The Jawa Retro 350 | A Two Stroke Modern Classic You Can Buy Brand New, That You've Never Heard Of!

[@hazimreitz]

not gonna lie, I came here for the bike... ended up buying the stormer helmet LOL!!! It is quite cheap and the style of it is just right for me :D

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Haha brilliant! It’s my favourite helmet I’ve ever owned. And as you say it’s pretty cheap too. You’ll love it!

[@hazimreitz]

@@MrDarcy-OlMan can't wait for it to arrive! Thanks for the info btw 😁 it's 1/3 the price of some helmet brands and within my budget, it's gonna be awesome.

[@majklknight7455]

What exact name of that helmet ?

[@hazimreitz]

@@majklknight7455 Stormer Glory if im not mistaken

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

@hazimreitz 💯

[@chrisweeks6973]

Never heard of? I've owned two of an earlier iteration of the Jawa. The first was a new 250 twin-port single, bought in 1963 and used for the 150-mile return commute to my military base.The other was a completely-neglected 350 Twin that I bought in 1984, refurbished and kept for 15 years; wish I still had it too, as it too was both comfortable and completely reliable. The enclosed chain had a moulded plastic pipe coming from the back of the crankcase that mist-oiled the chain so that it very rarely needed adjusting; simple, but very effective. The gear-lever doubled as the kick-starter and had a semi-automatic clutch; put pressure on the pedal to change and it partially disengaged the clutch, enabling clutchless changes, both up and down. Even had a rudimentary cruise-control, in the form of a knurled screw that tightened on the throttle. Not at all bad for 1950's technology!

[@dannyjamison8337]

If only we could get Yamaha to resurrect The RD400.

[@charlesharper7292]

I had a Yamaha DS250 when I was a kid. The guys around town riding Honda CB500s couldn't catch me. They hated it.

[@2smoker64]

Or the RD500 but for proper performance

[@jeffwhite9392]

RD400F obviously ...

[@michaelhayward7572]

The RD350 with the teardrop tank was a better bike. I had both....

[@Dreddingbath]

RDany....yeeeeeeeeesssssssss

[@AntisepticHandwash]

I come from 2-stroke mopeds, and I absolutely love the idea of an utterly simple 2-stroke motorcycle that you can buy brand new. Love the look as well.

[@Ganesh.krish0212]

So many Jawa’s during my college years, out of all those, the star of the show was a 350. Met the dude a few months back he still rides the machine to this very day. Beautiful motorcycle.

[@bolindow176]

THAT bike made me smile. I had a Jawa/CZ 250 in the seventies, almost exactly like this (albeit kick start only).

[@allenwilson1479]

I bought one in 1979 brand new for £251 and used it to go up and down the a

[@allenwilson1479]

theA1 in winter catterick to wakefield for 4 months in winter had it 6 months and that was enough for me lol

[@ginamiller6015]

I grew up with 2-strokes in the 70’s. Fond memories and I often wonder if I’d enjoy a 2-stroke bike today as much as my fond memories would dictate. Awesome video, thanks for sharing this!!

[@jimstenlund6017]

@@ginamiller6015 Probably not, especially if you only have access to E-10 gas and live in a high humidity environment. Ethanol can be removed, otherwise the moisture content gets high enough that the oil doesn’t want to stay mixed with the gas.

[@THECONTROVERSIALCYCLIST]

This Jawa is the best retro you have had on the channel... Everyone loves a stroker... The smell, the sound and the looks...

[@SprocketN]

I had a Jawa 350 with a sidecar, brand new in 1981. It was slow, but indestructible. Believe me I tried. Rode it all weathers, even got to work in snow and ice when most of the people who had cars couldn’t get to work. My first wife drove it into the sea at Weston-Super-Mare. Filled the exhaust pipes with sea water. Turned it round, let the water run out, started it back up and carried on with our camping holiday. Despite all that, I wouldn’t have another. I’ll keep my Africa Twin.

[@motorcyclementor1785]

I bought a Jawa 350 brand new from Bridge Garage in Exeter in 1976 for 249 pounds as advertised in MCN. I traded in an Ariel Arrow 250 for it as I needed a reliable new bike for my weekly commute to Plymouth. I have to say that from the moment I started it on it's inaugural ride where it blew a fuse just outside the shop that it was a nightmare from beginning to end. After a 18 months of every possible fault imaginable ( mainly electrical ) and I spent many occasions doing roadside repairs at night on the A38, It finally blew a centre main bearing and I just aout gave the bloody thing away. I also used to find that with a passenger on the pillion, it's had an unnerving propensity to wheelie; it was very light at the front. After the Jawa I bought a ratty old Triumph 500 5TA which never let me down. Interesting memories evoked by this video as I did have some fun on it but honestly; I'd never touch another one.

[@richardcurtis114]

I love the smell of two stroke in the morning.......smells of victory. Even better with castrol R......

[@andyc750]

I remember when that was a bike for the completely skint and would elicit enormous amounts of piss taking wherever you went, how things have changed since, the opposition was the MZ 250 which caused very slightly less piss taking, good to see that something so oddball is still around, mind no longer a winter hack or extra cheap commuter bike now

[@poisonmans]

A good old piss take of someone else's bike was a normal thing back in the 80's, sadly missed now.

