The Ducati V8 -Wirthwein

Posted on February 2, 2012 by melwin23

Even those two launches did not fully prepare me for coming across the Ducati V8 of German engineer Dieter Hartmann-Wirthwein, who is very much a “can do” kinda guy.

Just four years ago, Dieter undertook his first motorcycle project – creating a four valve-head for a vintage R50 BMW racer – people who know the bike will know the problems. It worked. Next up, Dieter had an idea for creating a compact four cylinder engine from a single cylinder engine using just one conrod. The video contains an animation of his fascinating system which I can guarantee will fascinate anyone who has ever had grease under their fingernails. The system is ingenious, and his next step was to build one

So he took a Honda single cylinder 125 engine, and made it a four cylinder 125, which he installed in a monkey bike for testing. once the engine had worked reliably and powerfully, he decided to take concept and doing something very cool with it – like taking a Ducati 900 V-twin and turning it into a V-8.

The name of the motor is a derivative of the Ford Mustang GT 500 in the film “Gone in 60 seconds” and the entire motorcycle is now nearing completion as an 868cc V8 Ducati – the engine looks a treat, but it’s the workings that mesmerize me. The system he uses to achieve such an astonishingly compact road bike is just fascinating and I am certain these pages will review further engineering astonishment from Dieter in the year’s to come.

The desmodromic valve system has been lost, and Dieter says he’s not seeking massive horsepower from the bike – his aim is to build a fine roadbike, not a racetrack brute.

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Deutsch Café Racer – 1955 HOREX 500

Posted on February 1, 2012 by melwin23

Horex is a German motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1920 by the Rex glassware company, which conflated Homburg and Rex to create the brand name. The headquarter was in Bad Homburg.

Horex built motorcycles with Columbus four-stroke engines from Oberursel. In 1925 Horex and Columbus merged. Horex developed a range of models with single-cylinder Columbus engines from 250cc to 600cc. In 1933 it added two Straight-two engine models: the 600cc S6 and 800cc S8. Both twins have chain-driven OHC valvegear.

1955 Horex Imperator in the Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum Neckarsulm

The World War II interrupted motorcycle production, but Horex resumed in 1948 with a 350cc single-cylinder model, the SB 35 Regina. This model was highly successful: in 1953 for example Horex sold 18,600 of them. In 1951 Horex added a 30 bhp 500cc OHC Straight-two engine called the Imperator. In 1954 it added a 400cc, 26 bhp (19 kW) version of this twin to its range. In 1955 the company replaced the Regina with the Resident.

Daimler-Benz took over the company in 1960 and motorcycle production was terminated.

On June 15, 2010, it was announced that the brand would be revived and that a Horex motorcycle with a narrow-angle, six-cylinder supercharged engine would be available for sale in Germany, Austria and Switzerland at the end of the year 2011, with international sales to follow. Besides the new VR6 supercharged engine, an aluminum bridge frame with a steel steering head forms the chassis. A single swing arm controls the rear wheel, while the engine power is transferred by a belt drive system

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East German Motorcycle Museum

Posted on January 10, 2012 by melwin23

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One of my ‘must see’ destinations in Berlin was the East German Motorcycle Museum.

It is situated on metro line between Hackescher Market and Alexanderplatz, near the TV tower – directly under the rail line in fact. The museum displays a large collection of

Simson motorcycles with a small collection of IWLs, IFAs and Trabant cars (the Trabants were a separate collection). The collection was attractively displayed, but the cramped location under the arcades of the railway line meant many bikes were crammed quite close together making them difficult to photograph. It was a good museum though and I spent around an hour there taking photos of virtually everything.

A 1936 DKW SB200 motorcycle – the progenitor of the MZ.

In the immediate aftermath of the war IFA began assembling the famous pre-war DKW RT125s from left over parts and spares. From this humble beginning Motorrad Zchopau (MZ) was reborn from the ashes of DKW. Although first built in the early 1930s, the MZ RT125 remained a popular selling motorbike well into the 1950s.

A pair of IFA racing motorcycles. IFA, as it was then known quickly picked up where DKW’s pre-war racing team left off. IFA was soon renamed MZ and went on to make its name in European racing circuits.

A beautiful 1956 MZ 250. No longer just an East German DKW, MZ is beginning to evolve its own look.

Another 50s MZ with a Stieb sidecar. Stieb also found themselves on the wrong side of the east/west divide. They managed however to retain an export market to the west and their popular and stylish sidecars were found attached to many German motorcycles.

By the 1960s MZ had taken on their distinctive look. These are a range of ES and ET models which had engines ranging from 125 to 250cc.

