Laurin & Klement motorcycles celebrate their 125th anniversary

Before the Škoda era, 125 years ago, the first two Laurin & Klement Slavia motorcycles were unveiled in Prague on November 18, 1899.

Before producing cars and being bought by Škodathe company Laurin & Klement (L&K) produced bicycles and motorcycles on the eve of the 20th century.

The genesis of Laurin & Klement motorcycles

The mechanic Václav Laurin and the bookseller Václav Klement created the Slavia bikes in 1895, and quickly acquired a reputation for modernity and quality, which helped accelerate their growth. It was in the fall of 1898 that Václav Klement wanted to launch into two motorized wheelsby equipping its cycles with a gasoline engine in the spring of 1899, then quickly, Laurin & Klement devoted itself to the development of real motorcycles.

True to his standards of handling and reliability, Václav Laurin chose to place the engine in the center of the frame, closer to the center of the bike. This had the effect of improving weight distribution, but also protecting the single-cylinder engine, fuel tank and ignition system with a tubular frame structure, setting the new world standard at the time. This is the Saturday November 18, 1899 that the first two Slavia single-cylinder motorcycles by Laurin & Klement were officially unveiled in Prague, on the Bubny cycling circuit.

Successful motorcycles and automobiles

Both models are Type A with a 184 cm3 engine developing 1.25 horsepower, sold at a price of 460 guilders, and the Type B more powerful with a 240 cm3 engine and 1.75 horsepower, for 500 guilders. Both motorcycles boasted top speeds of 30 km/h and 40 km/h respectively, and enjoyed great success in overseas markets, notably the United Kingdom and Germany. In 1904, L&K introduced the Type CCCC, one of the world’s first four-cylinder motorcycles, and then won the first motorcycle world championship in Dourdan, near Paris, in 1905.

Building on their successes in motorcycle racing, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement then devoted themselves to automobile development. In 1905, L&K’s first automobile was unveiled: the Voiturette A, powered by a new one-liter two-cylinder engine. Motorcycle production in Mladá Boleslav ended in 1910, after approximately 3,500 to 4,500 copies elapsed. Vintage motorcycle enthusiasts can rediscover the Type B from 1902, Type L from 1904 and the twin-cylinder CCD motorcycle from 1906 at the Škoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic.

The story of 125 ans development and manufacturing of engines in Mladá Boleslav, which began on motorcycles in 1899, continues today on cars under the leadership of Škoda, which bought the company Laurin & Klement in 1925.