TURKISH DELIGHT

Like most enthusiasts of Eastern European motorcycles, I find it most frustrating when it comes to buying parts to restore a project bike. If you want to restore a British or Japanese bike, there are a vast selection of sources from which you can purchase parts, from regional auto-jumbles to national bike shows, where you will find stall after stall of nice shiny goodies from exhaust pipes to pistons. Of course, many of these are replicas, but who cares, as long as they are available?

I have successfully finished my last project bike, which was a 1971 CZ 175 (model 477), and have now used it for work for about 18 months, and its reliability is almost boring. The only time I failed to get to work was when I had a puncture and this could happen to any tired vehicle (this is one problem Fred Flintstone does not have!)

Most of its cycle parts - wheels, exhaust pipe, silencers, electric’s etc., are interchangeable with later models, so it is a relatively easy bike to restore. But try getting anything for a pre-1967 CZ, or for pre 1974 Jawas, and you are guaranteed disappointment, ridicule and funny looks from anyone you might ask about parts for such a bike. So, when I decided to start on my 1973 Jawa 250 Twinport (model 559), it was soon obvious that this was to be an uphill struggle.

Everything that was supposed to be shiny was rusty - wheels, spokes, headlamp rim, grab handle, and last but not least the exhaust pipes and silencers. I made the usual enquiries, starting with my clubmates in the JAWA-CZ OWNERS’ CLUB, progressing to Mick Berrills in Northampton, (See  spares ) and finishing up with my pen-pal in Czech Republic, who replied that "even here your bike is regarded as an old bike, and parts for it are no longer made". Now I have to think about having a new exhaust pipes made up, and the silencers re-chromed!

The most willing firm were Armours of Bournemouth, who were willing to make exhaust pipes for about £36+VAT each, and silencers for £60+VAT each, so to replace the "hot shiny bits" would cost over £200, quite a lot for a bike that originally cost my only £20. On top of this would be the usual cost of paint job, sorting the wheels out, and all the other things you find need replacing once the project is underway. Not a very encouraging prospect, even for someone as keen as me on old Jawas. What was I to do?

Then I remembered reading an article in the club magazine Torque, and having heard from a couple of club members, that in TURKEY there were lots of old Jawas on the streets! When my mother-in-law offered to mind our children whilst my wife and I went on holiday as a treat for out 20^th wedding anniversary, I don’t need to tell you which country I suggested! I just hoped that the legend was true, and felt like Sinbad about the make an epic voyage into the unknown. Little did I realize that this was to be the best holiday that I have ever had.

We flew from Manchester by night, arriving at 2.30am, but as we had already put our watches ahead by two hours, it was 4.30am local time as we queued up to present our visas, which were £5 notes. Then, having collected our cases, we set off in the coach. Dawn was on its way, the sky just beginning to turn from black to blue, though it still seemed like an age before I could clearly observe the scenery and the traffic.

By 6am (while still on board the coach), I saw my first Turkish Jawa. It was maroon, and was carrying two people. I was pleased to se it as it flashed past traveling in the opposite direction, too fast for me to determine whether it was a 250 or 350 (559 or 360). As we dropped off passengers, I could see motorbikes besides many houses (about 1 in 3). I could tell that they were of Eastern European origin by the styling, but we were never close enough, or moving slowly enough, to make out further detail.

We arrived at a major town called FETHIYE, which was just beginning to liven up and there were motorcycles and mopeds everywhere, buzzing around. There were also lots of workshops visible that clearly repaired motorbikes, so things were definitely looking good!

Then I caught sight of a modern-looking bike, badged as a Jawa, with the number 250 on the air box, but I did not recognize it! By now my face was stuck to the window of the coach, and I had great difficulty in un-sticking myself when we finally arrived at our hotel. This turned out to be six miles from the town, though it had only seemed like two when traveling on the coach.

