Motorcycle CZ-350 1986 with mileage 1316 kilometers (16 photos)
Motorcycles from the ?esk? zbrojovka from the Czech city of Strakonice were supplied to the USSR not as en masse as the related Jawa. These devices had a special “foreign” charm and were highly rated among domestic motorists. The most widespread in the Soviet Union were the 350 cc models of the 472 family, which were produced in various variations from 1976 to 1989.
The final chord of this popular line was the 472.6 model, which hit the production line in 1985. Unlike the same "Java", the CZ-350 was sold exclusively as "singles", which contributed to authority and respect among the youth and rockers of that time. In the second half of the 80s, a new one, in a wooden box, “Cheset” cost exactly 1050 Soviet rubles. The demand for the car was quite high, so motorcyclists often had to travel all over the Union to snatch the coveted “Chiza” in a motorcycle store or “Sporting Goods”.
Somewhere in one of them, in the Latvian SSR, this copy of model 472.6 was purchased. We drove it quite a bit: the odometer covered only 1,318 kilometers. After which, as often happens, the equipment was put in the garage for many years.
The motorcycle was only remembered this year and put up for sale for 1,500 euros. A buyer was found quickly: literally in a matter of days the device disappeared from the local bulletin board.
Despite some external similarities with the Jawa-350, the CZ model 472.6 motorcycle had a number of significant differences. These are, first of all, a lighter tubular frame, an aluminum swingarm, aluminum steering wheel controls and headlight housings, light-alloy wheel rims, and rear shock absorbers of a more successful design. Compared to the previous 472.5, a tachometer appeared on the dashboard and 12V electrical equipment.
The 2-cylinder 2-stroke engine with a displacement of 350 cc had a power of 22 hp. and was almost completely identical to the “Java” one (there were slight differences in the intake and exhaust systems).
The weight of the device is 156 kilograms, and the fuel tank capacity is 18 liters. The reference fuel consumption declared by the manufacturer is 4.6 l/100 km at a speed of 80 km/h. At the same time, the maximum speed of the motorcycle reached 120 km/h (or 125 km/h with a recumbent landing).
In addition to the USSR and Eastern European countries, CZ motorcycles were widely known throughout the world. Largely thanks to success in motocross and enduro. In 1962, the company produced a cross-country motorcycle with a single-cylinder two-stroke 250 cc engine.
Soviet racer Viktor Arbekov at one of the stages of the World Motocross Championship:
Belgian racer Joël Robert won world titles with this machine in 1964, 1968 and 1969. In 1964, Soviet athlete Viktor Arbekov won third place in the World Championship on it.
The first motocross world champion in the history of the USSR!
And in 1965, he was the first Soviet rider to win the motocross world champion title! In the 500 cc class on a CZ motorcycle, the world motocross champion in 1967 and 1968 was the GDR rider Paul Friedrichs. From 1947 to 1982, the Czechoslovakian team on CZ motorcycles repeatedly won six-day enduro competitions.
The collapse of CMEA and Czechoslovakia caused serious difficulties with the sale of CZ motorcycles. In the early 90s, the company was bought by the Italian company Cagiva. She set up production of her own Roadster 125 and W8 models at the plant. However, in 1998, the Italians themselves found themselves in a deep financial crisis and were forced to finally stop producing motorcycles in the Czech Republic.
Scan of the company brochure for CZ 472.6:
