Junak and Smyk – legends of Szczecin’s automotive industry

The time has come to face the legend of the Junak. This is a dangerous task, because for many people it is a practically mythically perfect vehicle, simply because it is Polish. As if we were marked by God to invent and produce perfect things, in this case motorcycles. […] Every word of criticism may be thoughtlessly taken as an affront to a “patriot.” Well, I must prepare myself for them calling me a Jew, a commie, a leftist, a traitor, a renegade, a journalistic charlatan, and so on, if I write even a single bad word about the Junak.

The complaints of Tomasz Szczerbicki—Poland’s most eminent automotive historian—capture wonderfully the dilemma faced by anyone who wants to tell the story of the Junak. For the Junak is no longer just a motorcycle produced in Szczecin between 1957 and 1965. Today, it is a legend, an object of cult status, a source of pride.

The only heavy motorcycle of the Polish People’s Republic

The early 1950s was a time of discussion among designers, motorcyclists, and people associated with the automotive industry regarding what the heavy motorcycle produced in post-war Poland should be like. Consideration was given to copying the excellent British Bullet motorcycle. The idea fell through because the British motorcycle had too complicated a design and required high-quality materials. And the quality of production in People’s Poland; well, you know…

And besides everything else, nobility obligates. Excellent pre-war motorcycles still rode on Polish roads—such as the Sokół 600 designed by engineer Tadeusz Rudawski. In 1953, the Motorcycle Division of the Automotive Industry Design Bureau in Warsaw, led by Jan Ignatowicz, completed work on the forefather of the Junak. Stefan Poraziński designed the chassis, and Karol Wójcicki designed the 349 cc four-stroke engine. Four pre-prototypes were manufactured with the help of the Warsaw Motorcycle Factory.

During field tests, it turned out that the motorcycle did not handle very well in mud, snow, and sand. Several defects were removed, although the employees of the Szczecin factory struggled with the cracking frame for a long time. The first five Szczecin-made Junaks were built at the factory on Wojska Polskiego Avenue in 1956. Serial production—after dealing with the problematic frame—started a year later. In 1957, 253 M-07 Junaks were produced.

October 1954. Sławomir Podlewski, a test rider from the Warsaw Motorcycle Factory, rode a Junak prototype up to Kasprowy Wierch. This is how the motorcycle’s field tests concluded (Photo: unknown, collection of the Museum of Technology and Transport – Art Depot in Szczecin, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Junaks were produced in three variants, although factory documents list only two—the M-07 and the M-10. The factory design office quickly began improving the motorcycle. The Junak M-07 gradually evolved into the Junak M-10. Motorcycles that possessed features of both models are referred to as “transition models” (“przejściówki”). Without getting into disputes over when exactly the M-07 turned into a transition model, and the transition model into the M-10, it can be assumed that the transition model appeared on the production line in 1959 and disappeared in 1961.

Junak quickly became an object of desire. The Szczecin-made motorcycle had a 349 cc engine. The most popular motorcycles of that era—namely WFM bikes (affectionately called “fumka” or “w-f-męka”) and WSK bikes (maliciously dubbed “rural stunt equipment” / “wiejski sprzęt kaskaderski”)—did not even come close to 200 cc. The Junak weighed 165 kg, while the WFM typically weighed 90 kg.

“The owner of a Junak was some guy,” recalls Eugeniusz Szczupak, a test driver at the Szczecin Motorcycle Factory. Other motorcyclists would yield the way to a Junak. Why? Because you could hear it coming from far away. The Junak was expensive and prone to breakdowns, but on the upside, it was prestigious.

Unfortunately, the Junak was also the most expensive motorcycle in the Polish People’s Republic. It cost 24,000 PLN; a WFM cost 7,000 PLN. These prices are from 1964, when the average salary in Poland was 1,816 PLN. Therefore, one had to work for over 13 months for a Junak, and just under four for a WFM. Moreover, the high price doomed the Junak to death. The Szczecin-made motorcycle was produced for only eight years. A little over 90,000 Junaks were built in all variants.

Utility Junak

At the end of the 1950s, Poland lacked a small utility vehicle. The Syrena Bosto did not appear until the 1970s. Into this gap rolled a three-wheeled utility vehicle from Szczecin. Szczecin designers prepared two prototypes: the Junak B-20 had the cargo box in the back, while the B-21 had it in the front. The Junak B-20 went into production, even though its competitor handled better. The simplicity of the design was the deciding factor. It was easier to replace the rear wheel with a two-wheeled cargo box than to modify the steering system. In 1960, 1,006 B-20 utility three-wheelers were produced.

Factory inspector by a mass-produced Junak B-20 utility three-wheeler (photo: Kazimierz Kubiak, collection of the Museum of Technology and Transport – Art Depot in Szczecin, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Sport Junak

At the Szczecin Motorcycle Factory, two types of sport Junaks were produced – the M-07C and the M-07R. The former dominated domestic motocross tracks in the first half of the 1960s. Many domestic competitions in the 350 cc class were in practice an internal rivalry between riders from the factory’s “Junak” Motor Club. In 1961, Janusz Orzepowski became the Polish motocross champion, Zenon Wiatr was the runner-up, and Edward Kurowski took third place. A clean sweep of the podium for the Junak riders from Szczecin. The “Junak” Motor Club was the team champion of Poland in motocross. For the previous 8 years, that title had been won by Legia Warsaw.

Junak rally motorcycle M-07R. If anyone has trouble telling the rally version apart from the cross version of Junak… The easiest way is by the bags placed on the fuel tanks of the rally motorcycles (photo: unknown, collection of Zbigniew Konieczek, CC BY-NC 4.0)

The rally Junak, or M-07R, performed no less admirably. In 1962, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, at the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) Six Days Trial, all riders competing on Junaks won gold medals. It was the only time the Poles returned with gold from the Six Days, a competition that is for motorcyclists a cross between the Olympics and the World Championships.

Zenon Wiatr from the “Junak” Motor Club of Szczecin during the historic Six Days Trial in 1962 (Photo: unknown, private collection of Zenon Wiatr, CC BY-NC 4.0)

And yet another Polish motorcycle speed record. On April 5, 1959, Franciszek Stachewicz, a rider from the Tri-City, broke the Polish record on a Junak. The attempt took place on a three-kilometer stretch of road between Malbork and Tczew. The Junak reached 149.3 km/h over a one-kilometer section. The record stands to this day, as regulations require the record to be broken on a domestic motorcycle. And no faster motorcycle has been produced in Poland since Junak.

April 1959. Franciszek Stachewicz accelerates a Junak to nearly 150 km/h. Polish record (photo: unknown, private collection of Franciszek Stachewicz, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Prototypes

In 1960, SFM designers were working simultaneously on two prototypes. The Junak M-13 was meant to be a better, more modern version of the Junak M-10. The Junak M-13 drew heavily on benchmarks, specifically the best Japanese, English, German, Czechoslovak, and Hungarian motorcycles of the time. The Szczecin factory purchased nine such motorcycles.

An entirely new design was the Junak M-14 Iskra. Looking at its modern line, it is hard to disconnect from associations with another iconic motorcycle of the era of actually existing socialism in Poland, namely the MZ 250 Trophy. Its most characteristic feature was the heavily enclosed headlight—a dead ringer for the one from the Junak M-14.

1962. The prototype Junak M-14 Iskra. On the motorcycle are Grzegorz Chałas and Mirosława Jankowska, SFM employees. This prototype also did not enter production (photo: unknown, private collection of Zbigniew Konieczek, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Neither model made it into mass production. In June 1965, the last Junak rolled out of the Szczecin Motorcycle Factory. Over 91,000 of them were produced.

June 1965. The Szczecin Motorcycle Factory produced the last Junak. Here it is (photo: unknown, collection of the Museum of Technology and Transport – Art Depot in Szczecin, CC BY-NC 4.0)

Myths and legends – from that era and today

There is no other Polish motorcycle that has accumulated so many anecdotes and myths—often false, yet stubbornly repeated.