We checked into our rooms, and went to semi-outdoor dining room to have breakfast. This was a typical Turkish affair, consisting of bread, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, cheese, marmalade and Turkish tea - all of which you could partake of to your heart’s content. After breakfast, my wife Sadie, and Len and Doreen, the couple who accompanied us on this holiday, decided to "crash out" in their rooms in order to recover from the long journey. Although I was also feeling weary, I had a strong urge to "hunt Jawa".

Off I set, camera around my neck in real tourist style, on what I thought was going to be a nice two-mile stroll into town. I soon lost count of the number of Jawas that whizzed past me, all I could make out, was that these Jawas had lovely chrome sided petrol tanks. What I really wanted was to find a stationary Jawa that I could examine in detail. After about one and a half of walking in burning sunshine, I realised that my estimation of the distance into town was definitely erroneous! The road was winding up and down through the mountains, with not a single house in view. I decided to plod on, and eventually came to some houses on the extreme outskirts of the town. Lo and behold! At one of these was a stationary Jawa, a maroon 250 Twinport. It was very dusty, and appeared to be complete, and a pre-1962 model as it had a chrome-sided tank, rather than a tank with just chrome side panels. However, a look at the head-stock plate revealed it to be a1974 model. This puzzled me at first, but after examining other bikes that I saw in my two heavenly weeks, it became apparent that all bikes up to 1974 had the chrome-sided tanks.

In those two weeks, I did not find one bike with the chrome-sided panels, so I can only assume that all bikes were supplied with these chromed tanks, as standard specification (although this is pre-1963 specification) for Jawas made under licence in Turkey. I also did not find any of the 350 "Big Brother" Jawa model 360, although I was told that some were imported, but were still very rare. The Turks seem to prefer the two-stroke single machines over any other type of motorbikes, as they manufacture under licence the following bikes:

Jawa Laser 250 Twinport, Voshkod 175 Twinport, Minsk 175 Single Port, Planet 350, Tula 3-wheelers (197cc) and their own version of the Honda Vision, called the Kinetic, along with some weird Honda 100’s, (called a honda hero) that must be unique to Turkey.

They also manufacture Renault 12’s, Fiat tractors and cars! Turkey seems to like manufacturing vehicles that the rest of the world now regards as out of date. The next addition to this list will be the two-stroke engined MZ, that the Turks will begin to newer ETZ models - I did not spot any older MZ’s. You can hire an ETZ 250 or a Jawa 350 for about £10 per day, and no licence or helmet is required.

A bike that is still available in Turkey is the Indian Jawa Twinport 250. This can be bought brand new for about £600, even though I believe these are not manufactured any more.

They are really nice bikes, slightly modernised with a square finned barrel, 12 volt electric ignition, and indicators. This model is badged on its California-type tank, as an Indian Jawa Road king. Its price is very close to the Turkish-made Jawa Twinports, manufactured as the JW-Laser. The Laser is a very smart bike, even my dealer said that he could sell this model after seeing the colour brochure. If Turkey joins the EU (European Union), who knows what could happen? All interested parties please form a queue outside Mick Berrills!

Coming back to modern imports, you can buy a model 640 Jawa for about £900, in colours that we have never seen! The RD look alike (white style) is listed as model 641. There are also new-style CZ 180’s (with Jikov carburettors), 50cc Simsons and MZ ETZ 250’s and 150’s.

The rental shops offered Yamaha DT’s which were very popular with tourists, but were too dear for the local Turks. It was very rare to hear the approaching growl of a Japanese "4", and these usually belonged to Europeans, but I must say that the smartest honda that I saw was 750-4, which was the local policeman’s mount!

Coming back to my walk into town, I eventually came to what we would describe as a minibus terminal, with a small refreshments cabin. Standing outside this cabin was the attendant’s bike, which was one of the strangest Jawas I had ever seen. I bought a Coke, and offered to buy him one, which he declined, though when asked if the bike was his, and then if I could photograph it, he proudly acceded. It was an early Jawa Laser, with a bog standard 6v Twinport engine which was very distinct. It had a box section frame, but everything else had been "modernised".

