I thought to post a link to a vid which might be of interest to those interested in m/cycling history and those who might have interest in engine development...?

I liked this vid as it provides close up images of the machinery. As a yoof the only Jawa I had heard of was that which seemed dominant on the local speedway track..

I think my favourite from the vid was the model 673 from 1967 found at circa 31:28mins in..

https://youtu.be/430rhMF_hgM

Bill Ivy rode for them briefly in 1969, after returning to motorcycle racing following a car racing interlude to his bike racing career. Sadly he died while racing a Jawa 350cc at the Sachsenring.

Lil Bill was returning to the paddock during a practice session and unhooked his helmet. At that point the engine seized and he was slow to declutch -presumably because his left hand was on his helmet strap. A concrete post stopped proceedings after the locked rear wheel cast him off. Tragic.

Unfortunately that is in the same category as "I didn't put my helmet on because I was just riding around the block". We have all done that haven't we? I know I have, and nearly suffered the consequences. Also, don't forget, a lot of people did not wear helmets on the road until it became obligatory.
Even so what bad luck.
It reinforces the necessity to wear a helmet at all times doesn't it. I now wear a helmet always when riding the bicycle too. Initially it was under doctors orders because of blood thinning medicines.

Guilty as charged, living a couple of hundred yards along a private road I would often run a bike to the end of the road and back minus a helmet, to listen to the engine or any other noises I might be in search of resolving..

I wonder if there many on TM who are not on blood thinners these days...

Sad to read the details of Bill`s accident, thanks for the heads up.

I'm not really a 'fatalist' as such, but in some cases it seems that 'when your time's up, your time's up'.

In the case of Bill, an engine siezing at exactly the time you're removing your helmet and then sliding into an equidistantly spaced concrete fence post seems to suggest that the fates were conspiring against him!

(and no blood thinners here - yet)

When I first started riding bikes it was not compulsory to wear a helmet, I would leave the house wearing one to keep mum happy and take it off around the corner ! Fortunately I always landed on my bum and not my head.

I lost a mate in the 2005 Manx Grand Prix.

A very experienced Manx Grand Prix/TT rider, he was going through Union Mills at speed when a bee entered through the gap in his visor, stung him and caused him to loose control and crash.

Much missed to this day

Arwyn

Sorry to read of your friend Arwyn, there is no doubt that m/cycling has it`s dangers and the MGP/TT has to be about the most dangerous form of it..

Here is a vid of the Bill`s Jawa being fired up and running.... music to the ears of any two-smoke fan..?

https://youtu.be/3F8n5ZqB-0s

I have never seen this bike before but the sound is fantastic. In German we say: "Der Motor hängt sehr gut am Gas,," (The engine has good throttle response)