----- Original Message -----
From: "DANIEL PARMLEY Jr." <ARTILLERYDAN@prodigy.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2000 10:34 AM
Subject: [MV] German Motorcycle Questions
> Hello everyone,
>
> I was thinking about buying a WWII german motorcycle? Anyone got any
> thoughts?? I am looking to stay "real" no China copies. Pricing is
> everywhere from 2000.00 to12000.00. The makes that seem to be "real" or
> "military" are BMW, Zundapp, DKW, and NSU and quite a few or each. Looking
> to spend 5000.00 or less.
>
There is Horex, Phanomen, Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Triumph (not the UK make) and
Victoria also but these are quite rare. Depending on condition the prices
seem very reasonable, 2000 USD usually means a very sorry example,
non-running with quite a few parts missing.
> I have found a DKW 350 reasonable price, but two
> stroke? I have two stroke dirt bikes but how is that in a regular motor
> cycle? looking for some input.
>
Hmmmm, maybe reasonably priced since as far as I know, for many a long year
now, the USA has banned all two-stroke engines over 50cc for road use. You
might get some joy from the next Pres. however who is reputed not to
recognise the word "pollution".
Meanwhile the rest of us have had a steady diet of seriously hairy and
light-weight strokers howling around our roads and you cannot make a
comparison really between an intermittently rated moto-cross engine, the
current and previous crop of Far East two-stroke howlers making typically
250HP/litre and a gently purring WWII lightly loaded 350 stroker of
something like 35-40HP/litre.
The Wehrmacht fought a war with the two-stroke solo machines and apart from
the hassle of pre-mix fuel they went on and on like everything else, it was
quite late on before the final realisation that the selectable two wheel
drive combinations of Zundapp (KS 750) and BMW (R75) took four times the
effort and cost to build than a simple and largely more useful Kubelwagen.
Modern semi-synthetic two-stroke oils are light years better than the WWII
mix of SAE 30 and gasoline but you are dealing with an engine of largely
unknown condition and I doubt either Supply Line or Army Motors are exactly
bursting with spare part supply for something like this so far removed from
a jeep.
Something of a challenge, but have at it and good luck.
Richard
Southampton - England
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