It had a longer, wider swinging arm, which allowed use of 18-inch wheels. The all-enclosing paneling had been replaced with an air filter box with side panels, the tank, mudguards and seat were all additions, and it had twin clocks in a pod containing an ignition switch with a proper key! What was strange about this arrangement was that the clocks were of different sizes, the speedometer was standard whilst the tachometer was much smaller. I did not realise it at the time, but this was a very scruffy example of a Turkish Jawa Laser.

After looking at other models, I could see that the Laser had evolved over the years from this model into the latest model, which has 12V electric’s, up-swept exhausts, square barrel, MZ twin clocks (mechanical tachometer), MZ-style tank and seat, and even magnetic alloy wheels. What was very strange was that the front brake was that the front brake is still a single leading shoe! Overall, though, the latest model is a very smart-looking bike.

After the rest and drink, I decided to take the soft option and take the minibus into town. I haven’t yet mentioned that I was going to try to obtain some parts for my old Jawa. I had brought a little album containing a selection of pictures from my extensive collection, for obvious reasons. I had photographs of my Twinport in the condition in which it was found, complete with its rusty exhaust - and wheels covered in cow muck - along with my other bikes, a 1971 CZ 175 (model 477), a 1972 Jawa 350 (model 360), and a 1981 Jawa Mustang 50. This little album proved to be worth its weight in gold, and acted as a passport for me, while on my travels and adventures in Turkey.

I jumped onto the waiting bus, seated myself at the front seat near the driver, and paid the fare, 10,000 Turkish Lire (TL), which is approximately 20p. I showed the driver some of my photographs, which he liked, although he was obviously not a "biker" type of person. Then, as we started off towards town, a local chap got onto the bus and began to converse with me in English, starting with the usual pleasantries: "Where are you from?", etc. Then I showed him my photographs, and told him what I was after, and to my amazement, he replied, "Perhaps I can help you to find these parts, but first of all I must go to my shop".

So we got off the minibus and walked to his shop, which was full of Meerschaum, hand-carved smoking pipes. I was offered a seat and some Turkish tea (this is a traditional courtesy in Turkey, and they will keep refilling your glass all day if you allow them to!) Then, a couple of hours later, he locked up the shop and we set off to his brother’s restaurant to borrow his wheels, which were the Turkish equivalent of the Honda Vision! We were soon hurtling through the streets of Fethiye, with my holding on for dear life, as the Turks seem to drive a little quicker than we do, especially in town! I soon discovered that one section of the Turkish Highway Code is that if one vehicle wants to overtake another, it sounds its horn, upon which the blocking vehicle will pull over to let the overtaking vehicle pass. It seemed strange to have a tiny moped toot at a lorry or bus, and have that much large vehicle move over to allow you to pass. However, if you do not toot, and try to overtake, but are knocked off in the process of overtaking, then the blame is placed on your shoulders.

The general rule regarding overtaking is that you must make the other road user aware of your intention to overtake, and for this reason, most Turkish vehicles have had the standard horns ditched, and very loud replacement horns fitted. Even mopeds have twin air-horns fitted! This is certainly something that is not seen in Britain.

At our third stop, we came to a Jawa dealer in an industrial area, which was such as hive of activity that my eyes almost popped out! There were Eastern European bikes all over the place. There were two mechanics working on a Jawa 250 Twinport and a Russian 350 Planet, who also seemed oblivious to my camera. Inside the shop, the walls were covered with row after row of shelving, full of bike spares (mainly for Jawas!). I could see bearings, dynamos, con-rod kits, pistons and a whole assorted of other things. What really amazed me was the sheer quantity of stock that was on display, there was not just one or two of each item, but six or seven!

Through my newly-found friend Ismail, who translated for me, I established that a shipment of Jawa parts was due in the very next day, including exhaust down-pipes and silencers for my Jawa. I asked the bottom-line question: "How much?" the answer was 1,500,000 TL. I knew that there were 45,000 TL to the pound, but it was still very hard to grasp just what this figure would become in Sterling - and to my surprise, it came to less than £30. The next day, as promised, I became the proud owner of a new set of down-pipes and silencers.