[@Lordsnooty-u4z]

I had a 350 retro, exactly the same as your test bike. It had just 250 miles on it . I put over 10,000 more miles on it before i sold it on. It never let me down and was always a constant conversation piece wherever i stopped. It is the genuine retro as Jawa never stopped making it from the 70s.😊

[@douglasgreen437]

When I was 17 you wouldn't want to be caught dead on one of these.. 😂

[@barryjmarling]

Absolutely love the sounds and smells of two stroke bikes,fantastic to see these available.

[@jjrider6758]

The fully enclosed rear drive chain is a very 'Eastern Bloc' thing.. the 2-stroke MZs had a very similar set up with a thick hard plastic sprocket cover and thick rubber chain tubes, and it was fantastically effective.. Yes, it does stop the chain flicking chainlube all over, but more importantly it keeps the road filth off the chain which virtually stops chain wear and reduces the need to adjust it so often - I had a MZ ETZ 250 from brand new, I rode it for 6 years and did almost 28K on it. Lots of other stuff failed and needed replacement (!!) but when I sold the bike it still had the original MZ factory drive chain fitted.. and it really was still as good as new !

[@chrisschulz6911]

I love the smell of two stroke in the morning ❤️

[@jimstenlund6017]

@@chrisschulz6911 You can add castor-based oil, like Klotz or Maxima 927, to four-stroke engine gas too, helps the carbs and helps in summer heat. Not sure about exhaust cats, been using 927 in my Chinese 150 for 600mi now, so I guess it’s ok.

[@thejawafactory4617]

I made the first 350 retro in 2010 Had visitors from Czech jawa producer Lots of photos taken by them of my finished retro twin jawa Not long after they produced the New jawa retro There's a lot of similar ideas but mainly the model retro belongs to me

[@thejawafactory4617]

Video link to retro jawa 2010

[@1man1guitarletsgo]

Fantastic! Bring back the 2-strokes!

[@Sailoredive]

I own a 350 -634, since 1-4-1976, bought it new, now working on it, because i did not use it for some years, bad petrol gives a lot of sludge...now retired hope to have this fun again..

[@boris19548]

Back in eighties in former Yugoslavia Jawa350 and MZ ETZ 250 were very popular relatively affordable to working class people and there was a lot of them

[@The-Rickster-29]

Dr Darcy, that was the best mouth imitation of the two stroke I have ever heard! You guys are so awesome in so many ways! Rick from So Cal USA.

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Thank you very much!!! 😁

[@stogmot1]

i had one with a sidecar 30 years ago ,i loved it . I would have another

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Awesome 👍🏼

[@Cheburashka-c1h]

I bought one ..the 634 model....from the Liverpool dealer in 1977.... George Elmsley,of Colquit Street. It was probably the best bike I ever owned It was solid, dependable,easy to work on,and grew on me.... Petrol oil mix in the tank.... Great !

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Awesome 👍🏼

[@cameronnicol]

An old classic Jawa 350 was the only bike I ever hit a car with! The engine guard saved my leg as I swiped down the whole drivers side as I failed to negotiate a decreasing radius corner. I was 15 and had my learners licence (1982). Destroyed the transmission as the shifter got rotated 180 deg and ripped my little toe off (never wear anything less than leather on your feet!). Toe is fine, thanks to modern medicine. The bike was a blast until then. Too bad I’ll never see one in Canada, emission regulations just won’t allow 2 stroke motorcycles in anymore. It definitely needs expansion chambers instead of those muffled pipes it has now. So much potential.

[@clivecartey]

JAWA were given permission to use the unique 'enclosed chain-case c/w rubber gaiters' by MZ (ex-DKW) of Zschopau, East Germany. I had several MZ's and that enclosed chain-case system was brilliant, particularly when touring in bad weather. I know chain engineering has, obviously, changed over the years - but - to protect a chain, prolong its life and reduce the frequency of chain adjustment the system is unbeatable. Glamorous it may not be, but, messing around cleaning filthy chains isn't either ! (Actually, full metal enclosed chain cases are still fitted on, for example, the 'Made in Italy' HONDA CB125F Non-Europe Export)

[@henrya3530]

I owned a Type 640 Jawa 350cc twin back in the mid '90s. It was a wonderful motorcycle! Super reliable and a joy to ride. Would make an ideal touring motorcycle for those wanting to make long distance journeys off the beaten path especially to places where the nearest 'motor vehicle technician' happens to be the village blacksmith. Definitely the motorcycle of choice for those who regularly attend the Dragon Rally or Elefantentreffen (sidecar optional). The enclosed chain drive is a great idea and I wish it featured on more motorcycles today. All the advantages of chain and shaft drive with none of the disadvantages of either system. Something they didn't mention in the video - the gear selector is also the kick-start. With the motorcycle on its side or centre stand push the gear selector in to the engine and lift it up. You now have a kick starter. When the engine is running knock the lever forwards to become the gear selector again. Also, the motorcycle has semi-automatic gear selection. At the end of its travel the gear selector disengages the clutch thus it is possible to ride the motorcycle without using the clutch lever. Very handy if the clutch cable fails. Advantages: low fuel consumption with high torque, excellent touring motorcycle, since its about as mechanically simple as possible home maintenance is a doddle. Disadvantages: not suitable for short distance commuting. If your average journey time is less than 30 minutes the exhaust does not get hot enough to burn off the unused oil so the exhaust baffles need to be de-gunged every 3 months.

[@rodneyperkins1057]

Wow took me back to the 70's, the sounds and looks. A friend had one with sidecar as he couldn't pass his test on a solo motorcycle? No idea why it made a difference but he was always worried about locking the back wheel and loosing control. He had it for many years thrashing it to death only ever needed servicing to keep reliable,his wife loved the big windscreen on the sidecar and was forced by her dad and mum to wear a helmet lol at least when in view bless her. Thing is it was simple to maintain and cheap at that time to service. Happy days 😊

[@Jodyrides]

When Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor Started their trip around the world on BMW, GS motorcycles, and one of those BMWs had a complete brake failure that could not be repaired even while talking to the engineers back at the BMW factory for help. This happened in Mongolia. I don’t know how they got the bike to a train station, but they had to send it back to the United Kingdom on a train because it was unfixable due to the computer controlled ABS system. They replaced it with a Jawa motorcycle that they bought locally new. They took the cameraman’s BMW and gave him the Jawa. He was riding circles around the BMW motorcycles literally in the videos, and they were all saying, these are the motorcycles we should have taken instead of BMWs for this trip around the world.

[@roybatty2030]

They had originally planned to use KTMs but KTM pulled out at the last moment and they ended up with those massive heavy bimmers…

[@Jodyrides]

@@roybatty2030 you are correct, they wanted to ride KTM‘s, but KTM felt that The plan was too big for the riders, and they did not want the bad publicity, so they did not want to supply the KTM‘s for the trip.. that series showed weekly while it lasted here in the United States. The name of it was something like “long way around.”.. I don’t know which model of Jawa motorcycles they replaced. The failed BMW with. But I think it was a Jawa. And on the show, that shower when they got, it was literally riding around like a puppy that had just been let outside. soon after they got the replacement motorcycle, Charlie and ewan both commented that those were the motorcycles they should’ve bought for the trip. That joshua finished the trip across Mongolia, and then over to Alaska and down through North America, and across North America, and back to the UK as far as I know. I never missed a single minute of that program series week after week, they never mentioned any problems with the replacement Jawa. I had a BMW K 1200 LT back around 2008, 2010, and in doing maintenance research, I discovered that if you get any air at all in the brake system, it completely shuts down, the dashboard lights up like a slot machine, and you have to transport the motorcycle without any breaks at all back to the dealer to have it be reset, and bled.. The Internet was pretty convincing that it is very risky to attempt to change your own brake fluid for that reason. I change brake fluid in all my motorcycles at least every two years. I have videos on my channel on KZbin showing how I have done it with a brake bleeder… it’s not hard. but because of the warnings, I called my local BMW dealer to ask how much is it to change the brake fluid. This was the 2010 price. $750 labor, plus shop materials, plus disposal fee, plus parts, plus tax, they might be able to squeeze it in three months from now.. I bought the attachment to increase the capacity of the master cylinders, and I did the job myself for less than $60 in parts.. but when those two guys had trouble with their brakes system, I understood exactly what happened, they just got air in the system, and being designed by BMW, it was necessary to take it to the BMW dealer to have it plugged in and reset to get it to work again. That was probably a public relations disaster for BMW. All I can say, is, the two BMW shops that were in the western Pennsylvania area where I live, they’ve been out of business for years, now there are none that I know of, and I never bought another BMW, mainly because of that weird front end and has no feel, partly electric powered brakes

[@СергейГусев-л2щ]

It wasn't jawa. It was Russian IZH. I had one when I was 14 years old)))

[@СергейГусев-л2щ]

I also had Jawa my emotions were incredible I was 15 and I felt like king of the roads... Now I have two motorcycles suzuki m109r Boulevard and triumph tiger 1200 explorer but I don't have such feeling like I had back than

[@MrLanternland]

Wow - When I had my Jawa 175 I used to covet the BMW R69! The other 2 motorcycles i had back in the 1960s (in the USA) was the Honda 150 (one of the original Honda imports, before they started bringing in cars), and finally a 650 Triumph. Czech, Japanese, and British.

[@chrispomphrett4283]

I had a jawa cz with a sidecar. Evil and quirky in the extreme but masochistic fun owning it. Especially the hours I spent trying to start a hot engine..... At least yours ticks over!

[@Harpy-Mark-Tomlinson]

Same here 😅

[@mukundanmnair7657]

Indian jawa is kind of a revival of the real Czech jawa. In the 50s to the 90s jawa was a popular manufacturer in india. They had factories and all. They were called ideal jawa here and they sold similar two stroke motorcycles under the badge of jawa till the 90s and under the badge of ideal jawa/yezdi from the 90s.

[@Oulboy58]

My Dad had a Jawa 350 in the early 60's. First bike I ever pulled over on top of myself. 😄

[@wallacebrucker1584]

I recall fondly the Jawa when I was a young man in germany those many years ago. Memories of the 2 strokes and when a "big" bike was 500cc and when doing the "ton" 160kps was an almost, impossible dream. The ton "was 100mph"

[@stubby7934]

Ahh, I haven't heard that kind of exhaust note since selling my RD400. Nostalgic.

[@mobi1etone]

Had a few of these back in the day, even had a sidecar on one of them. So basic and easy to work on.

[@bigfoot-id8bv]

Dreadful, I want one.

[@Kaybe-i6f]

I want one too, I love it… 😊

[@thesaltman6705]

2 stoke and orange,,nuff said

[@joelmclamore1898]

Me too😅

[@TechnoJonny]

@bigfoot-id8bv, I want one too, quite a refreshing change from all these modern sterile bikes 😅

[@Paul-67]

Me three.

[@pauld7827]

My first bike was a Suzuki GT185 and i loved that bike. Thought I'd get one of these Jawa's as they were really popular in the 70's and 80's, but the price now is far too high. I'm afraid nostalgia is not what it used to be....

[@jirihorsky9600]

I, like most Czech riders started on a Jawa 50 Pionýr. It’s really nice to see this, regrettably not quite czech, brand showcased on your channel. Regarding the ownership situation, Jawa is still czech owned, however it is either produces in India with some bits and bobs bolted on in Czech Republic, or rebranded Argentinian/Chinese bikes sold under Jawa name in western markets. Currently it is nigh impossible to manufacture almost anything in our country without it being uncompetitive on the market. You can find some good interviews with current Jawa owner, who’s still really really hopeful about his company, although these interviews are mostly in Czech.

[@felipedourado5721]

About 30 years ago, when I initiated my life as a motorcyclist, I used to ride a two stroke Yamaha DT180 for regular comuting, leisure spins and short trips to the mountains (about 75 miles away from my city). That little Yamaha was a nice trail bike sold as a street legal dual purpose machine since it had rear mirrors, lights and mid tarmac/mid dirt tires. I used to fill its Autolube tank with semi synthetic two stroke Castrol oil (the green one). That oil kept the combustion chamber clean much longer because it generated less carbon residue and less smoke as well. The smell of the smoke was as sweet as the memories brought back by your video guys. Thank you! And, also, thank you for telling us that the original two stroke Jawa is still made in Czech Republic, I think everybody nowadays is fooled into thinking (as I was) that Jawa is an exclusive Indian affair. Best regards from Brazil. 👍🛣🏍 Had to edit to add: Darcy is a perfect two stroke impersonator. 😂

[@Flashdan100]

I can remember returning home from London some years ago on the M4 and as I got to Junction 15 I saw a huge blue cloud coming up the opposite carriageway , it turned out to be the Jawa / CZ owners club returning from Lydiard Park ! 😅

[@jawaman24]

I still have my father's 1988 JAWA 350/638 with the same chassis and engine with 89000 km on the clock. Love this motorcycle so much! It has some charisma that makes you want to ride it.

[@stewy62]

Excellent, brought back memories as soon as I heard the engine running. I always regarded these engines as closer to the British Villiers 2 stroke engines of the 1960’s in terms of sound and performance as compared to the more powerful Japanese 2 strokes of the 1970’s 🇬🇧

[@Lhawk2107]

that "thump, thump" is so iconic. Anyone knows instantly "its a Jawa"!

[@walsakaluk1584]

That's a sweet ride! Brap brap and the smell of 2T❤ In SEA (eg Thailand) 2T bikes use Lotus scented 2T oil. Very nice.

[@philipcooper8297]

There's one party trick not mentioned in this video. The gear shifter lever is also the kick-starter. Push the lever in and then move it upwards to the starter position. Once you start the engine, just move the lever forwards and it clicks back into the gear shifter position. Originally these were not sold with electric starters.

[@andyshaw5378]

I learnt to ride on a two stroke Yamaha. That sound took me right back. 👍🏻

[@BobberRider]

A pal had one of these (well, the old one) back in the early 1980s. It was his only form of transport and let him down so many times he lost his job. He dug a big hole in his back garden and buried it. Still there for all I know. 😎

[@buffyporson1]

Surprised that a two stroke is still allowed. Here in the US there have been no street legal 2T's for years. 6 liter 12mpg V8 SUV's for soccer mum's- no problem. A 350cc 2T motorcycle - too dirty.

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

They are allowed as in small numbers 👍🏼

[@paulm749]

Judging just by your video, but that's one of the best-sounding 2-stroke street bikes I've ever heard. Really quite characterful. This seems like it would be a good urban weekender as well as a very nice country lane cruiser.

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Couldn't agree more 👍🏼

[@iana6713]

I'm not a motorbike rider, but I have had a bit of experience with Eastern Bloc two-strokery, having owned a Trabant in the past. That simple explanation of the difference between how two- and four-stroke engines function summed it up neatly. The Jawa is an interesting machine, and I like the fact that such a thing is still being produced to this day. My own personal view here, but I feel the digital speedo looks a little out of place on it so I'm glad to hear you can get it with an analogue one - that would be my preference.

[@jancicvarek160]

Sure, but if you want an analog, even an electric starter, then you won't have a rpmmeter. Analogues only without electric starter. For design reasons in the engine compartment.

