In 1992 i was 18. Soon before birthday, my uncle visited me. We were talking about different foo-shmoo, and I mentioned that when I'll be 18, I'll buy Junak (classic polish motorcycle).
- So you do like bikes? - he asked me.
- Sure! Just my mom did not let me to have one until I'll be 18 - I replied.
- Hey, so it seems that I have a proper birthday present for you! - he laughed, ignoring angry gazes of my mom.
Not very long after I saw my treasure.
Dirty as seven afflictions. And on tachometer - only 4094 km! WTF?! Over twenty years old motorcycle with such small mileage???
And then my uncle told me the story of this bike.
In the late 60's in Silesian Med College there was an old guy working as a warden. He was old, but he was able to fix everything - simply odd-job man. And because college buildings were scattered through several places, a lot of time took traveling from one location to another.
Now some explanation - in those days in Poland getting a personal vehicle was not easy. Except for prices beyond average Pole's means, there was whole system of vouchers and rations etc.
Nonetheless - as the guy was really useful - College raised to the challenge and bught him a bike. THIS bike :) But - as I've already mentioned - a guy was old, so soon after he died, and in this Med College ther was no other person that wanted to ride a motorcycle. So the bike was left in some toolshed and forgotten, until 1992.
In 1992, administration of Silesian Med College decided to demolish this toolshed. My uncle, as a head of demolish squad, was supervisor of demolishion process. Before demolishion, all the stuff that was in this toolshed had to be removed, disposed and throwed away. And during this, after throwing away a lot of old and rusted scrap-iron, they found a motorcycle standing under a lot of old fiberboards :)
My uncle saved it from trashing and when he figured out that I'm motorcycle fan, he bought this bike for me for the price of iron. My cousins washed this bike, but with starting they waited for me.
I came in, we filled the tan with fresh gas, connected new battery, turned the key, kidcked the kickstarter and... Believe or not, motorcycle started immediately from the first kick! Sneezin, spluttering, spitting a white smoke from exhaust, but it started!
I drove it a little - but I treat this bike as a rare classic, so I spare it and very rare take a ride.
This is her current look:
