The Jawa 660 was the modern Jawa of the 2010s: a 660 cc water-cooled single from Minarelli, the engine also used by Yamaha, in three body styles. Its predecessor was the rare Jawa 650, and it filled the gap between the old two-strokes and the later 350 OHC.
Jawa 660 at a glance
| Maker | Jawa Moto, Týnec nad Sázavou |
|---|---|
| Production | 2011–2018 |
| Predecessor | Jawa 650 and 650 Dakar |
| Engine | 660 cm³ water-cooled four-stroke single, Minarelli SOHC |
| Fuel system | electronic injection |
| Power | 36 kW at 6,000 rpm |
| Torque | 58 Nm at 5,500 rpm |
| Emission standard | Euro 3 |
| Frame | tubular steel |
| Dry weight | 189 kg |
| Top speed | 170 km/h |
| Built | 200 machines, 80 of them Vintage |
History of the Jawa 660
The 660 grew out of the Jawa 650 and its limited-series Dakar version. Where the 650 was a conventional road bike, the new machine created a different category: the supermotard. The Sportard inherited most of the Dakar’s bodywork and an aggressive front mask with three projector lenses, unusual at the time. It also adopted the Dakar’s single central Bitubo shock absorber, and early bikes had an aluminium swinging arm from the Italian firm Verlicchi before Jawa developed its own steel arm.
The Minarelli engine
The heart of the bike was the Italian 660 cm³ engine that Minarelli sold as an OEM unit to Aprilia, Yamaha and Jawa; the best-known user was the Yamaha XT660. It was originally tuned to Euro 2 without a lambda sensor and ran reliably, but the Euro 3 version needed a sensor and early examples ran badly, with strong surging until the fuel and ignition maps were updated. The front forks came from the Jawa 650, where they had replaced the old Czechoslovak-made units. The braking was unusual too: a radial four-piston caliper and 220 mm disc at the rear, and two 305 mm discs with two-piston calipers at the front.
Three versions
The Sportard was the original, with 17-inch wheels at both ends and a rear tyre 140 or 150 mm wide. The Adenium added a 19-inch front wheel, a crash bar, a taller front screen, a main stand, an LED tail light and side pannier carriers. The Vintage of 2017 was a retro model in the style of the Jawa 350/634, using the same wheels as the Adenium and a tank made from the old 634 pressings with a welded centre section to take the fuel pump.
The 660 was homologated as a small series of 200 machines, which made it a collector’s item while it was still on sale. Vintage production came at the end of the Euro 3 period and was planned as sixty machines; in the end 200 were built in total, 80 of them Vintage. Because the engine could not meet Euro 4, the last examples were sold in 2018 under the old type approval, and the model passed out of the catalogue with the two-stroke 350/640.
Design and features
- Minarelli single: 660 cm³, water-cooled, the same engine family as the Yamaha XT660.
- Sportard style: supermotard bodywork with three projector headlamps.
- Central shock: a single Bitubo unit, as on the earlier 650 Dakar.
- Small series: only 200 built, which made the 660 collectable from the start.
Jawa 660 versions
- Sportard: 17-inch wheels, supermotard stance.
- Adenium: 19-inch front wheel, crash bar, screen, main stand, pannier carriers.
- Vintage (2017): retro bodywork in the style of the 350/634, 80 built.
The 660 came after the two-stroke Jawa 350/640, and its engine also powered bikes from other makers. More Jawas are in the Jawa collection.
Sources
- Jawa 660, English Wikipedia: production, versions, specifications
- Jawa 660, Czech Wikipedia: development, Minarelli engine, production numbers