[@Hopalong..75]

I had a 1960 175 when I was a kid, beautiful fit and finish, style was a bit outdated but great fun.

[@SirOsisofLiver]

My first bike was a GT550 triple Suzuki two stroke. I do miss that ring-a-ding-ding sound, has to be said.

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Yes it’s a joy to hear!

[@erikd.t.jensen880]

I just bought a Suzuki T 500 from 71, my first Mc in 72 love the old two-stroke 😍

[@hoofhearted5069]

Castrol r40 smelt lovely in the old days in the two strokes

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

I bought a hardly used Jawa 350 a few years back just for fun , it had a slick-shift gear change , like Triumph adopted in the 50s , it was great little bike and a reliable commuter.Also attended the Elsworth scrambles Darcy - nice to see the ' ol man back , keep up the good work !.

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Great to hear 👍🏼

[@sportster88]

My first road bike was a '74 Yamaha RD350 reed valve 2 stroke engine. It was a lot of fun! It also had a disc front brake and a drum rear but it had a 6 speed transmission which was excellent. It helped the engine to stay in the power band no matter what speed you were riding. The Jawa engine looks like it also has reed valves which helps the engine have a wider power band but they should have designed it with at least a 5 speed for better performance. I guess they wanted to reduce production costs.

[@fizzyridertoo]

Nothing like your old bike. The old RD was a refined sportsbike, as much as they actually had sportsbikes back then. The Jawa was a budget commuter.

[@SUZUsaki-kz7bl]

More than a decade before the Yamaha RD350LC was introduced to the world, Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone had created a masterpiece with a two-stroke engine. ``Bridgestone 350GTR, rotary disc valve twin engine,the company claims 40PS , peaky ride, beautiful appearance'' However, as a result of pursuing high quality, manufacturing costs rose and the price became high enough to rival British-made luxury products. Most people don't know about its existence because neither the Japanese who manufactured it (who were poorer than Westerners at the time) nor the Americans who imported it bought it.

[@pietpetersen]

Thanx for the video! I have a 1977 MZ TS 250. A 2-stroke bike from the GDR. It's so much fun riding it.

[@korneld]

I almost maimed myself with one of these when I was 18. The knee has never been the same since.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

Oh Brilliant!! An enclosed and protective chainbox!! Sadly the MZ hasn't also been restarted as a Brand. For many years it sold very well in Denmark because of a low price, making it ideal for transport to and from work.

[@roddyrobertson5393]

I do get the retro thing because I remember them back in the day but I would not be convinced to go down that road when you can get the modern, beautiful and very capable Triumph Speed 400 for way less! 🙂

[@Paul-67]

I love the Jawa 350, great to hear that they are still made in the Czech Republic. A great left field choice for a classic bike.

[@Knapweed]

I had a Jawa 350 back in the day. It had some odd quirks like the kickstart folded forward and acted as the gearshift. If it backfired when kickstarting, the engine ran in reverse so it shot backwards when the clutch was dropped. Fun times.

[@rayturner7844]

If I remember rightly the gear lever could act as a clutch as well. The handbook gave lots of information about sidecars, trailers and agricultural work. The main problem was that it was very high, I've got fairly short legs and I couldn't put both feet down.

[@Knapweed]

@@rayturner7844 I don't recall the clutch function but I'm sure there were lots of slight differences in the models. It was a very quirky, ridiculously cheap piece of transport that I am sure would still run even when the pistons were rattling in the bore. A veritable T34 of the motorcycle world. 😆

[@CNDUK-q8r]

This explains why we use to stand watching the history teacher start his 350 Jawa after school. 😂😂😂

[@zzrider805]

It was my first "big" bike. I bought it in september 1988 for the equivalent of 550€. The engine was very smooth for a 2 stroke, not peaky at all (I had an Aprilia RS250 12 years ago) and surprisingly economical (about 4L/100km / 70 mpg UK). Very nice sound came from the exhausts, it had a bassey rumble, not quite like the usual draah-draah-ding-ding sound. Listen to the sound in the video, at around 5:36, it's really more or less like that, from what I can remember. Front drum brake, still. It stopped, but braking had to be sort of planned beforehand. Agricultural gear box, 5 speed, I believe. Petrol spilled from the fuel cap. Points igniton...had electrical issues, single carburetor, hard to go beyond 120km/h / 75 ml/h. I melted a piston, going behind trucks to get more speed...

[@michaelmclarney1994]

My brother bought a new one back around 1987 ish. I hope it's better built and more reliable than the piece of junk he purchased, and sold a couple of years later but I would doubt it! The MZs 125 and 250 he had were much better and didn't let him down or miss a beat!

[@Gixie-R]

Never rode one on the road but as a youngster (80's) we had a old Jawa stripped to the bare chassis and nothing it didnt need and used it on farm tracks through ruts 2 foot deep, They can take a good beating, The bike in the end was scrapped but the engine was refurbed by one of my old teachers at school and is still going as far as i know.

[@Verk2137]

My uncle had the 350ts somewhere around 2000s.This along with mz etz 251 were the best you could get in eastern block.

[@sergentcolon1]

Those of us who started riding in the 70’s have certainly heard of Jawa and their 350’s. Especially the sidecar outfits they used to sell using the 350.

