Speaking of motorcycles from former Communist Bloc countries, here’s one from Hungary. One of the things I love about writing for Bike-urious is that it occasionally sends me down a very deep internet rabbit hole, to dig up information about brands that I thought were dead ─ like JAWA, which I mentioned recently ─ or had never heard of, like Pannónia.
I know now it was based in Csepel, Hungary, but finding much more information beyond that is tricky. It appears Pannónia was a brand founded in 1954 by Manfred Weiss Steel and Metal Works, a nationalized company that at some point changed its name to Csepel Works.
The brand ran until 1975, falling apart either because it couldn’t compete against Japanese motorcycles in the European market, or because a group of managers chose to sabotage the company rather than work with Yamaha on a joint venture. Again, there’s very little clear information out there.
There’s equally little information about the 247cc two-stroke engine that drove the 250TLF. The bike reportedly had a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph). And it appears it was quite similar to the JAWA 350, as a number of sources simply direct you to that bike when searching for information on this one.
A Pannónia is so much prettier, though. Too pretty for some. According to one source, at least one Hungarian politician felt that too many resources were put into Pannónia bikes. But they sold well in the Soviet Union and even made a dent in non-communist countries, being sold in the United States under the name White Motorcycles.
This is a gorgeous example, the bike having been lovingly restored by the seller. The seller claims to have even gone to the trouble to get parts from Hungary.
With just 176 miles on the clock (Really?!) this 250 TLF is for sale in Summerfield, North Carolina with bidding up to $2,490 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay.