The Sokół 1000 (also known as CWS M111) was the heaviest Polish pre-war motorcycle manufactured by the PZInż works, for both civilian and military use by the Polish Army. Production of the model 1000 started in 1933 and lasted until the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1939. A standard completion was a sidecar combination.

History

In late 1927 the Polish Army created a specification for a general purpose heavy motorcycle that was to replace the

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

motorcycles used until then. By 1932 the

Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe (''Central Car Works'', CWS) was a Polish pre-war car and motorcycle manufacturer. Created by the Polish Ministry of War Affairs in 1918, the privately run company was initially entitled to service of all the me ...

works prepared a short series of roughly 200 CWS M55 motorcycles equipped with a sidecar. The bike itself was based upon the Harley-Davidson, while the engine was almost a direct copy of the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

. However, the machine proved to be less reliable. In 1931 it was decided at ''Państwowe Zakłady Inżynierii'' to prepare a completely new heavy motorcycle for the use of the Polish Army. Subsidized by the state, the PZInż holding extensively tested and modified the earlier M55 design to fit the specifications. Initially named CWS M III, the new construction was to be reliable, user-friendly, and immune to harsh conditions and bad service. As a result, the final motorcycle was slightly outdated, particularly heavy even as for its class, and expensive, with the civilian version selling for 4,200 złoty, or roughly US$800 or UK£170, a price only slightly lower than that of an average car of the epoch. Nevertheless, the model proved extremely reliable and durable. Production of the 1000 started in 1933 and lasted until the outbreak of

in 1939. Mass-produced entirely in Poland (less than 5% of parts were imported), the Sokół 1000 maintained its high quality throughout the production period. Every tenth motorcycle delivered was extensively checked for parameters and all machines were road-trialed before delivery. Its durability proved to be a major advantage and the Sokół 1000 was much faster off-road than many of the previously-used American counterparts. Among the most notable innovations introduced in the Polish construction was a soft sidecar mounting, which allowed for easier handling and greater off-road speed. The Sokół 1000 was also the basis for the Sokół M121

trike Trike may refer to: Vehicles with three wheels and seated * Drift trike, a type of recreational tricycle with no pedals * Electric trike * Motorized tricycle * Three-wheeler * Tricycle (non-motorized) * Ultralight trike, a type of powered hang g ...

prototype, with the sidecar wheel powered. Its engine was also used for railway draisines. File:Sokol 1000 cc 1935.jpg, Military painting File:Sokol 995 cc zijklep v-twin.jpg, 995 cc

V-twin engine A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longi ...

File:Sokół 1000 z CKM przeciwlotniczym.jpg,

Ckm wz. 30 Ckm wz. 30 (short for ''ciężki karabin maszynowy wz. 30''; "heavy machine gun 1930 Pattern") is a Polish-made clone of the American Browning M1917 heavy machine gun. Produced with various modifications such as greater caliber, longer barrel and ...

mounted on a Sokół 1000 with handle and sights adapted for anti-aircraft fire

References

Bibliography

*Zbigniew Otoczyński "Sokół 600 i 1000", WKŁ - Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i Łączności Sp. z o.o 1999, *Jan Tarczyński "Polskie motocykle 1918-1945" "The Polish motorcycle industry 1918-1945" Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i Łączności WKŁ 2005, *A.Jońca, R.Szubański, J.Tarczyński: "Wrzesień 39 - Pojazdy Wojska Polskiego", WKŁ, Warszawa 1990 *A.Jońca, J.Tarczyński, K.Barbarski: "Pojazdy w Wojsku Polskim - Polish Army Vehicles - 1918-1939", AJaKS, Pruszków 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sokol 1000 Sokół motorcycles Sidecars Military vehicles of Poland Military motorcycles World War II military vehicles World War II vehicles of Poland Motorcycles introduced in the 1930s Motorcycles powered by V engines Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s