Scene: motorcycle legends and their situation today

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Scene: motorcycle legends and their situation today
MZ

Sports & scene

Scene: motorcycle legends and their situation today

Scene: motorcycle legends and their situation today
What are actually doing…

…MZ, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Kreidler, Sachs and Indian? Famous brands whose current representatives have to find their way out of a glorious past into an uncertain future. Everyone tries to do this in their own way. In a snapshot, MOTORRAD shows what the uncertain future of the above-mentioned companies will look like.

Ralf Schneider

02/18/2010

Motorenwerke Zschopau GmbH

Production site: Hohndorf (D)
Model range: Electric sofas, electric scooters and light motorcycles are planned (for more information, visit www.mz-charly.com)

The situation of MZ remains confusing for outsiders. The following mechanism should actually work: MZ applies for a guarantee from the Free State of Saxony in order to receive a loan to stimulate production. To this end, the banks in question must declare their willingness to grant a loan in the event of a guarantee. On behalf of the Free State, an auditing company assesses the chances of success of the business plan submitted by MZ and communicates its assessment to the Saxon Ministry of Finance. If this turns out to be positive, the country would take over the guarantee and the banks would grant the appropriate loan. At the moment, however, this mechanism seems to be paralyzed. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Finance told MOTORRAD that the application was still incomplete in the formal legal sense, which MZ Managing Director Martin Wimmer commented that there was a hook in step two, the banks’ declaration of readiness. Further negotiations in February should clarify the situation. After the short-time work expired at the end of January, the construction of six copies of the Charly electric moped every day began, and spare parts dispatch continues. When asked about the Moto2 project, which so far mainly consisted of test drives with a Supersport World Championship Honda from the disbanded Stiggy team, Wimmer said that decisive modifications to the chassis geometry had been tested. They have already been implemented in a self-built framework. Since the Moto2 teams are already equipped, a Moto2 MZ could not be sold until the 2011 season at the earliest.

Timeline: In 1922 DKW produced motorcycles in Zschopau, in 1946/47 the factory was dismantled, in 1950 pre-war DKWs were produced under the name IFA, the name MZ was introduced in 1956 with the RT 125/2, in 1970 1000000th MZ was built, an ETZ 250 die in 1983 2,000,000th MZ, 1990 privatization, 1991 bankruptcy, 1993 new start as MuZ, move to Hohndorf, 1994 Skorpion / Traveler, 1996 entry by Hong Leong, 1997 Baghira and Mastiff, 2000 RT 125, SX and SM 125, 2003 1000 S / SF / ST, production stopped at the end of 2008, spring 2009 Martina Hager, Martin Wimmer and Ralf Waldmann take over MZ

Indian Motorcycle

Production site: Kings Mountain (USA)
Model range: Indian Chief range (more at www.indianmotorcycle.com)

When the investment firm Stellican in 2006 the rights to Indian bought, the new owner planned to produce motorcycles as early as the following year. In fact, this lasted until the spring of 2009. In the meantime, the Powerplus 105 engine (1721 cm³) taken over from the predecessor company had been carefully improved. On the basis of the Indian Chief, the motorcycle manufacture in North Carolina last year with “just under 50 employees … just under 500 motorcycles” built; They did not want to give more details. Although the company also has importers in Switzerland and Luxembourg, the majority of the motorcycles are destined for the USA, but apparently not easy to sell there either. How else could a kind of scrapping premium that Indian paid for third-party used motorcycles until the end of November last year be explained? She brought up to $ 3,000 off a new Indian chief. There is currently zero percent financing for new 2009 models in the USA. The 2010 model year distinguishes between seven different versions of the Chief; innovations are planned for 2011. This could also include the lighter and sportier Scout, which has been announced for a long time.

Timeline: 1901 first prototype, 1906 first V-twin-cylinder, 1914 Indians are equipped with electric starters and electric lighting, 1927 Indian Ace with four-cylinder engine, during the 1940s army contracts give main competitor Harley-Davidson economic advantages and enormous popularity, 1953 Indian bankruptcy , The marketing rights go through different hands, revived in 2000, Scout 101 with engine from S&S, 2003 Chief Deluxe, then bankruptcy and takeover by Stellican

Kreidler motor vehicles

Production sites: Jinan, Taizhou (VR), Taipei (Taiwan), Rheda-Wiedenbruck (D)
Model range: 50cc scooters, 125cc scooters and light-weight bikes, quads, karts, bicycles with auxiliary electric drive, bicycles (www.kreidler.net)

Interestingly enough, two of the 125s are from Kreidler identical in construction to the corresponding Sachs models, but for the company based in Oldenburg today they are much more important than for the Franconians (right). Kreidler sold almost 1,000 125 cc models in 2009, including 750 light motorcycles. In 2010, managing director Gerd Muller even plans to sell 1,500 light motorcycles in Germany. And although the company is launching an electric scooter on the market in February and the bicycle division offers a number of electric bikes (assembled in Germany), the rest of the model range also focuses on two-wheelers with combustion engines. The plan to offer a 250cc Supermoto, which failed a year and a half ago due to problems with homologation, has also not yet been given up. “In the longer term, we can even imagine adding an even bigger motorcycle to the range”, said Muller in an interview with MOTORRAD.