Das eisen schwein – the Iron Pig. The MZ Trophy was built for export and was a popular seller across Europe The Trophy was pretty much East Germany’s answer to the Japanese invasion. They were basic machines, very cheap when new, relatively reliable and unkillable. Behind the Trophy is another beautiful 1950s model for stylistic comparison.

MZ began manufacturing their own sidecars in the 1960s.

MZs were used by the East German police

And by the fire department.

East Germany inherited more than just DKW-MZ. This is a EMW R35 built by Eisenach Motorwerkes based on the pre-war BMW R35. VEB stopped production of Eisenach motorcycles in 1953 in favour of MZ motorcycles. Eisenach went on to produce Wartburg cars.

Not all motorcycles were German. This is a Czechoslovakian Jawa. Jawa’s two strokes were based on DKW technology.

Simson-Suhl started manufacturing motorcycles in the 1920s. In 1948 they produced the AWO 425. The name refers to the four stroke engine of 250ccs. It was a popular but short lived machine as VEB stopped production in favour of MZ motorcycles when they re-organised the auto industry.

VEB assigned Simson the market for 50cc mopeds. The ubiquitous Simson Schwabe (Swallow) was probably their most popular machine. These lovely little mopeds were built from the 1950s to the 1980s. There were plenty of them on the streets in Berlin, Dresden and points east (even saw three in the far western university town of Aachen).

A large collection of Simson mopeds. Simson were a long time in production and released a wide range of machines, from powered bicycles to 50cc ‘sports’ bikes.

A Simson Spatz with a Simson SR-2 moped behind.

A Simson Star and Simson Spatz. This later model has the ubiquitous square headlamp like the MZ Trophy and IWL Troll.

A modern Simson scooter. Unlike the rest of VEB, Simson survived the fall of Communism. They continue to manufacture a small range of motorcycles and scooters as well as spare parts for many of their more popular oldtimers.http://www.simson.de/

IWL were originally aircraft engine manufacturers but in 1954 VEB assigned them a contract to build scooters. IWL built their first scooters around the MZ 125cc engine which, given the size of the scooters, was considerably underpowered. The IWL Pitty was in production only two years before it was replaced by the lighter, more conventional Wiesel.

The lovely IWL Berlin and Campi trailer. This was IWL’s most successful machine, selling over 160,000 units.

The IWL Troll’s styling was clearly influenced by MZ, which by 1963 had become more deeply involved with IWL. In 1964 MZ took over manufacture of the Troll but stopped production the next year.

Some of the oddies of the collection. The Simson Duo was effectively a three wheeled ‘micro-car.’ The Krauz-Piccolo Trumpf was a three wheeled invalid carriage built out of surplus IWL Pitty components and a 50cc Simson moped engine.

The museum featured an interesting ‘scheunenfund’ display. This is how many old bikes are found – rusting, scattered in pieces.

The Trabant Collection

A AWZ P-50. This was the first real Trabant.

The AWZ P-70 –

the progenitor of the the Trabant. These were built in the mid 1950s as a discount motor vehicle. Later Trabants would have a smaller engine.

Horex VR6 cylinder – German Technology at its best

Posted on January 9, 2012 by melwin23

The Horex VR6
perhaps doesn’t look all that forward thinking or futuristic, in fact it has quite a sedate and traditional appearance. However the unique powerplant – one which the company now has a patent for in motorcycles – is certainly something new.

At the center of the Horex VR6 is a, surprise, surprise, VR6 engine.

The engine is called a VR6 because the cylinders are laid out in a ‘V’ configuration, the ‘R’ stands for ‘Reihenmotor’ – the German word describing an inline motor, and 6 for six cylinders. The unconventional arrangement of the cylinders – they are staggered and mounted at only a 15 degree angle – means that they are packaged in a much smaller overall space than other 6 cylinder engines. The engine itself is only slightly larger than an inline 4-cylinder, and considerably shorter than a conventional V6. VW were the original inventors of the VR6 engine, and as Horex cite VW as a technical partner in the Horex VR6 project, there’s a pretty good chance the bike uses a VW derived unit.

Not content with just your everyday run-of-the-mill naturally aspirated VR6 engine, Horex decided that the addition of a supercharger would be the cherry on the cake. This means that the 1,200 cc engine produces a substantial 197 horsepower, and 110 lb-ft of torque. To ensure smooth power delivery, the engineers opted for a tough rubber belt to transmit the power to the rear wheels.

Styling
In the looks department the Horex VR6 isn’t anywhere near as adventurous as its clever engineering. It’s still a good looking bike – not a stunner – but a good looking machine. Horex state that; “This design will polarize”. No it won’t. It looks too sensible for that. What it will do however is prove that you’re a buyer who chooses substance over style – and pays a good chunk of change for the privilege. €20,000 will secure you one. Sales are to start in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Later sales are set to expand into the rest of Europe and North America.