Myth one. The Junak was so powerful that farmers harnessed it to plows and plowed their fields. Let’s have no illusions, Junaks did not replace horses and tractors. But… “I didn’t see Junaks in the fields,” recalled SFM test rider Eugeniusz Szczupak. “Yet it was suitable for plowing. Athletes from the factory club were returning from a competition. They had rally bikes. They stayed overnight in a village, at a teammate’s brother’s place. In the evening, over vodka, they talked about the power of the Junaks and how farmers were harnessing our motorcycles instead of horses. In the morning, they hooked a plow to the Junak and plowed the field.”

Myth two. If a Junak wasn’t losing oil, it meant it had no oil. The most frequently repeated one. To the point of boredom… Seemingly true, but… “Well, that oil did drip,” recalled Jerzy Chojnacki, an SFM service station employee. “There were unfortunate spots: the gear shifter, the starter spindle, the left cover. We figured out what to do with the oil flooding the generator compartment. With a long drill, we made a hole from the engine’s lower chamber into the bottom of the generator compartment. Even if oil got in there, it leaked out onto the chain. At the factory, we sealed the Junak generator compartment with ‘Hermetyk’ sealing compound. In Łódź, at the engine factory, they assembled it without a gasket. Any unevenness on the mating surface caused oil to be pumped from the engine chamber into the generator compartment.”

So it leaked, but not constantly and not in all specimens. The bane mentioned by all SFM employees was the uneven quality of the motorcycle assembly. The stories told by the workers were so similar that a collective history could be produced… Well, at the beginning of almost every month, there were few parts for assembling Junaks because they hadn’t arrived yet. But there was plenty of time. Therefore, the motorcycle was carefully put together, what needed to be sealed was sealed, and carelessly made details were fitted properly. The result was a jewel of a Junak. However, towards the end of the month, it would turn out that the production plan was in jeopardy. And everyone in the factory—from the director to the assembler—was interested in fulfilling the production plan. Meeting the target meant bonuses for everyone. So at the end of the month, Junaks were assembled even from defective parts, and as quickly as possible. Instead of tightening things properly—just make sure the bolt wouldn’t fall off at the dealership. Sealing the compartments against oil leaks, fitting the covers? Not this time.

Myth three. The Junak was produced in Szczecin. Angry voices can already be heard: “How is that a myth? Where else?” Well—at least in the 1950s—the Szczecin Motorcycle Factory was more of a Junak assembly plant. The engines came from the Mechanical Equipment Factory in Łódź. Speedometers were produced by a plant in Błonie. Chains originated from Poznań, generators from Świdnica, spokes and rims from Częstochowa, rubber parts from Bydgoszcz, bolts, rivets, and springs from Lublin, bearings from Kraśnik, Kielce, and Poznań, castings from Warsaw’s Żerań, and forgings from the forge in Ustroń. In early 1956, during a meeting at the Szczecin factory, it was established that: in 1956, our plant will manufacture only such assemblies as the frame, front fork, rear shock absorber, exhaust pipe and silencer, tool box and air filter, rear brake pedal, and we will carry out the final assembly.

The Szczecin Motorcycle Factory was taking over the production of Junak parts at a pretty steady pace. In 1961, it already planned to manufacture 185 parts on its own; ranging from large ones – the frame skeleton, front fork, fuel tank, saddle, exhaust pipe, fenders, shock absorbers – to small items – the fuel filler cap, bolts, nuts, washers, springs, and bushings.

Fourth myth. Junaks were also painted blue, green… “Junaks were painted black and cherry-red,” said engineer Kazimierz Kubiak, head of technical control at SFM. Silver fenders and fuel tanks did happen. Other colors appeared upon customer request or for exhibitions and trade fairs. Motorcycles sold to tropical countries were painted sand-colored, and a few machines built for the military had a khaki color.

