of the engine where this is obvious, too. I am a trained machinest (but have little experience in this job, was mainly a welder in a shipyard and a locksmith) and, if I had a workshop, I could make a much better gearbox – and engine – myself! I was at the Jawa/Tynec factory in ’94 and ’95 and told them quality was an issue, but I don’t think they understood (I had to try and speak German – I’m Norwegian/English, goddamnit, we beat the Germans into a pulp 3 times, so we DON’T speak their dirty language!!!) The bike is great, good to ride, beautiful design, simple to work on, robust – but only if BMW made it! I said this out loud to the Czechs at the factory. They looked confused. CZ refused to give the engine production back to Jawa when ‘your friends’ decided to let the west have the Czechs back, so Jawa were in trouble, they had to find a new engine. I suggested they buy the Taiwan-made Honda engines they are now using. 125 and 200cc single, 200 twin. Proven engines, good engines. But I love 2-strokes. Jawa know 2-strokes, practical design, I think they are the best designers of motorbikes in the world. To hell with CZ and ‘your friends in the north’ (actually the Germans, they started it!) If not for the war….
Yes I do!
I live 4km from factory Jawa in Tynec nad Sazavou. They made mainly motorcycles for teenager (Jawa 50 and 125), still made bestseller Jawa 350 (construction of this bike is around 25years old). Their newcomer is Jawa 650 with Rotax engine.
This is so unreal!
First I got a Korean responding minutes after I mention Daelim
Now, someone who lives near Jawa factory!
Thanks for letting me know!
Motorbike community so huge isn’t…
I am now a pensioner. I’ve ridden bikes all my life until recently, in Britain, Sweden, Australia, raced MX in Sweden in the 70′s, toured europe for 20 years (best bike: Honda CX 500). I still have my 350 Jawa 638 (’87, alloy engine 180W alternator) but I’ve not ridden it for 15 years as the gearbox keeps breaking. Not only crap steel, but crap design. Even the British Albion and Burman gearboxes fitted to Villiers/Greeves and DOT (plus a few 4-strokes) were MUCH better and stronger designs! Jawa designed the bike and engine, but ‘your friends up north’ decided that CZ make the engines. And CZ obviously didn’t care about quality. There are other parts of the engine where this is obvious, too. I am a trained machinest (but have little experience in this job, was mainly a welder in a shipyard and a locksmith) and, if I had a workshop, I could make a much better gearbox – and engine – myself! I was at the Jawa/Tynec factory in ’94 and ’95 and told them quality was an issue, but I don’t think they understood (I had to try and speak German – I’m Norwegian/English, goddamnit, we beat the Germans into a pulp 3 times, so we DON’T speak their dirty language!!!) The bike is great, good to ride, beautiful design, simple to work on, robust – but only if BMW made it! I said this out loud to the Czechs at the factory. They looked confused. CZ refused to give the engine production back to Jawa when ‘your friends’ decided to let the west have the Czechs back, so Jawa were in trouble, they had to find a new engine. I suggested they buy the Taiwan-made Honda engines they are now using. 125 and 200cc single, 200 twin. Proven engines, good engines. But I love 2-strokes. Jawa know 2-strokes, practical design, I think they are the best designers of motorbikes in the world. To hell with CZ and ‘your friends in the north’ (actually the Germans, they started it!) If not for the war….