(NB. This story was composed in may of 1994, and these prices were typical of the economic climate, and exchange rate at that time. Each year the exchange rate, and inflation takes it’s toll in Turkey, so one must not take these examples to be current, or up to date!)

During my holiday I visited this shop many times, and bought the following goodies: 72 spokes for my 16" wheels (£6), headlamp rim (£2) , chromed grab-handle (£1), seat cover (£2.50) and shock-absorber rubber, and rubber toolbox trims for such silly amounts that I have forgotten their prices. (Of course, now that I am back home in my work-shed, I can think of all sorts of items that I wish I had remembered to buy!) I was beginning to wonder if this was really happening, or whether my clock-radio would shortly go off and rouse me from a dream to go to work, but up and until now, it seemed to be real enough!

Ismail then took me to the bus terminal, put me on the correct bus, told the driver my destination, the hotel, and helped sort out the right money for the fare, as it is very difficult to relate to such vast numbers. (This is one place where Italians would feel well at home, if they came for a holiday!) Ismail’s actions turned out to be typical of the attitude of friendliness shown by the Turkish populous towards visitors, though I still think, that I was very lucky to meet him on my first day in Turkey. When I arrived back at the hotel, it was about 6.30 PM, and although I was tired, it felt as though I was walking on air!

But what about the reception that I could expect from my wife? After all, I had been gone all day! Fortunately, my wife and our friends were still feeling lethargic from the overnight flight, even after their sleep, and so had spent the whole day lounging around the pool with no inclination to begin touring. So I relived the day for them, relating to them all that had happened. If effect, Sinbad had found the treasure for which he had hopped and searched, in a distant land, and which probably could not be found in any other country in the world!

In Turkey, the weather is generally so good that the dining area of most hotels is a sort of semi-enclosed building, well away from the main buildings, so as we ate breakfast we could see and hear many bikes go past, especially as the Turks seem to remove the baffles from their bikes, enabling them to be heard a long time before they are seen. This was a real boon, in as much as I could hear an approaching Jawa or Planet very clearly, and still have time to ready the video-camera to film the bike as it went past. Many times passing bikers realised that they were being filmed, and so would smile or wave as they passed by.

Now, in the main, the Turkish people are quite poor, so to the majority of bikers their bike is an essential means of transport. In fact, it really is the modern equivalent of a horse - literally - as the women sit side-saddle whilst their husbands take them to the market. Most bikes have rear carriers fitted to them, to which all sorts of items are strapped. There was a guy in the local village who ran some sort of delivery service on his CZ 180, as I noticed him carrying the following items on various occasions: bread, yoghurt, milk, and even a full bag of cement! The local bakery delivered their wares with a Planet 350, a Russian-designed bike build in Turkey, that we in the UK know as a Planeta, and it would tow a small trailer, piled high with freshly baked bread. In fact, most items, even gas bottles, were delivered on a motorcycle, or even on a moped!

The best discovery was that even the postmen used 250 Jawas to deliver the mail these bikes were quite distinct from the hundreds of maroon Jawas, as they were cream and black, with the letters PTT on the front mudguard. It was nice to see all these Eastern European bikes being used for the purpose for which they were designed, as a cheap and reliable means of transport.

What was strange was that there was a massive gap between the older and newer models. There were old Jawa Twinports about, as well as modern Jawa 638’s, 640’s and CZ 180’s: yet I saw no sign of earlier models such as the 634 or 638 Mark 1 Jawas, and the only CZ’s I saw were up-to-date 180’s. The Russian bikes were the same: there were old Planet 350’s with lovely side panelling and covered carburettors (as well as the newer model which is produced in Turkey), yet there were no old Minsk, or Voshkod 175’s - just the new ones: and likewise no old MZ’s, only the recent ETZ range. I don’t know if Turkey went through an economic bad patch, or if my observations are true only of the South of the country, and the picture in the North might be totally different. If I get the chance to go again, I will go further North to find out.

