Praga, the Czech-based company behind the Bohema hypercar, has added a motorcycle to its lineup. And it looks nothing like you’d expect a two-wheel sibling to the Nissan GTR-powered exotic to look.
While the Bohema is an entirely modern, track-ready hypercar targeting the same market segment occupied by the likes of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, its ZS 800 sister is an unashamedly retro machine that’s designed purely for road work.
So why did Praga choose such a vintage design over building a state-of-the-art 2023 superbike to battle the Ducati Panigale V4 R? It all makes more sense when you dig into the company’s background. In addition to building cars, trucks, and even tanks before the war, Praga also built motorcycles, one of which, the 1928 BD 500, set an endurance record in its day and inspired the latest project.
Praga says the original plan was to simply recreate the BD 500, but the team soon found themselves integrating some hi-tech materials, including titanium and even carbon fiber, that make the ZS 800 far more modern than it initially appears.
Related: New Praga Bohema Is A $1.3 Million, Nissan GT-R Powered Supercar
As the name suggests, the original bike’s parallel twin engine had a then-common 500 cc capacity and less common DOHC design, but the new one displaces 773 cc while retaining the dual-cam configuration. It’s air- rather than water-cooled so looks suitably retro, and the modest 50 hp (50 PS) and 48 lb-ft (65 Nm) outputs also look like something from the past.
But the new engine does comply with the same Euro 5 emissions regulations that killed off the once massively popular Yamaha R6, and the whole bike is also incredibly light, weighing just 313 lbs (142 kg) without fluids, which should help make those 50 ponies feel reasonably frisky as you click up and down through its five ratios.
The chrome-molybdenum steel frame features Öhlins suspension, while the exhaust is titanium, but perhaps the most interesting meeting of old and new is at the wheels. The rims themselves are made from hand-woven carbon, and feature carbon tensioned spokes, while the brakes are classic-looking drums, but hydraulically operated.
Unless you’re really into pre-war bikes you could easily take one quick look at the pictures of the ZS 800 and dismiss it as a simple remake. But it’s much smarter than that. It’s also far more expensive than your average old bike. Praga is only building 28 at €86,000 ($92k / £77k) each, but that still makes the two-wheeler a heap more affordable than the four-wheel, $1.3 million Bohema.