[@mjo4981]

I have a CZ 175 Street back in the seventies. It may been the most fun of any bike I've owned.

[@jediknight2350]

still got mine

[@Humans_Eh]

Nice video 👍 Ah that took me back to some 1990's good times. My old friend used to restore and love classic bikes. He had several beautiful old machines, (Honda, BSA, Sanglas) which he restored to original spec but his favourite everyday bike was an old white 70's Jawa 350 he restored from a scrapyard find. He rebuilt it, painted it in vivid Rasta colours (for some reason lol) and had badges made announcing it as a 'Jawasaki' 😄. Posessing both the slowest bike and the best sense of direction, he led the way on most journeys. Riding behind him, the combination of country lanes and 70's Czech 2-stroke technology birthed the phrase... "Ride the white smoke" I still ride, but he sold all his bikes and moved to New Zealand decades ago, but often on a deserted country road of a summers evening, I can still picture him meandering ahead of me on his colourful Jawasaki with its distinctive soumd and the smell of his exhaust in my nostrils as nostalgia enables me to be young again and once more 'Ride the white smoke'

[@revdrshad]

I hope manufacturers realize these smaller bikes are a lot cooler with kickstarters on them. That's the reason I haven't bought a Grom yet.

[@tristan6509]

It does have a kickstarter, it's intergrated to the shift lever You can pull the shift lever all the way back and use it as a kick starter.

[@bk14biker]

I had one of the original Jawa 350s back in the seventies. I got my first speeding ticket on it for doing 45mph in a 30mph zone. I didn't see the police bike behind me because of the smoke cloud from the exhaust.

[@grahamcrighton8113]

You missed some key points on the Jawa, the gear lever doubles as a kickstart (push it in spin it backwards) as the older versions never had electric start), it also has an auto clutch on the gear-lever hence it’s such a long throw on the lever, e.g. if your clutch cable went you could still ride it easily. The chain guard was standed on all bikes at one time and meant your chain lasted 3to 4 times longer, sadly lost to time for cost and perceived sporty looks. The Jawa was built for Soviet roads, e.g. worse than ours!, so the bikes were made to be comfortable, easy to maintain (single carb - you missed that) and bags of torque. They were everyday transport in the 50’s through to the 80’s in the Soviet and many Asian and African countries. They only rev to 5250 revs as they are meant to be torquey which they are, not so good at the top of the rev range. Rugged and reliable they were also cheap transport for many including my father, he had 4 of them including a sidecar taking one of them on a charity ride around the coast of the UK no issues. I had a 175, 250 and 350. I loved the 250 and rode it everywhere while a student. Jawa has a long and illustrious history including racing successfully in GP’s. I love them, thanks for doing this but could you take them on a ride next time and include more ride details, mph, mpg, comfort etc. Thank you and keep up the good work.

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Thanks for the points! This new one doesn’t have the kick starter at all

[@gavinwilson2848]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😊

[@robertwoolstencroft5946]

I bought the Jaws 350 twin fitted with the Velorex sidecar in 1980 and it served very well for many years. From Pems garage Drake Street Rochdale.

[@motohobo]

I clicked just because i wanted to hear that two stroke engine😁

[@duncancleverley6366]

The idea of owning a modern classic two stroke is very appealing… I love that they still make them.. I don’t know ow if it was the angle you had it parked at but the proportions looked a bit strange.. forks a bit too long and exhaust enormous! But it might have just been the camera angle? You can’t beat the sound (and smell) of a two stroke! 👍🏻

[@iantobanter9546]

Gotta love a full enclosure chain case. My CZ175 had one and I fitted a Peter Furlong variety to my old 550 Honda which returned 50,000 miles on an oil sintered Izumi chain in soaking wet South Wales, all those years ago.

[@willyrackham2957]

Now that was very interesting ...a great watch thank you ...being a fan of the unusual this was great I used to be in the MZ riders club and at their annual rally CZ /Jawa s were invited along great people and all were very knowledgeable and proper bikers

[@zaphodbeeblebrox4574]

I had a Jawa 350 in the late 70's. I had a sidecar on it and I remember on a particularly wet and windy night riding it on the M4. The police pulled me over and asked me why I was going so slowly (about 45 mph) !!! ... I looked at the the officer, smiled, and said "officer, that was flat out", "it won't go any faster into this headwind". He shook his head and chuckled as he walked back to his patrol car. It was a great bike 🙂

[@helenloughton2418]

Love 2 strokes any model

[@radimbelohlavek5754]

As regards a couple of questions in the remarks: - Gear level indeed serves as a kickstarter when turned to the rear of the bike. - The bike is still in production; for outside-CZ customers I would recommend Mr. Vojtech Hlasny and his company Mototechnik. To make the bike legal for the road, people use old Jawas 350 with registration and replace the old with the new (Mr. Hlasny can help). - Not to be confused with Jawa 350 OHC and Jawa 650 OHC, which are four-strokes with most parts produced by Shineray in China; both OHCs are street legal, look similar to the two-stroke. - Engine (type 638) was designed in the 1980s and has been in production by Jawa ever since (but the engine's conception is much older); - Longevity: If maintained properly, the bike used to run for 50 000 km with just a basic care; I know of some of these bikes having over 100 000 km on the clock. - Price in the Czech Republic increased significantly, it was ca 2500EUR in 2016, currently ca 4400EUR. Still very acceptable in my view given the piece of history in this bike. - Oilmaster (separate oil tank with a mechanical pump) is no longer available; this was a very nice artifact. - Reliability: Of course not as great as with current modern bikes. But better than with restored old bikes in my opinion. Parts are available with no problem; some of them are no longer produced in CZ which implies quality is worse than it used to be. - Of possible interest: The bike can be run without using the clutch lever. It has a semiautomatic clutch, a unique system developed by Jawa. Useful if the clutch cable breaks. Hope this helps... Greetings from the Czech Republic!

