Jawa Motorcycles and Scooters: Workshop & Service Repair Manuals

Jawa is a brand of road motorcycles manufactured in Tinets nad Sazavou (Czechoslovakia) with the same name concern. Jawa motorcycles were available for sale in the USSR.

The name “Jawa” is an abbreviation on behalf of the owner of the factory, František Janeček, and on behalf of the company Wanderer, from which the entrepreneur bought equipment and a license to manufacture the first motorcycles under the brand name “Jawa”.

The first Jawa model, produced under license by Wanderer since 1929, had a four-stroke engine with a cylinder capacity of 500 cm3, was quite complex, expensive and not in demand. The success of the brand came with the development in 1931 of a light motorcycle with a two-stroke engine with a cylinder volume of 175 cm3. In 1934, a four-stroke Jawa with an engine displacement of 350 cm3 was mastered, then a two-stroke engine with an engine displacement of 250 cm3. In 1937, the production of the Jawa-Robot motorbike began.

After the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, the plant came under the control of the German authorities and began the production of military equipment. However, the development of new motorcycle models on it continued. By the end of 1944, the company had prepared for production new models of motorcycles with two-stroke engines with a volume of 250 and 350 cm3 and a rear suspension of a candle-type design of DKW.

After the liberation of Czechoslovakia, the plant was nationalized and in May 1945 resumed production of motorcycles. In 1946, the new Java 250 model made a sensation at an exhibition in Paris, winning a gold medal. For the softness of the ride, the motorcycle was nicknamed “Perak” (springy).

In 1953, the production of a new family of Jawa motorcycles with two-stroke engines of 250 and 350 cm3 and a swingarm rear suspension was launched. Motorcycles were produced in conjunction with another Czech company CZ.

In 1970, the production of a new series of Jawa motorcycles 250-623 and 350-633, distinguished by their original design, began. Motorcycles had a spinal frame and an engine with a separate lubrication system. In 1973, the Jawa 350-634 model with a duplex closed frame and a new motor went into series. The production of motorcycles with an engine capacity of 250 cm3 ceased. After modernization in 1984, the model received an index of 638 and continues to be produced with minor changes. The total number of Jawa motorcycles released in the 80s exceeded 3 million.

In the Jawa-India joint venture under the Ride brand, Jawa -250 models have been produced since 1960, and Jawa -350 since 1983.

After the collapse of the CMEA, the production of Jawa motorcycles fell sharply, but the company managed to stay afloat and maintain the production of motorcycles of an original design. The range of models has expanded to include motorcycles with more powerful Rotax and Honda engines.