Motocicletas en Cuba: The Havana Moto Culture

Motorcycles of Cuba
Classic American cars and classic European motorcycles share the busy streets of Havana. Photos by the author.

I step onto Cuban soil knowing full-well that I’ll see American classic cars in all their mid-century glory. What I am not prepared for is the lively and unique motorcycle culture that thrives in the island’s capital of Havana.

In so many ways, Cuba is a country that is frozen in the 1950s. The current, tenuous loosening of American embargos and travel bans has started to thaw that freeze, but Havana is still on a several decade lag behind most of the western world. There is no small measure of charm in that antiquation.

Motorcycles of Cuba
Havana’s bayside road and the city’s historic district from the deck of the Norwegian Sky.

As my wife and I walk off of the dock of the Port of Havana, we are greeted by a post-vintage Yamaha Virago dressed as a police bike. The Virago’s street pilot, a uniformed Cuban traffic officer directs us across the busy bayside street. It turns out that the officer’s working mount will prove to be one of the newer motorcycles we’ll encounter in the historic streets of Havana.

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Motorcycles of Cuba
A classy Cuban on a classic HHH-badged Russian 2-stroke with a sidecar.

As we make our way to the other side of the street, we walk directly to a vintage Russian 2-stroke twin with a sidecar. Fittingly, a Cuban man, who exudes as much character as the bike, sits rakishly on the saddle smoking a Cuban stogie. Welcome to Havana!

The bikes on the Havana streets are old and diverse. The countries of origin are equally varied with bikes from China, Japan, Germany, and Eastern Europe in the majority. Names like Jawa, MZ, HHH, Kapnatbi grace the tank badges. With seemingly no emission regulations, 2-strokes are everywhere.

Motorcycles of Cuba
MZ motorcycles, from the now defunct German company, are popular in Havana.

I’m told there are some Harleys on the island, but those are owned by the more affluent Cubans and mostly brought out only on the weekends. The bikes you see on the streets are those of the working class – real daily riders. If the bikes don’t carry the original paint, they are often coated in vibrant island colors.

Motorcycles of Cuba
We never saw passengers in the sidecars – groceries maybe?

The more we walk through the streets that Ernest Hemingway so loved, the clearer it becomes that there is an unmistakable style to the Cuban moto culture. While the bikes are mostly decades old and often from companies that are long defunct, the examples are incredibly well maintained. Since many of the bikes are from companies that no longer supply parts, there is a network of back-alley Cuban machine shops that can craft virtually any part for the island’s antiquated cars and motorcycles.

Motorcycles of Cuba
All motorcyclists wear helmets even if they are ridiculously minimalist.

Sidecars are ubiquitous on the island and they are clearly a melding of the utility and style to the owners. They are almost exclusively color-matched and most often sport snap-on vinyl covers on the hack. Watching the sidecar pilots navigate the bustling streets of Havana is impressive. They display an almost supernatural awareness of exactly what space will allow surgical passage through the bustling streets without metal-to-metal contact.

Motorcycles of Cuba
This official Virago gives new meaning to the term ‘police cruiser.’

It even seems that when motorcycles are parked on the streets of Havana, they are situated – even staged – in a way that presents them in their full glory. They are parked in character-filled doorways and in front of quaint Cuban restaurants as if begging to be photographed. As I have said, there is a style that permeates Cuban motorcycle culture.

Motorcycles of Cuba
This MZ 250 displays the meticulous detailing of many motorcycles in Havana.

That style extends to the riders. Havana motorcyclists are as diverse as their motorcycles – and every bit as intriguing. The riders most often sport minimalist half-helmets, many of which are leather or vinyl-clad, and ride in their ‘island casual’ attire. Young or old, male or female, the riders in Havana seem keenly and comfortably aware that riding makes them unique. I guess that element of motorcycling is universal.

As is the case in America, motorcycling makes up a small segment of Havana’s traffic. However, also like Americans, Cubans who ride do so with independence, pride, and an unmistakable common bond.

Motorcycles of Cuba
Small displacement does not mean small style with this little Russian bike.

Getting There:

If you are going to visit Cuba, you are going to get there by air or sea. We chose to cruise to Havana as the relaxed pace of the approach seemed perfect for the ambience of the country. Norwegian Cruise Lines now offers weekly visits to Havana and the port is perfectly situated directly across from Old Havana. NCL does a good job of making sure passengers have their ducks in a row for the days in Havana, and it is great getting back to an air conditioned stateroom after a long day in the Tropic of Cancer sun.

Motorcycles of Cuba
Old wall art and a little 2-stroke Suzuki on a side street.

Things to Know:

  • You will convert your American dollars to Cuban CUCs (Americans take a hit on the exchange)
  • The Cuban government requires a special visa in addition to your passport
  • You are told you must log your “people-to-people” activities for later verification
  • Don’t hesitate to interact with the locals. We found them to be charming and welcoming
Motorcycles of Cuba
A fair number of Cuban women ride. They often sit sidesaddle when riding as passengers.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. Travelled there in 2014. During a week-long trip on BMWs, we met numerous local bikers, including members of the Harley Club. Amazing to see what Frankenbikes they’ve become. Substituting Russian truck pistons for Knucklhead pistons, fabricating wheels from car rims, maching all sorts of parts from scratch–those guys know how to keep a bike running. I was a little suspiscious, though, of the guy we met riding a brand-new Ducati 998. He claimed to have convinced the Customs officials that he was importing it to restore it.

  2. Good morning, Myself and a few others are heading to Cuba at the end of the month. Does anyone know about Halrista Cubano? I am wondering is there vendors at all? Also we will be taking a taxi from Varadero to Havana and I also wondered is there the typical motorcycle shop there to buy souvenirs, clothing, etc? I would like to think there would be Harley Davidson stuff there. Just trying to get some ideas can anyone help?

  3. Guys this is an idea for Cubans in rural areas to produce electricity using a single Cylinder motor bike engine which requires something like a Windscreen wiper motor to turn the crankshaft after the piston has been removed it becomes a Magneto or a DYNAMO and by adjusting the GAP of spark plug thee Wattage and voltage changes up or down depending on which way you move the gap.Current flow through plug and out to devices tha tneed power is done by having anattachment that allows you to attach that wire to thread of Spark plug.If you use the plug to adjust voltage /wattage heat is produced by spark but it is also an attractant for inducted electrons (Known as microwave frequencies which are often used for monitoring and harassment)It is possible to use a 2 cylinder engine and pull one piston and run the other piston via a carburettor that services that single cylinder and use when needed only.4 Stroke make less noise. The windscreen wiper speed control on high usually will produce enough speed to generate 110/240 electricity and chainsaw and 4 cylinder car engines can be used as well.Also guys in 1979 My brother asked me to time his VW BEETLE and I discovered that the Centrifugal weights have a ring around each set of weights which stops full advancing of the distributor.I took the rings off and he was able to easily reach 77 with the new advancement parameters

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