On the move: Hercules K 125 T

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On the move: Hercules K 125 T
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On the move: Hercules K 125 T

The Nurnbergerle

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At that time the Hercules K 125 T was light home cooking; if not exactly the dream motorcycle of the adolescents. How does the fast two-stroke feel today??

The Nurnbergerle (part 1)

What kind of times were those back then at the beginning of the 1970s? The youngsters climbed from their bikes onto a moped, and when they were 16 they swung on one in the best of cases Hercules K 50, Kreidler Florett or Zundapp C 50 Sport and dreamed of the big machines. That was one of the most moving topics that the clique adolescents discussed. When the youth rattled through the streets on their mopeds in bulk, the carpet of sound echoing around the houses crept up the spine of everyone involved as goose bumps. At the age of 18 they had the cardboard they had longed for, the ticket to freedom on two wheels, and one of the reasons for countless slaughtered piggy banks. The competition for the best machine and the highest reputation in the group continued.

Visually, the delicate K 125 T was more reminiscent of a 1950s than of large motorcycles: the tank, levers, fittings and switches corresponded to those of the small motorcycles. Thanks to the telescopic fork, only experts could tell them apart from mopeds at first glance. Incidentally, that was also the most striking change to its predecessor model, the K 125 X, which had been launched a year earlier. A sixth gear was added to the transmission for the 1973 season. And even with the Sachs engine with the wide-wall cylinder and the fan head, you had to look closely to see the larger ribbing. No wonder, because Fichtel and Sachs from Schweinfurt, at that time the largest manufacturer of two-wheel engines in Europe, supplied both engines.


Stefan Wolf

A striking feature of the sporty Sachs engine are the wide cooling fins on the fan head. Cast-in bridges should prevent the buzzing.

The optics were their biggest flaw at the time and one of the most important reasons why they did not become a bestseller. With such a machine you could hardly be seen in the clique. Although it had a practical main stand, it did not have a side stand that the driver could casually unfold with his left foot in front of an assembled audience in order to let the machine tip over on it. Just as Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda celebrated in the film Easy Rider. And some people wrinkled their noses at the look of the small instruments and the antediluvian Bakelite switches.

Hercules asked for 2600 marks for the K 125 T. A proud price. Together with the Zundapp KS 125 Sport and the DKW RT 125 E, it was the most expensive machine in its class. The DKW was like the Hercules like an egg to the next, which again was not surprising, since it ran off the Hercules production line and only bore the traditional name. The only distinguishing feature was the company lettering on the tank and side covers.


Stefan Wolf

Wolf in sheep’s clothing? The machine, which at first glance looks like a good 50s, hides technology from racing in its interior.

A two-cylinder Yamaha AS-3 cost 2350 marks at the time, the two-cylinder Honda CB 125 even only budget-friendly 2200 Markers, even if both of them did not quite come close to the Hercules in terms of performance. Even holders of the class 4 driving license acquired before 1954 disdained the 125 cc because they were allowed to upgrade directly to 250 cc models. And the Honda dealer already sold a CB 250 for 3200 marks, which offered a lot more motorcycle and more prestige and least of all looked like a 50s. Another handicap, albeit a minor one, compared to the Japanese two-stroke competition was the mixture lubrication. The driver had to fill up with a gasoline-oil mixture at the moped pump, which did not promote the image.

On the other hand, for a few insiders, their understatement even offered a certain charm. The look of a small motorcycle paired with 17 HP and thus 2.7 times the power not only inspired the imagination of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.


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Presentation in the issue of DAS MOTORRAD 19/1972.

Perhaps because of this, Hercules found particularly loyal followers. It wasn’t a cheap motorcycle, but it had more to offer than its outward appearance initially conveyed. Even before Klacks could test the Hercules, he tried to draw conclusions about her character from the known data: "According to all technical information, it should be at the top of what is currently on offer when compared to other 125 cc machines", he wrote when it was presented in DAS MOTORRAD 19/1972. "Hercules has obviously summarized all the experience and knowledge gained with this engine over the past few years", he mused at the time. But what does the K 125 T look like today, where all the prejudices from back then have peeled off like rotten paint?

Your engine is a lively predator that demands speed. Running culture is not its forte. He doesn’t like to glide at constant speed, and not at low speeds three times. Then he stutters unwillingly, hammering like a metal, and the piston rings seem to scrape along the cylinder wall one by one. Only when the driver downshifts one or two gears and spurs the engine does the Hercules sprint smoothly, like a cat, accompanied by the hiss of the two-stroke engine.

The Nurnbergerle (part 2)


Stefan Wolf

The front simplex brake with cooling slots decelerates well.