The industrial heart of the country appear to be the Istanbul area, where they manufacture the JW-Laser, Planet, Minsk, Renault 12’s and Fiat tractors. If you desire to go factory-spotting on your vacation, this is the place to go! What is surprising for us Brits is the sheer size of the country. The whole of the UK and the North Sea could be placed within it borders.

You find as you journey through Turkey, that even the people look different! I would hazard a guess that most of the modern bikes are up in the North of the country, with the older bikes down in the South. There were also a fair amount of scooters about too, ranging from old ‘LI’ Lambrettas and Vespas, to the modern Grand Prix and Indian-made models. I saw early BMW Boxer twins with Earls forks, which I would guess to be early 1960’s models, what was interesting was that they all had Jikov carburettors fitted, although I suppose this should not come as such a surprise when you take into consideration the fact that this is a nation full of Jawas. Needless to say, I only saw one bike not on the road, a Jawa 638 Twin Sport, which was being used as a "donor bike". As a rule, most bikes were kept running, because, as I mentioned before, they are an essential means of transport for the average Turk, and this is probably why the dealers were so well stocked with parts.

One type of bike that I came across is certainly unique to Turkey: this was Peugeot moped with twin cylinders which, when I first saw it, caused me to believe that I was seeing things. It was in fact two engines married together with locally-bought kit that gives a 103cc moped! As you do not need a licence to ride a two-wheeler in Turkey, anything that you can cobble together can be ridden on the road.

All the teenagers seemed to be running around on mopeds, and in most main streets moped repair centres could be found. What made me green with envy was the condition of the chrome on these bikes: due to the sunny weather, the chrome looked lovely, and the paint was flaking off, quite the reverse of what happens in the UK. The Turks were quite surprised to see my pictures of my rusty, chrome-flaking Jawa! Even though Turkey has quite wet winters in the south, the bikes are used regularly, which helps a lot: whereas in Britain, if you were to discover and Eastern European bike to restore, the chances are that it would have spent many hours in a state disuse, exposed to the elements - unless you were very lucky!

Now you may wonder how I managed to discover and see so much whilst on holiday with my wife and friends. On returning home and relating some of my experiences typical remarks included, "Wasn’t much fun for you wife!" or "What was your wife doing whilst you were out chasing motorbikes?" The answer to these questions, which imply acute selfishness, is that I chose my moments carefully. There were several days on which my wife and friends preferred to lounge around the hotel swimming pool due to the heat, and these were the days on which I took the opportunity to sling my cameras around my neck, and set off to "hunt Jawa".

We enjoyed many activities together, boat trips, coach trips, dining out and shopping for gifts being just a few. Whatever your hobby, Turkey is an ideal place for climbing, cycling, hang-gliding, scuba diving, motorcycling, train spotting, bird spotting, swimming, exploring ancient ruins (Ephesus, for example), or just lounging around in hot sunshine working in your tan. Whatever you want to do, the Turks will go out of their way to ensure that you are happy, nothing seemed too much for them! I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Turkey as a holiday destination for anyone. I can’t wait to go again!

Many have asked, "How did you get all that stuff through customs?" Well, I hate to disappoint you, but motorcycle parts are not classified as contraband, or illegal imports. You can now bring back from a non-EU country into the UK as "personal imports" goods up to a value of £136 - much more than the old limit of £34. Sadly, I didn’t discover this until arriving back at Manchester Airport!

Next time I may well take the children, as they had plenty of questions about our holiday, and are assured of a wonderful time should we be able to take them sometime. Many Jawa friends asked me, “How did you get your silencers through the X-ray machine at the Turkish airport?  Didn’t they think that your silencers were part of an Iraqi supergun for Saddam Hussein?”  Well, I watched the guard X-ray my suitcases, and he didn’t even bat an eyelid! I suspect that he himself used a Jawa to commute to work, and therefore recognised them, and probably thought to himself, “These Western tourists, they will take home any old rubbish!”

 THE END

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 © Mario Mager