Jawa Tatran 125

Jawa Tatran 125

Our building is massive, we’ve moved in many directions as times gone on – fingers in lots of pies just to stay afloat and pay wages. This came up, it looked nice and was that bit different to all the Lambrettas and Vespas we were involved with.

It has no following, but when you work on it, it’s good. It’s old Eastern block engineering from the Czech Republic. They did make some very nice beautiful motorbikes over the years!

This was restored when I got it, well restored is maybe the wrong word. It wasn’t painted but powder coated – argh thats not restoring. But it’s functional, hard to scratch and at least it does have a shine. At the time when I was buying, I wanted a run around, a Lambretta isn’t a run around you darn’t leave them anywhere such is the demand and command some crazy money at times especially nicked and sold off in pieces. For what I paid for this Tatran you can’t buy a Lambretta that needs restoring!

The idea was to ride it, what ever the weather, if it was nicked you can find these cheaply in Czech if I wanted another. This was complete, taken apart, powder coated and put back together. But as usual not to my 100% standard. I started making bushes to get rid of all the slop and slack. I looked at the cylinder and wow very modern for the time even today! And the added bonus – it’s an electric start! Me been me didn’t want a standard – I do like a bit of speed.

I found a nice piston conversion and converted the cylinder to Reed Valve, but god the alloy used is not alloy its was nearly un weldable, god knows what melted down scrap they used! As I was doing that a one off cylinder head castings was used to improve the motor. As I was doing that the con rod was worn so made a crank pin and did a con rod conversion which required a full engine strip!

Then as usual, other things took over work, work, work and more work paying work to keep us going and it’s sat on a work bench ever since!

As I’ve learn’t if you don’t go back time and time again when your pulled a way you don’t finish things, this is on a long list of things to finish.

And the truth is, Im easily led on to other seemingly more interesting projects of which I have hundreds!!!!