At the thrift store: The WSK Fellow (approx. 1972-1975)

Thrift stores are not what they used to be, since it has had 'Kommersjeel Management'. From what is in the stores, the currants have been taken out of the porridge. But because some things only have value for some people, you can still score nice. A sheet with a WSK advertisement for example.

And so you find ...

A 'Weekblad Motor', 60th edition, number 18, 4 May 1973. A sheet printed on newsprint that at the time cost 90 cents, now only 10 cents. It contains a user test of the Suzuki GT750 and more info. But the advertisement from Het Tweewieler Trefpunt Import brought a lot of nostalgia.

“SENSATION ON THE WAY!” With WSK Fellow 175, a pleasant surprise for f 1.578, also available as off the road for f 1.705.

An acquaintance had bought such a WSK at the time and was quite satisfied with it.

So a WSK

And WSK of course means something, namely: Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego / PZL-Świdnik. In Dutch, this means 'Transport Supplies Factory' and that company copied all kinds of engines in the 50s, such as the DKW RT125, but Solex blocks also fell under the copying drift of WSK. Whether this happened with the permission of the Solex factory is not known. From 1955 WSK mainly produced light (123 and 173 cc) two-strokes. They were intended for the home market. To obtain foreign exchange, the Poles came up with the 'Fellow' (for the Netherlands) and the 'Barron' version (for export to England).

Those export models received more emphatic quality control and a hefty dash of capitalist chrome plus a friendly price. Around 1972, the commuter riding on motorcycles here was a lot less. But in England the WSKs sold very well.

Back home

Here, Jawas are becoming more expensive because many Czechs and Slovaks want to buy back their ravaged heritage. The same story applies in Poland, where interest in WSK, or 'WSK' is growing. Here In the Netherlands one occasionally pops up. And here in the Netherlands, such a small Pole is worth a few hundred euros. If there is already interest in it. But such a brave little WSK is and remains an endearing thing to take a leisurely round on a Sunday afternoon. And if you use modern two-stroke oil at a mixing ratio of 1 to 40, there is a realistic chance that even an 'Environmentally focused Correct Left Man' will look at you with a smile.

The spare parts supply for WSKs is still pretty good ... In Poland.

The WSK Fellow 1973 / 1975

Engine: single-cylinder, piston-driven two-stroke, 174 cc, compression 9: 1, power approx. 15 hp, top speed approx. 100 km / h, four speeds, weight 109 kilo.

There were apparently more than 1973 WSK dealers in 30. So in any case, more than 30 WSKs have been sold in our country.

A Polish friend told me that PZL was forced by the Russians to stop the production of motorcycles, because in that factory the riots started, which ultimately became the communist regime fatal (and not at the Gdansk shipyard, as is commonly said) ). PZL then had to use the capacity released for the production of (military) helicopters. The factory where the motorcycles were built (up to 1985) is located in eastern Poland near Lublin.