Jawa / CZ

This article on the rare Czechoslovakian tiddler brand has been delayed because I have misplaced my Jawa brochure from the early Sixties. I had planned to do a few scans from it, but I shall post this familiar ad and link to more pictures instead. The Jawa CZ Club of Britain has more photos and information on this brand that is so rare in the U. S. than I could ever hope to round up without them. I chose this particular ad photo because I remember it well from U. S. magazines. Many similar ones were printed during those heady days of the early tiddler invasion.

Jawa began producing motorcycles in 1929 and they still continue production in the Czech Republic today; however, I think they were imported here only during the '60's boom market. The Wikipedia page provides a brief overview of the brand. Jawa and CZ merged in 1948 and the CZ brand continued in Europe until it was bought by Cagiva, who unsuccessfully marketed CZ until its final demise in 1997.

Although the first Jawa was a 500cc four-stroke, most of the models sent to the U. S. were 175cc, 250cc, and 350cc two-strokes. You may remember that the Jawas were generally marketed here as high-quality machines with pedestrian looks and performance. There is an unmistakable similarity to a few of the Allstates of the era. Jawas were even sold through Sears in Canada for a time! CZ had already built a name for itself in off-road competition in Europe, so the CZ name was mostly applied to the motocross line in the U. S. The distinctive exception to this was the Jawa 500cc Speedway model. Probably the most memorable street model was the Jawa Californian, a last ditch effort to sell a 250cc twin in the land of the free, the brave, and The Big Four. With its trim fenders and low, but upswept pipes (think Norton Commando), the Californian was an heroic effort, but by this time the need for speed was rampant and the competition horrendous.

See Also: A Brief History of the Brand