BIKES YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE: THE PUKIMOTOR CZ

Pukimotor built bikes in the late 1970s and 1980s that featured CZ 250 and 380 engines in Italian-built twin-shock frames.

As the Czechoslovakia firm CZ began to lose momentum against the rapid pace of change brought on by the Japanese manufacturers, it’s loyal racers and dealers tried to keep pace with the Japanese manufacturers. But it was a lost cause. Except to a hanful of CZ aficiandos who wanted to keep the brand alive—with or without the Czechs.

Note that each Puki on this page has a different gas tank, side number plates and seat. This early version even has a rear frame loop for the CZ-style rear fender.

One such man was Michelangelo Pochettino, better known by the nickname of Puki, a CZ dealer in Italy. A former motocross rider and CZ importer and, finally, vintage motorcycle collector Puki built his Pukimotor brand by building custom-made, bikes from the ground up, using  CZ engines and hubs (and the each engine was hopped-up by Puki with reed valves, Motoplat ignition, oil bath clutch and special exhaust pipes). Pukimotor built everything else.

No two Pukis were the same as the small Italian builder built them one at the time and there was no high-tech production line.

When CZ lost interest in making motocross bikes, Puki ‘s efforts to build his own CZ powered machines were appreciated by CZ loyalist around the world. Later, he dabbled in Pukimotor machines with different two-stroke engines, but they didn’t have the appeal of the Czecho powerplants.

Number plate rear fenders were popular in 1980s because they cleaned up the sides of the frame.

Obviously, the lifespan of the Pukimotor CZ was limited by the interest in CZ and it didn’t enjoy much success by the mid 1990s. However, Pukimotor did transition into building bikes with KTM engines, but by then motocross technology had left Puki behind.

 

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