It is a historic company, founded in 1907 and which over the years has produced various vehicles, from trucks, cars, motorcycles to military vehicles such as helicopters and tanks.
The first motorcycle produced dates back to 1928 thanks to aeronautical designer Jaroslav František Koch who designed the BD 500 equipping it with a modern engine with double overhead camshaft distribution, one of the first in circulation. This bike then made history when Koch himself rode it from Rome to Prague, covering a distance of 1,480 kilometers in 35 hours and 40 minutes, thus setting a new endurance record.
So it is a iconic model for the history of motorcycling and for the home, which served as the basis for the ZS 800 you see in the photo.
The idea came from Jan Žuži, the engineer who worked on the 700 HP Prague Bohema hypercar, and who decided to propose the ZS 800 as a model in honor of the BD 500.
Made in only 28 specimens, it has classic lines that recall the motorcycles of the 30s but the care and technology with which it was built are current and extraordinary. Among the premium materials used, titanium stands out, used for all the small parts of the chassis and superstructures, as well as for the exhaust system made up of two large side terminals that run parallel to the ground.
The frame is in chrome-molybdenum steel and paired with a fork Girder combined with an Ohlins shock absorber. The wheels are in forged carbon, so they allow you to save weight as well as the 11.5 liter tank which serves as a stiffening element of the frame. The braking system is evocative and provides indeed two 200 mm drums in diameter with hydraulic drive for the front, while at the rear there is a single drum, always with hydraulic control.
The engine is a twin-cylinder with a classic style that marries perfectly with the lines of the bike, but it is a completely modern and Euro5-approved unit, capable of delivering a maximum power of 50 HP and 65 Nm of torque.
Ecco the words of the engineer regarding this implementation:
“Strong and extremely light materials, such as carbon, titanium, chrome molybdenum steel and aircraft aluminum, have allowed us to reinvent the rigid rear wheel suspension, fork and hydraulic brake drum. These materials and the state-of-the-art production facilities of the Praga sports division have made it possible to bring classic design elements to the present day and build a motorcycle with contemporary riding characteristics.”
