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Jawa
Factory brand JawaJawa motorcycles won legendary races, were a treasured family heirloom, but most importantly, they were working motorcycles - precision engineered and built to last.
The JAWA legend was born in 1929 when Ing. František Janeček produced, in his Zbrojovka plant Ing. F. Janeček, the first motorcycle. It was a licensed production of the Wanderer motorcycle. The famous Rumpál, or the popular name for the JAWA 500 OHC, was the first motorcycle to bear the JAWA trademark.
Although the company's founding was accompanied by many happy and brave decisions of its owners, the fate of the JAWA brand was not always happy... whether it was nationalization (the takeover of a private company by the state without compensation), politically motivated decisions to move production to other plants, company divisions, production closures, etc.
Every model produced by JAWA has a story behind it - whether it be the fate of its creators, the technical solutions, or the bikers themselves.
You can read the stories of the JAWA brand and the people behind the JAWA legend below.
Jawa
Jawa production milestones
1929 - Only 1016 of the famous Jawa 500 OHV motorcycle were produced between 1929 and 1933. Today it is a collector's rarity. The Jawa 500 was the first mass-produced motorcycle of the Jawa brand.
1932 - The origin of this motorcycle is connected with the arrival of the English designer George William Patchett. The first Villiers were assembled from parts imported from England, the others were already made from parts of his own production.
1934 - Jawa 250 Special was officially produced in 1934-1940. Until 1946, Special motorcycles were assembled from already manufactured spare parts. In total, about 14,000 units were produced.
1934 - Between 1934 and 1936 a total of 2004 units were produced.
1935 - The JAWA 350 OHV had a similar design to the Jawa 350 SV. The Amal carburettor was replaced by the Grätzin carburettor from 1940. By 1946, when production was discontinued, 2700 units were produced.
1937 - In the period 1937-1946, over 12,000 Robots were produced at JAWA plants. According to the regulations of the time, motorcyclists did not need a driving licence to drive.
1940 - Jawa 250 Duplex-Blok air-cooled single-cylinder motorcycle based on the Jawa 250 Special. It was produced between 1939 and 1946.
1946 - The Jawa 250, nicknamed Perak, was officially introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show in September 1946. It won a gold medal for its construction and design. Historically the most successful motorcycle in Czechoslovakia.
1952 - The Jawa 500 OHC is today considered a collector's „Blue Mauritius”. 6 768 units were produced.
1953 - JAWA 250 nicknamed Kyvacka Type 353. The two-seaters were produced continuously, in various modifications, until 1975, at the time they were the most widely used motorcycles.
1955 - Jawa 50/550 Pionýr, called for the shape of the saddle „Stump”, was a small uncatalogued single-seater motorcycle of light construction, which was produced in 1955-1958.
1967 - The Jawa 250 Californian and its export variant „Road King” were delivered to many European countries, both in touring version and e.g. in the adaptation for the army.
2018 - Czech Jawa, Italian naturel. The historical motto of the brand „QUALITY - SPEED - JOY” is still valid today.
Jawa
Motorcycle manufacturing milestonesIng. František Janeček - Czech engineer, inventor and industrialist, a man whose character traits included diligence, perseverance, determination, high intelligence but also generosity, modesty and a dignified attitude towards people. His engineering skills are testified by the fact that already at the age of 28, 8 years after his first job, he became the head of all the workshops of Kolben Works (at the time a first-rate engineering company) . With ample funds, he could afford to experiment, finance his own research projects, and buy production facilities.
His passion for motorcycles probably began in 1907, when he bought an FN motorcycle and within two years he visited Germany, Belgium and England to learn about factory production.
At the beginning of 1918, as the end of the First World War approached, he won a tender for the development and production of model M15 short hand grenades as Breitfeld's top engineer. After the war he became co-owner of several companies and he extended his commercial activities to other sectors in addition to that of military contracts. In 1922 he began a new phase of his business with a new brand, the initials FJ.
In 1929, engineer František Janeček solves the sales crisis of arms production and buys a license for the production of the Wanderer 500 OHV motorcycle from the company Wanderer. The first trademark JAWA (JAneček + WAnderer) is registered by Zbrojovka Ing. F. Janečka at the patent office in Prague on August 17, 1929. The historically most valuable logo (combination of JAWA and FJ in an oval) was not registered as a trademark until 31/3/1936.
In 1929, engineer František Janeček solves the sales crisis of arms production and buys a license for the production of the Wanderer 500 OHV motorcycle from the Wanderer company. The first trademark JAWA (JAneček + WAnderer) is registered by Zbrojovka Ing. F. Janeček at the patent office in Prague 8/17/1929. The historically most valuable logo (combination of JAWA and FJ) was registered as a trademark as late as 3/31/1936.
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The first motorcycle of the JAWA brand - JAWA 500 OHV - was presented at XXI. Prague International Motor Show in 1929. The motorcycle was modified several times during production, but due to its size and high price (insufficient demand) only 1,016 units were produced.
In 1931 arrives, at the invitation of Eng. František Karel Janeček (son of the founder F. Janeček) British pilot and designer George William Patchett. He has experience in the production of light two-stroke motorcycles, so he participates in the preparation of the production of the JAWA 175 motorcycle with Villiers engine. However, he focuses his activities mainly on sports cars. On a JAWA 500 OHV motorcycle called & bdquo; bedna & rduo; he broke the then national speed record with an output of 179.5 km / h.
