Motorcycle CZ 250 Twin Sport: all the pros and cons of the design

CZ Motorcycles is a Czechoslovak manufacturer of motorcycle equipment, well known throughout the post-Soviet space. And although it was not as widespread as its fellow countryman, this was, perhaps, the main highlight of “Ceseta”.


After all, it has long been known that what is little or not enough for everyone always arouses increased interest. This fact is clearly visible among collectors of various equipment. Models produced in millions of copies do not find any response from them. But exclusive devices are in great demand, and for any money.


Something similar happened with CZ motorcycles in Soviet times. After all, they could not be called unambiguously better than Jawa; in some ways they were clearly inferior to their competitors. But it was the possession of equipment from Český Zbrojovka that was considered the highest chic. Its owners became a special caste, something like the St. Petersburg intelligentsia.

Sports direction is a priority

One of the reasons for the low production runs of road motorcycles was the fact that already in 1932 the company was leaning towards the sports direction. In the 60-70s, she was closely and very successfully involved in the assembly of special equipment. At first it was Grand Prix racing, later - motocross competitions. They even became the first to use expansion chambers in exhaust pipes for fairly powerful two-stroke vehicles.

At some point, Czechoslovakian technology began to literally dominate, winning as many as seven world championships and always being among the best during the International Six-Day Races in Belgium.


So, after a little more than half a century, the company, which appeared as a branch of Skoda in 1919, was able to become one of the most famous manufacturers of cross-country motorcycles in Europe and the world. Of course, in the 70s, affordable and good Japanese bikes greatly displaced the Czechs in all positions, but in Strakonice they tried to create something new during this period, and in demand even in other countries.

Then the company’s engineers decided to take the classic CZ 175/477 type frame as a basis. Having supplemented it with a two-cylinder engine from Jawa, the Zbroyovka specialists received a complete ensemble. The motor used had the following characteristics:

✅ push-pull
✅ in-line
✅ with four-speed gearbox

During this period, most motorcycle manufacturers had already moved away from producing universal vehicles, clearly dividing classic models from off-road vehicles. This gradation occurred especially clearly in the small “cubic capacity” category: from 250 cubic meters. cm and below.

Buy a cute “Smolik”!

The Czechs also followed this path, offering the CZ 250 Enduro version on foreign markets, leaving the classics mainly for local users. It seems that the latter did not object to this at all.



But the CZ 250 Enduro, given the brand’s sporting fame, has proven itself well abroad. He became widely known thanks to his presence at exhibitions and in the pages of magazines or advertising brochures. Its tourist counterpart, in turn, played a significant role for the country’s domestic market.

After all, after the famous Jawa 250 became a thing of the past, the niche turned out to be vacant. It was filled by competitors from Strakonice. They achieved the optimal combination thanks to a chassis of their own production, complemented by a “Java” engine. The combination was considered successful, and was subsequently constantly used in other CZ models.


Overall, the motorcycle has the most recent and modern design. Which, however, was adjacent to elements of the structure that were almost 20 years old. Perhaps they slightly spoiled the overall positive impression of the technology. And there were many such moments:

✅ turn signals attached to the headlight housing
✅ too long rear wing
✅ typical Czech double seat

Still, the manufacturer has done a good job of making the equipment as attractive as possible for the consumer. First of all, this is its main feature - the black exhaust system housing. But the pleasant know-how was not limited to this; it is also worth mentioning:

✅ rear swinging fork
✅ double front brake (since 1976)
✅ round direction indicators (since 1975)
✅ duralumin wheels, etc.

Replacing the front brake with a different type was the result of a slight restyling of the model. At the same time, the motorcycle also received headlights of a more modern configuration. At some point he was awarded the nickname “Smolik”, which can be considered a kind of equivalent to our chimney sweep. One way or another, representatives of this profession dealt with the removal of tree resin (arising, for example, after fires). The nickname stuck to the motorcycle, of course, because of the color of its exhaust.

Strengths and weaknesses of the motorcycle

On the road, the equipment behaved quite confidently, as befits a bike with a 17-horsepower engine. In principle, the running potential of the CZ 250 could cope with a more powerful engine. The motorcycle turned out to be very good on uneven sections and held the track well in corners.


The weak point of the design was the front fork, which quickly began to slide out due to low damping efficiency. This also includes not the best saddle anatomy, a relatively long gear shift step and problems with the clutch.

They were expressed in the need to make quite a lot of effort to manually control it, especially at the moment of starting. An automatic machine could be a great solution. Other design elements, on the contrary, were met with approval:

✅ natural fit during the trip
✅ sufficient width of the steering wheel
✅ location of the footrests
✅ effective brakes

Since 1976, the motorcycle has not only received a modern design, but also the beginning of an active export history. Over the next five years, a special modification of it entered the UK market. In order to meet the high demands of Western European partners, the Czechs had to make a number of changes.

The design of the motorcycle included new fenders, a saddle and a fairing, and the design of the rear part also changed. In addition, his coloring now looked more cheerful - gold, and later - black and blue or silver (in the third modification). I think it's time to pay more attention to the numbers characterizing the performance of the CZ 250:

✅ engine displacement - 246 cu. cm
✅ power - 17 liters. s (12 kW)
✅ number of gears - 4
✅ maximum speed - 120 km / h
✅ weight - 142 kg

The motorcycle uses a tubular steel frame. It has a 13-liter tank, designed for a more than 300-kilometer trip (fuel consumption - 4 l/100 km). Tires measuring 3,00 x 18 inches are used at the front and 3,25 x 18 inches at the rear. Production of the basic version lasted from 1974 to 1978.


There were also four modifications of the motorcycle. The most recent one was produced from 1979 to 1981. In addition to the stylish 160mm headlight, this variant receives another iconic exterior design detail. In 1980, the old round CZ emblem on the tank was replaced by the full CEZET inscription. It was preserved in all subsequent models of the plant. The main reason for the final discontinuation of the CZ 250 was the massive Asian expansion into the British market.