Fifth myth. Junak production was ended so that they wouldn’t compete with Soviet heavy motorcycles. Although the economy of the Polish People’s Republic suffered from a constant shortage of everything, in 1965 this did not apply to motorcycles. In that ill-fated year for motorcyclists, not only the Szczecin Motorcycle Factory was shut down, but also the Warsaw Motorcycle Factory.

Microcar Smyk

The Szczecin Motorcycle Factory also had an automotive episode. In the 1950s, war-devastated Europe was swept by a craze for microcars. Poverty and destroyed factories forced the construction of small, cheap cars. West Germany was a powerhouse in microcar production. This was due to several reasons: the ban on manufacturing combat aircraft after World War II, material shortages, and the demand for small vehicles—often used as invalid carriages. A good example was the Messerschmitt KR 200 microcar. This three-wheeler was built in a factory that had produced the Third Reich’s most famous fighter planes.

One of the many ideas for an affordable Polish car was the Smyk. The prototype was created in 1957. Many experts considered the Szczecin microcar to be the prettiest microcar in the world. From wheels to roof, the Smyk was a Polish design. The main designer of the microcar was Eng. Kazimierz Wójcicki from the Automotive Industry Design Bureau in Warsaw, the body designer was Eng. Andrzej Zgliczyński, and the body stylist was architect Janusz Zygadlewicz. Eng. Jan Ignatowicz was responsible for the powertrain, and Eng. Witold Kończykowski for the suspension. Among the people involved in designing the car, Andrzej Piętaszewski, the creator of the floor pan, is also mentioned.

Turn of 1958 and 1959. Szczecin Motorcycle Factory. A freshly built Smyk. Yes, you got into this microcar through the opening front door. It wasn’t overly troublesome, unless it happened to be raining (photo: unknown, private collection of Zbigniew Konieczek, CC BY-NC 4.0)

The Smyk was intended to be a vehicle for the “low-income strata of the population.” The designers called their little car a family vehicle for four people with hand luggage. No wonder it was just hand luggage; at no stage of the design work is a trunk mentioned for the Smyk. The Smyk also lacked side doors. You entered the car through an opening front end.

The Smyk was intended to be produced at the Szczecin Car Factory, largely due to the engine and gearbox from the Junak used in the prototypes. It wasn’t a good idea. The motorcycle engine overheated under the hood, unable to power a small, yet still a car. The gearbox turned out to be a nightmare for drivers. It didn’t have a reverse gear. The designers added a reverser, which was an additional gear at the transmission input that turned all gears into reverse ones. As a result, the Smyk had four forward gears and four reverse gears.

“An aborted idea,” Leon Budyłowski was annoyed during test drives as he was restoring a Smyk belonging to the Szczecin museum of technology. “Between the gear shifter and the gearbox, there are three linkage rods and four pivot axes. The total play is such that you can’t find the gears. First gear is half the trouble, you can feel it, but the rest…”

Winter of the turn of 1958 and 1959. SFM. Acceptance of Smyks designated for testing. Testers most frequently complained about the frequent snapping of the reverse gear chain. As a result, the little car could only drive backward when the driver pushed it (photo: unknown, private collection of Zbigniew Konieczek, CC BY-NC 4.0)

An attempt was still made to save the Smyk. A new version of the Smyk, free from the flaws of its older sibling, was created—featuring a specially designed engine and an epoxy resin body. Only 23 Smyks were ever built; three in Warsaw and twenty in Szczecin. Unfortunately, the Mikrus became the mass-produced Polish microcar. Not many of them were produced, just over 1,700 units. To make matters worse, the Mikrus was a copy of the German Goggomobil.

The largest collection of Junaks – models: M-07, the transitional model, M-10, B-20, B-23, M-14 – can be viewed at the Szczecin Museum of Technology. Smyks can be found there as well.

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Jacek Ogrodniczak, Junak, Smyk. Szczecińskie motolegendy”, Szczecin: Muzeum Techniki i Komunikacji – Zajezdnia Sztuki w Szczecinie 2022

Tomasz Szczerbicki, Polskie motocykle, „Motocyklista” 2021, nr 10

Jacek Ogrodniczak