Snow Going Cycles

SNOW GOING CYCLES

RIDING ON SNOW AND ICE is ordinarily thought of as sport for only the tougher types; not so since Jawa introduced their snow specials which are fitted with ski-like skids. These machines have been in use for a number of years by the Swedish Army and are virtually impossible to fall off of since in an emergency they simply lean on their skis. They also provided hair-line steering over ice and snow, and when not in use simply fold out of harm’s way.

Each skid is carried on a curved, pivoted outrigger arm, secured by a bracket with a pivot pin at the forward end of the cycle’s frame. Normally the skid is pulled up against its stop by a simple rubber band and the rider keeps his feet on the normal foot pegs. With skids retracted, the machine handles like any other bike, but even with them up it cannot fall on its side as the skis will not permit a lean of more than 50 degrees.

When charging a snow drift or ice or any other tricky hazard, the rider shifts his feet to the special foot-boards on the skis. This can be done at any speed; the main steering effort still comes from the front wheel, but leaning on one ski or the other helps. On very slippery going, weight distribution, which also governs the cycle’s lean, is the primary force in steering. To take a fast lefthand corner, the rider drops the skis, places weight on the right ski to lean the cycle into the bend, then he can open the throttle as far as he dares and round the corner like a rocket. Sounds like fun!

Normally, Jawas have pedal-operated gearshift and rear brake. Obviously, with both feet busy one cannot shift or brake. Duplicate controls are provided in the form of two levers on the right-hand handle-bar so the rider simply applies both brakes, or either one, with his right hand. The brake pedal which remains may be used for additional braking when possible, but is really not necessary since little of it can be used anyway on the slippery surfaces. As on all Jawas, the clutch is operated by the gear lever as one shifts, the manual control being used for starting off only.

Skid equipment can be removed or installed in just two minutes. The bikes shown in these photos were fitted with 21 inch front and 19 inch rear wheels for better handling on ice. Dual ignition systems are also employed for reliability. The skids are made by Fleron, a Swedish firm; they are of fabricated steel and the footboards are adjustable to fit any foot. A central groove on the skid aids directional stability. At present skids are being fitted to two Jawa models though as yet are not available in the United States. •