whats this hot rod

[paul]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/pre60-250-Jawa-scrambler_W0QQitemZ300362375151QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Motorcycles?hash=item45eefe1fef

[firko]

Ah memories....The bike's a pretty cool Jawa Californian 'modified' for MX. I think I raced against this same bike at Mortlake in the early 90s and it went pretty well considering the puss heap it had evolved from. Don't get confused and think that this is similar to a twin port CZ. Even though they share the same parentage, absolutely nothing is interchangable between the two.
A few years ago Anthony Suttor got a placing in pre 65/250 at the Barabool Nats on of all things a 200cc Bultaco Campera.(ah for the days when we ran not just one pre 65 class but a 250 division as well!). In a fit of drunken bravado I bet him that if he can trophy on a slow old dung beetle like a Campera I could do it on a Jawa Californian.
A clean unblemished Californian was purchased from Brad Lewis and I started the bikes transformation. About 40kg of Iron Curtin mild steel was removed from the frame, CZ forks and wheels fitted, a British alloy tank of some description put in place of the 2mm thick steel Jawa item a Maico seat and generic alloy fenders screwed in place. Then it was time to get into the engine. To get the right drum I rang Newcastle Jawa/CZ maestro Dave Morris to line up some porting and get the dimensions ofr a pair of pipes. Now, Dave is a great bloke, willing to help anyone get another Czech bike onto the track but when I told him of my plans he started pissing himself laughing uncontrollably. Once he calmed down he explained that the cast iron Jawa barrel had the most basic 3 port configuration ever and had been designed in the 1920's and was still virtually unchanged. He explained that it was almost impossible to port the Jawa for any sort of power and that to produce efficient expansion chambers they'd have to be about 8 feet long and 9" diameter at the centre section. In other words, even though thousands of communist comrades rode them to work in the munitions factories every day with nary a hint of drama, to actually tune one to race would be a task of phenomenal proportions.

Disapointed at the news, I sold the bike to Ray Atkins, paid up the bet to Anthony and went back to my beloved Maicos. Methinks this seller is on dream capsules if he thinks he can get 3.8k for this old commo.

As Daryl said in the Castle...''Tell him he's dreamin' son".

[DR]

I thought it may have been a converted Californian but I didn't say for fear of upsetting someone if it was a real deal. As Firko said it's a great conversion of a shit model and just goes to show you can make something out of nothing if you have some vision. For any of the 'younger' generation 'such as me ', I could easilly think it was the real pre'60 mx'er if not for the fact I've had some experience with californians and their 800rpm redline great bike, I reckon it looks the goods and you won't see too many others

[albrid-3]

That Jawa go`s and rides very well, Graham Dawe built that bike, a lot effort went into that bike, with the right rider on board she is a winning machine.

[firko]

That's the guy, Graeme Dawe, nice bloke from memory. I don't know what he did to it but it really does go quite unlike a Californian.

[shortshifter]

I found some piccies of the Jawa MX bikes of the 50s and early 60s and outwardly the engine cases look very similar.It would be good to see this bike out on track again (maybe at the right price) but is it pre 60 legal (is that a mikuni carb?)who would you run against?We need more of this era bikes at meetings.

[firko]

Paul, I'd assume you could race in pre 60 but until more research was done I'd say it was pre 65 legal. M.O.M.S 18:7:2: states "Jawa 2 stroke : all except ISDT model but doesn't mention Jawa at all for pre '60. My own potential pre 65 Californian was a '72 model. I believe all of the engines were pretty much the same since the early days and the square section frames all look the same. The fifties Californians had 16" wheels from memory but I don't think that's an important thing. The Mikuni is pre 65 legal these days.
 Could the Jawa Calfornian be the new Royal Enfield as far as raising the hackles of the traditionalists who go into a hissy fit evertime a cheapo pre 65 "alternative" is brought up? You're a naughty, naughty boy Paul.