Jawa,

[Paul in NZ]

This page looks interesting

http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org...e9-P(Jawa).htm

That jogged a few memory cells... 26bhp... egad. I suppose we have to take that into context of the sort of petrol that was around after WW2 of course.

The other thing we always forget about Jawa is that for years they made the best speedway solo engines which was something.

Cheers

[Paul in NZ]

That's just gorgeous.That narcelle is sure very much like a Triumph,but there are bits of styling influence over the whole bike - who stole from who? If it wasn't for the brilliance of East European motorcycle engineers we would all be riding the lastest F head Harleys.

Well hard to say really. But it's funny how they kept on with the nacelle a lot longer than Triumph and remember the 'odd' look of Jawas with the overlong forks etc.

I love old bikes..

[Motu]

I like to be able to ''see'' the designer in his bike,the ''quirks'' he carries through to each design.Val Page,Edward Turner,Isognosis,all those Eyetalians I dare not try to spell with so many people watching.Like a musician,you can pick someone out just by the way they play.

And I think that is why certain bikes from a certain country are accused'' of ''lack of character''.They have no designers of character,and so the bikes lack character.'''Personality''....

`cause you got personality
Walk, personality
Talk, Personality
Smile, Personality
Charm, personality
Love, personality
And of Cause you've got
A great big heart
So over and over
Oh, I'll be a fool to you
Now over and over
What more can I do

[crack]

Shit, sorry: I ment to type Eliot-ness, blond moment, except I don't have much hair anymore.

I found a site www.autogallery.org.ru/mjawa.htm

They certainly made some interesting machines, I could only remember the two stroke twins, and their distinctive sort of deep ding ding sound when the power came off, and their 500 speedway singles.

Man that V4 must have been way ahead of its time.

I remember reading somewhere, back in the 70's, I cannot recall the publication for the life of me, that the Japanese had recruited Europeans to spy on the manufacture & production of JAWA - AUGUSTA- LAVERDA, at the time I thought it too much like B/S, but now from reading some of the info you have all posted, I reckon it may have had something in it.

My old T-20 and I had a ripper of a race with a chap on a 350 twin in New Plymouth in the 70's, I was amazed then at the performance of something that then even compared with the rather pregnant looks of the T-20, was to me somewhat antiquated.

As said, it makes you wonder what the performance of their V4 would be like with modern metals?

[nudemetalz]

Interesting to note that the "boxer" model was an OHC with 2 or 4 valves per cylinder & the clutch rotated in the opposite direction (ala CX500).

[Bonez]

I remember reading somewhere, back in the 70's, I cannot recall the publication for the life of me, that the Japanese had recruited Europeans to spy on the manufacture & production of JAWA - AUGUSTA- LAVERDA, at the time I thought it too much like B/S, but now from reading some of the info you have all posted, I reckon it may have had something in it.

Some of the technologies were actually, and still are, licensed for use by various Nippon manufactures, so this is quite possible. Crafty lil buggers ah? Actualy paying for the ideas they use.

Edit- one lot of pressies dopped off and 320ks to go before Santa can have a nap................................