CZECH DEPOSIT

A study in contrast with two old-tech two-strokes. We're thankful that some things never change

- Kartik Ware

As I watched a practised leg bring the combined gear/kick lever back, first pressing it into the engine cover ever so slightly and then lightly kicking the motorcycle to life, I wondered, 'Why the hell did I sell my Roadking?' That one act embedded into these Czech-origin motorcycles was enough for what they call FOMO these days to descend upon my mind. To me, though, it's always been a thick curtain weaved from regret that results from letting go of a motorcycle for good. Or perhaps it was for the worse. Anyway, the beautiful motorcycle being kicked to life here was a Jawa Californian, a motorcycle that had once been the inspiration for many daydreams while my Roadking was being rebuilt. But those dreams were shelved in favour of a safe and straightforward restoration. Ah, well.

What I wasn't prepared for on this day, though, was falling hard for the tiny Yezdi Jet. I'd ridden one many years ago, and this maroon example of miniature two-wheeled Art Deco design had me hooked all over again.

And then my eyes went back to the Californian, and I realised that this day was going to be a lesson in bisected distraction, my mind the hapless ping-pong ball between the two machines. And that was before smoke kept wafting from the exhaust tips of the motorcycle even after it was turned off, a sight so captivating that I forgot to take a video of it. That's how you know you've got something really worth watching, no?