Jawa had a big market for their Six Days
models in Finland in early 60's. They did sell quite similar military model to
Finland and Sweden.
In the fifties people did not have so many cars and some of the roads were not
that good, either. Forest and construction workers had to get to sites, were
motorcycles were the only transportation. Sydney Olympics Shot putting Gold
Medalist Arsi Harju was interviewed about his bikes (people in his small
town got him a Harley) and 15 tractors etc. He was asked why he has nine
Jawas among the more valued bikes. He told that Jawa had such great meaning for development
in Finland in the fifties.
By the way he did not let the journalist too see his motors.
In late sixties the market for Jawa
died. Jawas and MZ's had been quite inexpensive and they could be bought without
hard currency. After the WWII many countries were lacking foreign currency,
Finland was one of them. You had to get an import license for vehicles and you
had a quite long waiting list. East European products were easier to get since
their money was not worth much. West European tourists traveled to Soviet Union
and Soviet block countries, where you could get a lot of vodka and beer for a
pair of jeans. In Leningrad (called now again Sankt Petersburg) the Finnish
tourists were called "Finski furistj - Vodka turistj"
In the fifties and early sixties not all Finns knew English that well. So the
Sixdays model was often called Sixten, having the name mixed with Swedish cross
country skiing champion Sixten Jernberg. Today 100 % of Finnish kids learn
English at school. That is the highest figure among EU (European Union)
countries. In Sweden the figure is something like 99%, in Italy it is lowest at
78% (not too bad, either)
Later, mopeds replaced motorcycles as the inexepensive method of transportation.
Also, later you could forget about motorcycles as any inexpensive method of
transportation (see that Ducati page).
Famous Finnish Tunturi moped
Pasi Mustalahti has more on
mopeds
Questions about famous Czech people
1. Who would you meet, if you went to have a beer at U Kalicha six o'clock
after the war? If you really did not know, here's the answer
2.
Why there is so little dialogue in Taking off, the first film Milos
Forman did in the USA?. By the way, what was his last picture made in
Czechoslovakia?
If you really did not know, here's the answer
Answers
1.
The Good Soldier Josef Sveik, of course. more
on him
Here is Josef Svejk on a TA125.
2. Milos Forman knew so little
English at that time. His other US films are .
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Hair
Ragtime
Amadeus
Valmont
The People Vs. Larry Flynt
Man on the Moon
His last film made in Czechoslovakia was Firemen's
Ball
In Czech the name is something those Finns, who enjoy Cheech & Chong
and other material in that taste, remember well. That is Hori, ma panenko.
There will be more on Jawas,
later. You will also see more Jawas here.