![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
2002 model 610cc Four Stroke Enduro
|
||
Praga is a Czech Motor Company with a long and proud history... As War approached, the factory moved away from automobile manufacture toward miltary production. The production plant was 90% destroyed during the War. In the aftermath, Praga fell under Communist rule, was nationalised, and production concentrated increasingly upon trucks, heavy machinery and miltary equipment. Nowadays, Praga concentrates on heavy duty gearboxes and has consistently performed well in World Truck Trial competitions. The company still has the plant that was built in the days before the collapse of Communism, and faces a real battle to compete. Today the factory concentrates on gearbox manufacture and military equipment. In the 1990's, a group of factory personnel, who were passionate about off-road motorcycles, persuaded the factory to invest in the manufacture of off-road machines. Praga Motorcycles, in its short life, combined the great engineering traditions of the country that produced World Class Motorcycles such as CZ and Jawa, with the high-tech accessories of specialist manufacturers such as Paioli and White Power. In 2001, Mike Owens, a lifelong off-road motor cycle enthusiast persuaded his great friend and fellow enthusiast, Chris Chalkley that it would be a great crack to get involved in importing these potentially World-beating machines into the UK. So, they went into partnership to become sole UK importers, and after importing a few sample machines, they decided to make a road trip to visit the factory and to collect a van full of bikes...
|