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Awesome! Thanks for this! Of course, compared to a racing 2 stroke mx bike (which I - The Ol Man used to have), maintenance is amazing. Race 2 strokes have to have engine rebuilds ever 10 hours or so of running, so in my opinion, the Jawa is excellent by comparison.

[@savage22bolt32]

Music to my ears.

[@bempey]

Nice bike! So much like my first bike: 50 years ago i bought a 1969 Yamaha DS6 250 twin, 2-stroke street bike. It was worn out, but i tore it down and rebuilt it over the winter (in Canada). I ported it a bit with a grind-stone in a cheap Black and Decker drill. I had it on the road the next summer, and it went like stink! But i had issues with the police ... something about not having a driver's license. I explained it's not my fault. They refused to give me a license till I'm 16. That Jawa is super high-tech in comparison. The '69 DS6/RD250 didn't have disc brakes, or hydraulic brakes, but it had oil-injection. But the Jawa is a cool bike. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[@tompeter7326]

From Germany I am astonished these bikes are still available, don´t know if here, but for comparison the RE 350 is a fuel saver, my Maico 250 /27 horses these days took 7.5 Liters/100kms., guess the Jawa 350 will take also over 5 Liters. Finally the price, around 6.000,- € thats to my feeling 2.000,- to much, sorry. Closed chain drives were quiet popular long time ago, (MZ 250) , the Honda Super Cup stll has one. Nice report !

[@tristan6509]

Keep in mind that 6000 gbp is with dealer markup and import + shipping fees I believe they only cost half that out of the factory.

[@Classics-in-the-sun]

I had one a couple of years back as a winter bike. Must say the Finnish of the is really good. It had a coat of ACF50 before each winter and I only got a little amount of rust on site glass.. The bits I didn't like where the front light wasn't the best, but guess you could change the bulb. A replaced the clutch cable with an Enfield one as the standard one would keep stretching. And personal thing it could have done with an extra gear or atlas 1;1 ratio for top gear. It was great to be able to work / service the bike from new as it was a long way back to F2 from Suffolk.. I did do an extra oil change on mine as part of the running in. Once well ran in it did seem to go better and had some good torque when on the boil, the quick ( no clutch) shift really helps with this. I did put some Lucas indicators and 70s style rear light on mine for that look. I'm afraid that ordering parts put me off in the end and had to down size my bikes. So I sold it. The only thing I had go wrong with the bike was the ignition pick up and it only ran on one cylinder.. Also the rev counter stopped working but not a biggey. I didn't know that you could change the clocks until now. Thanks for the video it's nice to find one in a Jawa, 🏍️👍 Would be nice to know if my old Jawa is still down in Devon

[@williamb.9110]

I'd buy one of those 2-stroke 350's in a heartbeat if I could get one in Canada :-(

[@paulsymonds820]

That two stroke impression was amazing MD! Great to see you both working together now it’s an excellent combination!

[@malibu188]

My brother purchased a new Jawa 350 Californian back in the 1970’s. OK bike to ride for the time, bit down on power compared to a TS400 of the same vintage. The Jawa handled a lot better.

[@olethorhermansen5696]

I remember the Jawa, CZ and MZ two strokes very well from the 1970's and 80's, they all had that brilliant enclosed chaincase. I made one of those for a Kawasaki Z750 twin I owned in the 1980's, I used the rubber tubes from an MZ chaincase and made the sprocket cover from aluminium plate. It worked brilliantly, I rode with it for years with only an occasional squirt of oil for the chain, and I hardly ever had to adjust it.

[@lauriebloggs8391]

Oh for enclosed chaincases.....if we have to have chains! Quite liked that Jawa but too expensive: is it 6 or 12 volt electrics? Points or electronic ignition?

[@olethorhermansen5696]

@@lauriebloggs8391 Exactly, chain drive sucks, with an enclosed chaincase it sucks a lot less!

[@C.A.MARSUPIAL-ys6tl]

If Australia would road worthy them I'd buy one on Monday. Love 2 strokes and it's genuine retro. Fantastic 🎉🎉🎉 thanks for a great video

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Pleased you enjoyed it 👍🏼

[@Rokus1976]

Miss the oval push in key, the analogue clock and the chrome tank cap. And you are right about the engine guard, should be taken off. Other than that it looks just like the one my dad owned! I rode with him on it from 4 years of age on. First I had to sit in the front in between his knees on the tank because I was too small. Definately the best bike ever for a first childhood experience with motorbikes! You cannot get more pure than this! Shes ALIVE.!!! Best classic bike experience ever with that SOUND! I just never got tired of that in all of those years. Definately on my bucketlist this one.

