Many of you who have visited our Tasting Room, have picked up on our latest addition: a 1974 CZ Enduro 250. Here's how it ended up there...
At Bivouac, we have a strong passion for traveling on two wheels. What started with mountain biking has expanded to adventure motorcycles over the years. The simplicity of going far into the backcountry, with minimal impact and limited packing capability bring things back to the essence of exploration.
Modern bikes have lots of tech built in, both to make rides more comfortable and safer. But nobody debates the cool-ness of vintage, ultra-simple dirt bikes. We love the colors, the steel frame and the explosive power delivery.
This specific bike was bought new in 1974 by Dave, René's father in law. With so many forest roads and abandoned muddy fields around his home in Butler County (PA), Dave wanted a bike to just ride everywhere. CZ was the hottest brand on the market in those days. He installed a headlight, and nothing else. After years of ripping around, the bike slowly got used less and less. It ended up in the garage, covered in dust and bird poop.
In the spring of 2024, Dave and René set out to bring it back to life. After a good cleaning it turned out the tank was completely corroded inside. With the help of a good amount of gravel, some vigorous shaking and lots of WD-40, the tank was deemed usable again. Next up was a new fuel filter and a full cleaning of the carburetor. It might have taken about 200 kickstarts, but the bike came back alive, pumping out a healthy amount of smoke, after sitting dormant for 35 years.
Read more about CZ's company history here.