"Nothing special happens below 5000 rpm", wrote Ernst Leverkus in DAS MOTORRAD 3/1973, "and from 5000 r / min it gets funny." And it really will! The driver has to keep the engine speed consistently above 5000 rpm in order to get ahead with the 17 horses. Then the Hercules shows its sporty side. It sprints lightly towards the wind, can be tossed effortlessly back and forth like an agile aircraft until its engine screams for the next of its six gears somewhere at 8000 rpm. The six-speed gearbox, which is shifted using a draw key, requires a careful shift foot. Imprecise gear changes are immediately punished by the roar of the engine when an intermediate idle is engaged again.

How fast it goes is irrelevant. A top speed of 120 km / h is in her papers, she easily manages over 100 km / h, as the tachometer needle reveals. And that’s still enough today to have a lot of fun with her. Top speed is not the destination of the little Hercules. She loves to be chased uphill and downhill through winding terrain. Then it can play its trump card even against larger machines: At 108 kg it is unrivaled light. This helps both handiness and driving performance.


Stefan Wolf

The pillion footpegs are adjustable in their massive holder.

Accelerated locomotion is her passion and the greatest pleasure. Other machines are more suitable for fetching bread rolls. "The handiness, the low weight and the beautiful curve position inspire every movement", Klacks was also enthusiastic about DAS MOTORRAD 3/1973. she is "a fun instrument with high performance", he summed up – an early one, so to speak "Fun bike".

The Hercules takes turns of any kind unmoved. Your chassis is very direct and tight, hardly a bump brings you out of step, everything is easy and playful by hand. Speaking of hands: only the clutch requires a strong handshake, which seems unusual given the small motor.


Stefan Wolf

Fittings and switches corresponded to those of the 50s and were frowned upon.

If you accelerate properly, you have to brake accordingly. The Hercules’ two drums do their job quite well. The driver has to pull a little harder at the front so that the brake decelerates properly. The rear drum, on the other hand, is pretty snappy, and the wheel blocks every now and then if the pedal is pressed too briskly. From 1975 Hercules offered the machine with a disc brake in the front wheel as the K 125 S. In doing so, the company tried to save what could no longer be saved. Not even with the machine with cast rims that was produced from 1977 to 1979. It was to be the last model in this series.

The driver sits quite sportily on the petite machine. Anyone who is taller than eight feet takes the slim tank with knees at an acute angle, and arms stretched out on the narrow handlebars. The chassis can even handle two people without any problems. The seat is narrow but long enough and the passenger pegs can be adjusted in their mounts. Although the two Boge struts are not adjustable, they are designed for pillion rider use at the factory. The machine does not have much trouble with the extra weight, and its chassis does not reach its limits at the front or rear. Both the struts and the Ceriani fork do their job perfectly. The fork absorbs uneven floors with particular sensitivity.


Stefan Wolf

With the driver, the Hercules looks small and petite.

The payload entered in the papers is cause for astonishment: the Hercules can hold almost 200 kilograms. And the 17 hp of the motor pull two people off the mark quite well. Sure, it is no longer enough for sporty curve hunting, and long stretches for two are no fun either. But that’s not her nature anyway. Ride solo over winding roads, then the Hercules K 125 is in its element, guaranteeing driving pleasure.

And the ambivalent perception that the Hercules experienced during production times no longer plays a role today. Anyone who owns a well-preserved K 125 T can calmly ignore any doubts, indulge in his childhood memories and simply enjoy the refreshing liveliness of the Hercules.

Technical specifications


Stefan Wolf

After a refreshing ride, memories of youth come back to life.

                                

 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
  Hercules K 125 T
ENGINE
Motor / type Air-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke engine from Fichtel & Sachs, slot-controlled, mixture lubrication 1:25
drilling 54 mm
Hub 54 mm
Displacement 124 cm3
compression 10.8: 1
power 17 hp at 7500 rpm
Torque 16.3 Nm at 7500 rpm
Mixture preparation      Round slide carburetor, Bing, Ø 27 mm
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
starter Kickstarter
battery 6 volts
ignition Contactless thyristor ignition system
POWER TRANSFER
coupling Multi-disc oil bath clutch
transmission Six-speed, draw-key shift
Gear ratio 4.6; 2.93; 2.16; 1.71; 1.43; 1.24: 1
Secondary drive Chain
Secondary translation 1: 2.86
LANDING GEAR
Frame type Backbone frame with beams
Front wheel guide Telescopic fork, Ceriani
Rear wheel guide Two-sided swing arm made of tubular steel, two spring struts
bikes Wire spoke wheels
Front tires 2.75-17
Rear tire 3.00-17
Front brake Simplex brake Ø 160 mm
rear brake Simplex brake Ø 160 mm
MASS AND WEIGHT
Weight 108 kg
Tank capacity 10.5 liters
Performance Top speed 120 km / h
PRICE 2600 marks 1973
MANUFACTURER Nuremberg Hercules-Werke GmbH, Nuremberg, Germany
   
   

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