[@p24hrsmith]

WHAT £5,995 otr!!! that is an insane price for this .. I had a few back in the old days only because they were dirt cheap you can buy a mint condition original with sidecar for half that

[@RandyMoe]

I bought Jawa 350 with factory Sidecar decades ago. Loved it It had a combo shift lever and kick

[@MrDarcy-OlMan]

Great to hear 👍🏼

[@johnalleman1134]

Sorry - but come on Guys, that should NEVER cost £6000!

[@craigbutler3378]

Only in the UK. In India they are sold for a third of that price.

[@Mybwain]

Import one yourself if you can

[@ludo9234]

Friend of mine had an original one years ago, he stripped one sparkplug thread and rode it without a plug in for ages before he repaired it.

[@motorbikerscosmeticcompany1594]

As far as I know it's the most torquey 350 engine ever and super reliable if cared for properly. They were made so they could pull a chair. The lump was used for crazy 3 wheelers called velorex I think. That chain guard means the chain lasts forever. Gear lever also acts as clutch, designed back in the 60's I think. Jawa were a very innovative company in their day, it's where the Japanese literally robbed their two stroke technology from and cz. It is like going back in time, you have to "ride" them. Love it.

[@lauriebloggs8391]

from MZ..............

[@clivecartey]

Never heard of and have no idea about the "Japanese" and JAWA- but - Karl Degner stole (quite literally) the worlds most advanced two-stroke racing technology from his employers.....MZ (East Germany)....he defected to Japan with the help and connivance of SUZUKI (Mr Matsumiya & Mr Suzuki). The complete technology package that defected with him lifted SUZUKI two-stroke racing. Walter Kaaden of MZ was a brilliant design engineer and produced world-beating racing two strokes (ridden by Karl Degner), A total of 13 Grand Prix wins and 105 Podium positions. There is a very interesting 'back story' about what led to the SUZUKI racing two-stokes that Barry Sheene rode on to early victories. As an aside, it is even said that Karl Degner also took the design drawings etc for what was to be the MZ 500 Two-Stroke Twin to SUZUKI - and that became the SUZUKI T500 'TITAN' 500 Twin. (Check out the engine cases and compare them to an MZ TS250/1).

[@motorbikerscosmeticcompany1594]

@@lauriebloggs8391 Honda stole Jawa designs. Had to pay reparations.

[@motorbikerscosmeticcompany1594]

@@clivecartey Honda stole Jawa designs. Had to pay reparations.

[@lauriebloggs8391]

@@motorbikerscosmeticcompany1594 Hadn't heard that. I know Suzuki did. that with MZ.....

[@theolddog5129]

I had a CZ 2-stroke twin in the late 1970. CZ was a sister company of Jawa. Also a Yamaha DT175 and later a Kawasaki KH250 2-stroke tripple. Later on in life I moved onto model aircraft with glow-plug engines. There's nothing quite like the smell of exhaust from Methanol with a touch of Caster Oil spraying out of the exhaust of a glow engine on a breezy afternoon. It lingers for days!

[@andrewallen9993]

I run one of my Jawas on Castrol R40 and petrol at 30:1😀

[@Antanix]

I don't understand the bad comments. Anyone expecting lightning-fast performance from a Jawa 350, is like asking Stevie Wonder to go birdwatching. It should be driven more or less like a Vespa, cruising around and enjoying the torque at low engine speeds. Here in Europe we can't import a lot of nice motorbikes (especially Japanese ones) because of the silly limitations imposed by the idiots in Brussels. In the UK there is still room for very small imports. Enjoy them, because they won't last long.

[@luddite6239]

What a fantastic sound to start your video! I've always had a soft spot for the old eastern European bikes. Back in the 60s Jawa used to produce a matching trailer to tow behind the bike. Google Jawa PAV40 trailer for pics.

[@phils2180]

Well, everyday is a school day! I'd no idea they were still allowed to make machines like this, what with all the low emissions crap going on. Not really my bag but I'm glad they are still available new and I have the opportunity to own one if I so choose👍.

[@pieterwoerden2701]

Jawa made very well-thought-out motorcycles at the time. The director of the Jawa factory had more than a hundred patents to his name. Many of the patents were sold to the Japanese brands because it was not enforceable at the time. I once read an interview with this man. A very funny and interesting guy.

[@pauls8456]

I had a 1974 Jawa 350, it said in the manual do not ride over 125kmh - I did - it siezed. I tank slapped my way down the rural Australian road and thought what now? Kicked it down a few gears and let the clutch out and brummmmm bruuumm off it went. Later stripped it and only a small discolouration indicating a nipped cylinder. Gear lever was the kick starter - fun but at 25:1 it would fill a road up to tree height with blue smoke behind you ……..

[@pieterwoerden2701]

It was my first motorbike. I had a stale at 145 km/h. To my surprise, after the engine had cooled down, I could just drive home. After that, he had less compression on 1 cylinder. If you treat it well, it will last a long time and it is also economical with gasoline.