American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 169 August 2013 | Page 8

A legend reborn?
IN the inter-war years, and right up to the 1960s, there were many motorcycle projects around the world that were either based on HarleyDavidson chassis and engine combinations, or who copied HarleyDavidson engineering. In recent years, a number of Eastern European motorcycle brands from the inter-war years have returned to production – sometimes in modest volume numbers and sometimes as one-off specials. The latest to do so is Sokol, which was produced in Poland in the 1930s. The brand owed its origins to a late 1927 specification issued by the Polish army for a general purpose heavy motorcycle to replace the HarleyDavidsons that it had used up to that point. In 1932, the CWS company (Central Automotive Workshops) had produced around 200 CWS M55 sidecar-

equipped models heavily based on the Harley-Davidsons that it was to replace (though the engine was an almost direct copy of the Indian), but the machine lacked the reliability required for military use. Subsidized by the Polish state, PZinz modified the earlier design to produce the CWS M111, a new construction that was reliable, user-friendly and immune to the harsh conditions in which it served. However, by then the design was already slightly outdated and heavy for its class. Despite that, and the high price generated by the quality of the construction, it remained in production from 1933 until the outbreak of World War 2 in Europe in 1939. Last year, Sokol Motocykle S.A. was formed in Warsaw, Poland to bring the brand back into production with models that are said to feature “ultramodern construction” which will be “handcrafted and proudly made in Poland by master craftsmen strongly experienced in building custom motorcycles.” The company says that “only the finest Polish and American made parts will be used” and that it is focused on

manufacturing two rigid-framed models – the Sokol 1000, a 1300cc/80ci v-twin and Sokol 2000, an 1800cc/110ci v-twin. The company says that the objective is to produce about 30 motorcycles a year, with the prototype of the Sokol 1000 to be unveiled at the end of 2013. The engine will be based on the 1938 engine, an air-cooled 80 cubic inch flathead style v-twin with points ignition, electric starter, 4 piston brake callipers, a 5 speed gearbox with primary belt/final chain drive set-up, 18 inch aluminium wheels and carburetor, producing between 60 and 80 bhp with a claimed maximum speed of 100 mph and a 3.5 gallon gas tank giving it a range of around 155 miles (250km).

www.sokol-motocykle.pl

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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - AUGUST 2013

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