In 1932 , the Zbrojovka Ing. F. Janeček factory turned upside down and the production of weapons definitively gave way to the production of motorcycles. The following year the sale of motorcycles represented 84% of the total sales volume.
JAWA 175 Villiers was the first motorcycle to start series production (it was also a revolutionary model in terms of price). It was sold under the slogan “People's Motorcycle for People's Price”. During the production of this model there were constant modernizations and technical improvements, so the motorcycles of the first and last series are completely different models.
Another milestone occurs in 1934 , when a motorcycle with an engine of its own design - the JAWA 350 SV - the first touring 350 based on sports cars designed by G.W. goes into production. Patcher. A year later, the new JAWA 350 OHV engine appears in the same chassis.
The JAWA 250 was also born in Pattchet's design team, which began mass production in 1935. Another motorcycle from this team - the JAWA 100 Robot, which was designed by the most talented designer in the team, Josef Josíf, who transferred to Pattchet's team at his own request - began mass production in 1937. Josef Josíf was one of the main figures of pre-war and post-war Jawa, he was behind the creation of most of the famous pre-war motorcycles. After the war, as chief designer, he was behind the creation of the most famous Jawa motorcycles (“Pérák”, “Kývačka”) and also participated in the development of the unified series (“Bizon”).
On 6/4/1941 the founder of the JAWA legend Ing. dies at the age of 63. František Janecek. He received many titles during his lifetime; one of them, the motorcycle king, best describes his contribution and position in the pre-WW2 motorcycle industry. JUDr. becomes the new General Director of Zbrojovka. Jaroslav Frei. Although the new director certainly focused on the development of other iconic motorcycles, the fate that awaited the company after the end of the Second World War. (i.e. nationalization, relocation of production, merger of different brands, emphasis on quantity at the expense of quality due to the orientation of exports to the then Soviet Union, lack of finance for development) inevitably led to the overall decline of the Jawa brand.
However, the beginning of the 1950s still indicated a promising future... The development of new motorcycles was worked on during the entire 2nd World War, of course secretly, because the entire production capacity of the company was to be used for the needs of the Nazi army. Production parts were also hidden in various factories and objects around the factory. The new two hundred and fifty or the legendary Pérák was developed in secret during the 2nd century. war and secretly tested disguised in SS military camouflage. It was approved for serial production on 14/3/1946. The Jawa 250 was given the nickname “Pérák” for its advanced design. It was characterized by a simple but elegant and pleasing design and a whole range of design innovations. In its time, it was the best motorcycle in the world in the light touring motorcycle class.
From the start of production in 1929 until the end of 2018, i.e. in 90 years of production, a total of 3,475,209 motorcycles were produced in JAWA, of which 2,322,076 motorcycles with an engine displacement of 350 cc and 959,771 motorcycles with engine displacement of 250 cc, 3942 cars and a number of sports and test motorcycles and prototypes.
The year 2018 is a modern milestone for Jawa. Thanks to cooperation with the Indian company Shinera, the JAWA 350 OHC Special motorcycle began to be produced under license. MAHINDRA GROUP manufactures three variants of JAWA motorcycles built under a license agreement to manufacture JAWA motorcycles in India. In 2019, the Shineray cooperation continues - JAWA starts production of the JAWA 350 OHC Scrambler motorcycle.
The JAWA 300 CL model made in India will be sold not only in the Czech Republic but also in other European countries from 2020. In the same year, the motorcycle RVM 500 by JAWA, built in cooperation with the importer of JAWA motorcycles to Argentina, goes on sale. The latest motorcycle to emerge from the JAWA motorcycle production collaboration with Shineray is the 2021 JAWA 350 OHC Special ST motorcycle.
An interesting chapter of the JAWA brand is also success in racing sports. Ing. F. Janeček was aware of the importance of sporting achievements for advertising, which can also show that high-quality motorcycles are produced in the factory. After the Second World War, there was hardly a discipline of motorcycle sport for which Jawa did not build a special machine.
Already in 1931, Jawa participated for the first time in the famous „Six-day” - E. Stokuč rode a JAWA 500 OHV machine and although he was haunted by a number of breakdowns, he finished the competition in third place with a bronze medal. In the following years, riders from Six Days brought a number of gold medals to JAVA, in 1935 and 1938 the Trophy Team in JAVA took second place. In 1947, excellent Czechoslovak riders, thanks to JAWA and ČZ machines, won the two main trophies at the International Six-Day Motorcycle Competition for the first time - the World Trophy and the Silver Vase... JAWA motorcycles as a factory team ride for the last time at the International Six-Day Motorcycle Competition in 1989. Since 1932, when participated for the first time, won 15 times the World Trophy and 17 times the Silver Vase; in some cases together with ČZ motorcycles.
In 1935 and 1936, Jawa was also successfully involved in motorcycle races on the flat track, which was the most popular motorcycle sport in Czechoslovakia at the time - for example, the oldest platform race in Europe was the Golden Helmet in Pardubice, which she drove for the first time already in 1929.
F. Brand and V. Vitvar also bring laurel wreaths from road speed races . In 1961, František Šťastný becomes world vice-champion in the most popular motoring discipline, motorcycle road racing. During the 1960s, he took third and fourth place in the overall ranking several more times.
Motocross There was another period when JAWA often appeared on the podium in motocross, namely in the summers of 1966 and 1967 in the World Championship series thanks to Vlastimil Válek. In the end, he took an excellent fourth place in the world championship, earning the unpopular “potato” medal.
