Gallery: The Funky, Sometimes Impressive Motorcycles of Communist Eastern Europe
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__1964 Zweirad Union Kavalier Type 115__ Known as the Tin Banana, the 1964 Zweirad Union Kavalier Type 115 came from East German bike manufacturer Zweirad Union. The motorized “Kleinkraftrad," with an engine at only 49-cc, could be ridden by 16-year-olds who were prohibited from riding anything with a motor bigger than 50 cc.
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__1947 Walter 250-cc OHC Racer__ Czech bike maker Walter made its first motorcycle in 1902, but hit its stride in 1938 when the founder’s son, Jaroslav Walter, produced built this 250-cc racing engine modeled after the popular British Excelsior Manxman. This bike first competed in 1948, but the company went out of business a year later and Jaroslav went to work for bigger Czech bike maker CZ.
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__1960 Jawa Z15 DOHC Racer__ After the Czech government mandated that Jawa merge with rival CZ, the engineering team began focusing on bigger-displacement motors, though they could only race in countries that would grant them a visa. This 500-cc 1960 Jawa Z15 DOHC Racer is one of about 12 ever built.
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__1952 IFA BK 350__ The East German 1952 IFA BK 350 won first place in its class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this year. The 350-cc two-stroke “Boxer Karden” (BK) motor borrows generously from the BMW-style boxer engine, but made only 15 bhp, for a 71 mph top speed. The bike was built until 1959, when it was axed due to high production costs.
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__1936 CZ 175 Sport Tourist__ As other European manufacturers were focusing on 500-cc motors, Franisek Janecek of Czechoslovakia wanted something smaller and easier to run. He built the 1936 CZ 175 Sport Tourist 175-cc, a single-cylinder two-stroke bike, with help from British bike racer G.W. Patchett. The resulting bike retailed for 4,250 kronen making it almost 40 percent cheaper anything else on the market.
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__1952 CZ Type 852 DOHC 125-cc__ After a government decree forced the merger of CZ with its rival Jawa in 1948, the new company, headed by chief engineer Jaroslav Walter, actually built some successful competition models. Tiny displacement bikes like this 1952 CZ Type 852 DOHC 125-cc were liked by racers and the working public for being cheap and easy to maintain.
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__1930 Böhmerland__ Built in Schönlinde, Czechoslovakia, the Böhmerland is recognizable for its comically long chassis. This 1930 model is a 3-seat “Touren,” of which 3,000 were made.
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__1956 MZ BK 350 with Simson Sidecar__ Obeying a government intervention, East Germany’s IFA, the company that made the BK 350, changed its name to VEB Moterrad Zschopau, or “MZ.” The brand sold about 41,000 bikes during the 1950s, mainly to East Germans and the rest of Eastern Europe, including this 1956 MZ BK 350 with a sidecar. It was appealing because most repairs could be made with a basic tool set.
