WSK. Nice mopeds

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Purchasing classics there

Thrift stores are no longer what they used to be, since they have been Commercial Management. From what is in the shops, the currants have been taken from the porridge. But because some things only have value for some people, you can still score well.

And so you find ...

A 'Weekblad Motor', sixtieth year, number 18, May 4, 1973. A motor magazine printed on newsprint that cost 90 cents at the time. It contains a user test of the Suzuki GT750 and more info. But the advertisement of 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.

A WSK

And WSK of course means something. WSK (Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego) / PZL-Świdnik. In Dutch, that means 'Transport Supplies Factory' and in the 50s that company produced all kinds of engines such as the DKW RT125, but also Solex blocks were copied by WSK. It is not known whether this was done with permission from the Solex factory. 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 splash of capitalist chrome plus a friendly price. Around 1972, commuting on motorcycles was already a lot less here. But in England the WSKs sold very well.

Back home

Here Jawas are now becoming more expensive because many Czechs and Slovaks want to buy back their traded heritage. The same story applies in Poland, where interest in WSK, or rather 'WSK', is growing. Here in the Netherlands one occasionally pops up. And is such a small Pole worth a few hundred euros. If there is any interest in it. We have promised a Pole friend to notify him immediately if one shows up. Whether it will be or is an investment object? We do not know that. But such a brave little WSK is and remains an endearing thing to do a quiet round on a Sunday afternoon. And if you burn modern two-stroke oil in it at a mixing ratio of 1 to 40, there is a realistic chance that even an Environment-focused Correct Mensch will look at you with a smile.

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, four gears, weight 109 kilos.
By 1973 there were apparently more than 30 WSK dealers. So at least more than 30 WSKs may have been sold in our country.

Stopped by industrial unrest

A Polish friend told me that PZL was forced by the Russians to stop the production of motorcycles because it was in that factory that the riots had started that ultimately killed communist rule (and not at the yard in Gdansk, as known here) . PZL then had to use the released capacity for the production of (military) helicopters. The factory where the motorcycles were built (until 1985) is located in the east of Poland near Lublin.

 

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3 comments

  1. Nice information. When I was 16, I got a Zuendapp with crash bar and helmet. Others drove Kreidler and Japanese. Puech Was for the city. The discussion was always how much 50cc was and how fast you could drive.
    Now with 17 you can get your driving license, borrow a car and get driving experience. Motorcycles are now a cultural asset in itself.

  2. Two strokes, really interesting. Even if for its simplicity alone, even if environmental fascists think he's faud, it's definitely not a bout. Sorry just had a belch from Sinterklaas rime… .😜
    Now seriously, 2strokestuffing makes a 50cc two-stroke that (if it ever does) will produce 26pekaatjes. Then extrapolated to 175cc and rounded down a bit, about 80pekaatjes would come out. Still produces a very interesting combination, especially with the drum brakes🤓 And 110 kg own weight.

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