660 Jawa comes to UK

Single-cylinder 660 Sportard 'invents a whole new category' says importer modestly

CZECH manufacturer Jawa has broken away from its utilitarian two-stroke roots with this single-cylinder 660, which has gone on sale in the UK for £6,745.

The 660 Sportard uses an engine from Italian firm Minarelli, part of the Yamaha Motor Group.

With Jawa not inclined to buffet on the winds of bureaucracy, the liquid-cooled 660cc four-stroke makes 49hp - one too many for the A2 motorcycle licence introduced for new riders last year.

According to Jawa the bike's name is a combination of 'sports' and 'motard'. F2 Motorcycles, Jawa's UK importer, says it doesn't just represent a new direction for the former Eastern Bloc manufacturer but 'invents a whole new category of motorcycle'.

We're not ones to cast doubt on such claims, but really?