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#1
19 Dec 2012
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Jawa 350
Hi i am considering a new Jawa 350 to run in use as a commuter then do a trip with a challenge ride to eastern europe on it next year
never owned a Jawa and wondered if anyone has owned one recently to give me some idea of practical usability, reliability payload etc looking forward to replies cheers 
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#2
19 Dec 2012
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Hi Tony and welcome,
I don't have any direct experience of Jawas although a few friends had them back in the 80's, they needed a bit of keeping on top of then but I would imagine like anything else from the Czech republic the quality and technology has improved since then. They are popular in Egypt where they seem to be the only things that will run on the dreadful 80 octane petrol some places sell so that has to be a good point. Dare to be different and give one a go.
__________________
You can be too careful
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#3
20 Dec 2012
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There was a discussion on the merits or otherwise of Jawa 350's here about six months ago. With a bit of luck this link should get you to it - http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-opinion-64154
In essence it says any bike is better than no bike but .... ! Having said that I suppose if you want it for some sort of Top Gear style challenge there are worse Soviet era smokers you could have decided to use.
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#4
20 Dec 2012
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Jawa 350
thanks both
any info is good - especially seeing as the Euro has forced cost to £3400 but on the plus side they seem simple enough and as said seem to run on poor fuel better than higher stressed machines i see Jawa do a "military" version which "looks the part" talking of parts i would imagine they should be relatively easy to source - anyone with info on what goes wrong typically would be great quote of "cruising speed of 50mph" sounds good but "heavy on fuel" sounds bad - experience (West Africa two up camped every day for 2 months on 600 transalp (ps this bike "Victoria" got nicked the DAY we got back to blighty!!!) and north/central america solo on a KLR 650 riden from north Vancouver to Guatemala and back - tells me to travel light and take only essentials so a simple stroker 350 may be it keep posts coming - i need to make decision fairly soon to start planning (alternative is XT 600 or superdream 400 or Vstrom 650 (my current bikes) but it would be nice to take a Jawa bought in uk back home for a visit! thanks all tony
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#5
20 Dec 2012
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Hi Tony
I don't want to hog the conversation here, particularly as its been quite a while now since I had my lifetime experience of Jawa 350s, but if you're seriously considering spending that sort of money on one I'd strongly suggest you arrange some sort of extended test ride first. If you like it and think it's value for money then fine but sign the contract with your eyes open. Compared to the other bikes you have available I'd think it represents the road less traveled.
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#6
22 Jan 2013
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I'd agree totally with the test ride. They aren't bad bikes to ride, handling is reasonable within limits and will cruise at 60/70 no problems. My memory is of the abysmal materials/build quality and a level of reliability that was unacceptable even for a budget hack. On the plus side, you could service it with a nail file and a lump hammer, and it was very easy to work on. You say you have an XT600? Stick with that - proven touring ability, tough as a rock, reliable.
I ought to say that my bike was bought new in 1974 and properly looked after. Things may have improved for Jawa since then, but if all I had was one of those to go touring on, I'd take a bicycle.
__________________
2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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#7
23 Jan 2013
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Jawa 350
I live in the Czech Republic and all I can say is that no one buys them here, I cannot even think of a single local Jawa showroom.
Have a look at this road report .Jawa 350 first ride - | Motorcycle News | New Motorbikes | Buyers Guides | MCN I agree with others and use your money to buy something more reliable and main stream where parts are readily available everywhere as there are no Jawa dealers since they went bust in the 1990¨s. Plenty of very old bikes for sale from about 100 quid, I did see a new Jawa at the local CZ bike show last year that had a Yamaha engine in it as type of enduro but not seen one since. If you really are set on having one then remember that they are 2 stroke and will end up smoking like a navvy and cannot carry much so a waste of time as a tourer. 
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#8
24 Jan 2013
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I had one and I found it unreliable and not very well designed. There are some "smart features" like combined gearshift pedal and kickstart lever, that dont work well enough if you ask me.
It had a tendency to blow head gaskets (though easily fixed) and in cold weather it ran very poorly. Parts are available, but not easily. The good side is that the enclosed chain offers nice lifetime and that the engine is powerfull enough for two-up sideroad driving or one-up freeway driving. I would not recommend it, from my limited experiences. An MZ is more reliable, if you want two-stroke, but I would choose a Honda CG125 or something like that for traveling simple. I own a chinese knock-off of a CG125 and it work splendidly. Much more reliable than a two-stroke and I bought it used for pennies...
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Peter Kongsbak South East Asia, USA, Central and South America and Scandinavia.
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