Motorcycles in Cuba

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Cuban motorcycle enthusiast Toma Rey Gutierrez and his circa-1972 Jawa 250 twin.
Cuban motorcycle enthusiast Toma Rey Gutierrez and his circa-1972 Jawa 250 twin.
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A mid-1970s MZ TS250 in Cuba. They seem to be everywhere.
A mid-1970s MZ TS250 in Cuba. They seem to be everywhere.
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A Russian Ural with sidecar and passenger.
A Russian Ural with sidecar and passenger.
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A Russian Ural on the streets of Havana.
A Russian Ural on the streets of Havana.
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An MZ with sidecar in the streets of Havana.
An MZ with sidecar in the streets of Havana.
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A late 1960s MZ ES250 with sidecar.
A late 1960s MZ ES250 with sidecar.
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Late '60s or early '70s Jawa and family.
Late '60s or early '70s Jawa and family.
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A Jawa twin and sidecar.
A Jawa twin and sidecar.
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A Cuban with his moped, make and model unknown.
A Cuban with his moped, make and model unknown.
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This man and his son ran a small motorcycle repair shop.
This man and his son ran a small motorcycle repair shop.
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A Jawa 350 with passengers.
A Jawa 350 with passengers.

A month prior to President Barack Obama’s December 2014 announcement to mend U.S. ties with Cuba, a country we have embargoed since 1960, I travelled to Havana as part of a cultural exchange.

Arriving in Cuba, the effect economic restraints have had on that country was clearly evident by the visible testimony of 54 years of decay. As soon as the awe of the multitude of old 1950s American cars wore off (many powered with Chinese diesel engines), my eyes were drawn to the funky old socialist motorcycles navigating the streets of Havana, a sidecar attached to nearly every one.

One of the first to catch my eye was a chrome tanked, East German, 1970s-era MZ (Motorenwerke Zschopau), and it was followed by many more. Most appeared to be the TS250 model, and most seemed to carry one, two, or if fitted with a sidecar, three people. The engine is a bulky single-cylinder with blocky cooling fins, but the headlamp shell is gorgeous, with an integrated speedometer similar to a 1960s BMW.

Czech Jawas from the ’70s and ’80s seemed to be popular motorcycles. During my travels in Cuba, I stumbled into the town of Hershey. Between 1920 and 1940, Milton Hershey had a thriving sugar factory here. The old factory looks completely abandoned and desolate, but on further inspection, I realized that among all the deterioration, people still work there, using the factory’s 70-year-old machinery to fix old trains.

While talking with some of the machinists and welders, I happened across an old Jawa with a German sidecar. The owner, Toma Rey Gutierrez, came out, and with my limited Spanish we began chatting about old bikes. I showed him photos of my old BMWs, and he was happy to pull out his circa-1972 Jawa and show it to me.

  • Published on Jun 9, 2015
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