
zundappfool
New User
Feb 12, 2005, 8:51 AM
Post #1 of 8
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The attached photo is of a 1938 KS600 Zundapp twin cylinder motorcycle. It produced a whooping 28 hp at around 4800 rpms ( you chuckle but this was high tech in 1938 ) from a 25 &1/2 mm German Amal carburetor. At this time in history Germany had contracts to produce both Triumph motorcycles and Amal carburetors. The KS600 had a pressed steel frame and front fork giving the bike a stable ride and good handling ( no squrim ). The 19in. wheels were identical allowing for interchangability. The bike has both a foot shift and a hand shift available on the same machine ; foot shift on the left and hand shift on the right. The bike produced electricity from a 60 generator. As it's name might imply the bike was a 600cc ( 591cc) twin cylinder machine. And like many of the Zundapp line it had a transmission consisting of sprokets and bicycle chain. Though the bike was of "hard tail" design, it had a more than adequate suspension built into its' seat. And the bike will cruise at about 60 ~ 65 mph. There were about 21 thousand units built between 1938 ~ 1941 and around 500 more built between 1949 ~ 1951, but today best guess estimates put the exsisting KS600 units at around 2000 bikes world wide. There is however, a strong cottage industry for these bikes especially in Germany. Interestingly enough an unrestored bike will cost less than half of what a Harley or Indian of the same age would run.
(This post was edited by zundappfool on Feb 12, 2005, 8:55 AM)
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