Praga ZS 800 is an ultra‑limited classic sports bike

Coming from the same engineering team currently working on the upcoming Bohema, Praga says that the new ZS 800 will combine modern technologies and materials with the original design notes and character of the original BD 500.

Launched in 1928, the BD 500 was seen as a motorcycle ahead of its time and was conceived by Jaroslav František Koch, a young designer who had previously worked for Laurin & Klement (which would later become Skoda) and German aircraft manufacturer Aviatik. A keen motorcyclist, Koch designed the first ever four stroke DOHC engine for the BD 500, and firmly placed it in the history books when he set a new endurance record aboard the bike, covering the 1,480km distance from Rome to Prague in 35 hours and 40 minutes.

Fast forward almost a century, the ZS 800 is the brainchild of Jan Žuži, who was working on the Bohema hypercar when building a remake of the BD 500 became a passion project. Enlisting colleague Radek Šebesta, the two set about combining their combined engineering knowledge with the production capabilities and competition technology of Praga.

Thanks to a chrome molybdenum steel frame and titanium exhaust system, the ZS 800 will have a dry weight of just 142kg – 158kg wet – and will be powered by an air-cooled, 773cc four-stroke parallel twin engine, offering 50PS and 65Nm of torque. Forged carbon wheels, working alongside a hydraulic drum brake system, will feature hand-woven carbon rims in a complex pattern of overlapping carbon fibre and carbon tension spokes, which Praga says will emulate the look of the original motorcycle.

The five-axis machining of the molybdenum steel frame allows for a sculpted front fork to sit at the fore of the motorcycle and will feature fully adjustable Ohlins suspension with a titanium spring. Meanwhile, an 11.5L fuel tank – with a forged carbon cover – helps keep the weight down to just 142kg, with an even 50:50 weight distribution between the front and rear wheels.

Praga is proud of its low weight, which it claims is only possible through the use of skilled engineering and an understanding of the high-grade materials being used throughout the motorcycle. Almost every screw, axle, nut and bolt of both chassis and engine are made from titanium, as well as the entire exhaust system, which weighs just 4.8kg alone.

“Strong and extremely lightweight materials - such as carbon, titanium, chrome-molybdenum steel and aviation duralumin - enabled us to reimagine the rigid rear wheel suspension, the front swingarm fork, and the hydraulic drum brakes,” explained Žuži, who took the role of Chief Designer for the project. “These futuristic materials and Praga sports division’s latest production facilities have enabled us to transfer those elegant historical design elements to the present day, and to build a motorcycle with contemporary driving characteristics and a unique feel.”

Deliveries of the ZS 800 are expected in mid-2023, and with only 28 examples being made, in a nod to the BD 500’s launch 95 years ago, it boasts a price tag to match its exclusivity, sitting at £75,550 before taxes are taken into the equation.