Restoration CZ 250 Sport 471

In memory of my father...
I am originally from Bolivia in South America. The UK has been my home since 1993 and to many I am known as Al.
My connection with Jawa/CZ motorcycles is from back in Bolivia when I was a young kid as my father had more than one Jawa/CZ during his life, including some CZ 450; 455 among others.
As I was living in the countryside in Bolivia, I learned to ride when I was very young and my first ride was on a Jawa 350 belonging to an older friend I had.
In 1980, my father bought a brand new CZ 250 model 471 Sport (1979 model); this bike was our main form of transport; but he also used the bike to work as a moto-taxi during a period of time when due to illness he could not work as a pilot. (See picture with Taxi registration and plate number)
I remember him getting home in the evening and I would clean the bike and his helmet so he was ready for the next day at the same time I would jump on the bike and pretend I was riding it!!!
Getting a Jawa or CZ those days was the most economic option to get a motorcycle as the Hondas at the time were much more expensive and less accessible.
It was this bike that my father kept until 1987 when due to financial needs, he had to sell it for what at the time was perhaps nothing but at least he managed to put food on the table and feed his family.
I know how difficult selling the bike was for him as he had been a biker all his life, not only was it his means of transport but as I am sure you will all understand, he was giving his bike away… his sadness was something I will never forget.
As he was also a mechanic, looking after the bikes was second nature to him and he always kept his bikes in great condition, this particular bike when new was a Teal-Green colour (see picture) but then in the mid 80’s he fully dismantled the bike and re-sprayed the bike to a light brown colour.
This bike also became my teenage bike particularly since 1984 when I used the bike at the weekends and when my dad was home. The law was much more relaxed in Bolivia then. I was still not legally allowed to ride but it was the norm.
Sadly, my father passed away in 1988 at the young age of 40. After selling the bike, he never managed to ride again until he passed away in a tragic aircraft accident.
After many years in the UK, I believe it was the year 2000, I came across a Jawa 350 for the first time since 1992 when I had last seen a CZ/Jawa back in Bolivia.
It was at that point that I decided to look for the exact model my father had, a CZ 250 Twin Sport from 1979 to restore in his memory. Finally after 17 years of looking for the right model, I found a bike in April 2017. The only differences were the front forks and stop light as those were slightly different in the South American market; the bike was a no runner since 2008, although in the surface it looked OK, the bike needed extensive work not only on the bodywork but also on the engine and transmission.

After 3 years of work constantly getting on the way, I have now finally got the bike to about 90% completion as I still would like to do further work with the wheels, chroming and engine but it is time that the bike hits the road again…I am sure in the future I will be able to continue working on the final detail.
The bike has been completely dismantled and every bit of the bike has been cleaned, made good and where applicable re-sprayed to create a style that matches the late 70’s/early 80’s whilst also reflecting some of the colours that my fathers bike had when he re-sprayed his bike in the mid 80’s.
Darren from Banbury Powder Coating helped me with the re-spraying. A particular detail can be seen on the side covers with the logo that my father had and that I modified for this project; the wings as he was an aviator and the number 555 representing the number of his pilot licence.
As you will all be very aware, this type of work takes a long time particularly when one is working full time. I only managed this project due to the support of my family that for many weeks had our home converted into my garage before I relocated to the shed to continue working.
My brothers also supported me when possible, mainly trying to get the engine going (I always regretted not helping my dad when he wanted to show me). After trying for many weeks with no success, coincidently the bike fired up for the first time on the only day my other brother from Australia visited home for that one day only…I think it is was meant to be.
So after 3 years, I dedicate this bike to my father, Captain Gaston Vivado, who I am sure is laughing up there for all my cock ups during the restoration of this motorcycle but I also hope he has a smile on his face every time I take the bike for a ride and he rides with me…
Love you, dad.