Aside from the quads and karts that come from Taiwan, the 50s and 125s are built in the People’s Republic of China, at Quinqi in Jinan and Jonway in Taizhou. According to Kreidler boss Muller, three employees from Germany are constantly on site to monitor compliance with the high European standards.

Timeline: 1903 foundation of the company Kreidlers Metallwerk Anton Kreidler in Stuttgart, 1949 start of vehicle development, 1951 presentation of the K 50, 1957 first Kreidler Florett, 1965 world record drives in the USA, 1967 wind-cooled Kreidler Florett RS 5-speed, the 1970s bring the biggest sales – and sporting successes, 1981 bankruptcy of Kreidler Metallwerke, sale of the vehicle works, 1982 these went bankrupt, the naming rights were taken over by Kreidler dealer Rudolf Scheidt, 1995 rights to Prophete GmbH, 2007 Kreidler Motors Europe GmbH

Moto Guzzi Spa

Production site: Mandello del Lario (I)
Range of models: Breva and Nevada 750, V7 models, Bellagio, California models, Breva, Norge and Stelvio 1200, 1200 Sport V4, Griso 8V (www.motoguzzi.de)

The fans and the crisis – they have been Moto Guzzi’s most loyal companions for years. 2009 seemed to be the end again. Piaggio, owner of Aprilia and Moto Guzzi since the end of 2004, moved development to Aprilia, production is lagging around 4,000 units, and more layoffs among the only 149 employees are imminent. But once again the icon proves it Moto Guzzi its charisma: motorcyclists from all over Europe demonstrate in Mandello, journalists write leading articles and Italian unions and politicians intervene – hardly comprehensible in view of the low economic importance of the brand. It helps that the unions have an open account with Piaggio and therefore Guzzi boss Roberto Colaninno because of his controversial restructuring of the Alitalia airline. The pressure is working: Piaggio wants to invest 25 million in Moto Guzzi, renovate the plant and introduce a new engine in 2012. Finally, they get an experienced two-wheeler man as head of development for the entire Piaggio Group: Maurizio Roman, 56, who together with the then owner Ivano Beggio Aprilia led to success. The Guzzi factory has been working regularly since January 18, with around 30 machines rolling off the production line every day, especially the successful V7 and Griso models.

Timeline: 1921 Founded by Giorgio Parodi and Carlo Guzzi, thanks to innovative technology Guzzi becomes Italy’s largest motorcycle manufacturer by 1934, 1935 Stanley Woods wins the senior TT on the wide-angle V2, in 1950 Moto Guzzi builds its own wind tunnel, at the end of the 1950s slips Guzzi in crisis, 1967 V7, 1971 V7 Sport, California, 1973 Alejandro de Tomaso bought the company, 1976 Le Mans 850, 2000 Aprilia owner Ivano Beggio bought Guzzi, 2004 Piaggio took over Aprilia and Moto Guzzi

Norton Motorcycles (UK) Ltd

Production site: Donington Park (GB)
Range of models: Commando 961 model range (more at www.nortonmotorcycles.com)

At the moment, the Commando 961 in particular is attracting public attention. In view of the announced first deliveries, MOTORRAD has also focused on this motorcycle (issue 4/2010). Despite repeated inquiries, no update has been received since then; the participation in a motorcycle fair in London and a vacation by Norton boss Stuart Garner have led to a temporary drying up of the flow of information. This gives the opportunity to make a few remarks about those of Norton driven further development of the Wankel engine. This issue caused frustration in the summer of 2009 because the return to the TT on the Isle of Man ended with two engine failures, with little glory. As a result, chief mechanic Brian Crighton was fired and the project was redefined. The aim is now to develop a 700 instead of the previous Wankel with a chamber volume of 588 cm³. This volume would correspond to the increase in displacement for two-cylinders in the Superbike World Championship from 1000 to 1200 cm³ and would be approved by the TT regulations. But there is still a lot of work to be done before the first race.

timeline: 1898 James L. Norton founds a supplier for the motorcycle industry, 1902 first Norton motorcycles, 1908 own engine, 1918-1939 10 TT victories, 1925 JL Norton dies, more than 5000 units are produced, 1935/36 army order, the 16H built over 100,000 times, first Norton Manx in 1946, Norton Commando in 1968, 55,000 times built by 1977, 1983 Wankel Norton for the police, 1986 Norton Classic, 1992 TT victory with a Wankel motorcycle, Norton TT, development of the Commando 961 by 2006 in the USA, in 2008 Stuart Garner bought the trademark

SFM GmbH

Production sites: Jinan, Hong Kong (VR), Nuremberg (D)
Range of models: Light motorcycles, light scooters, 50s mokicks and scooters, bicycles with auxiliary motor, bicycles with electric drive and electric auxiliary drive, ATVs and quads (www.sfm-bikes.de)

Sachs – a big name, a big brand, although not a pure motorcycle manufacturer. The history of the Franconian group plays between the cornerstones of bicycles, bicycle components, built-in motors, ball bearings, clutches, car production and the construction of motorcycles under various brand names. Today the continuation of the Sachs two-wheeler tradition is in the hands of 33 employees of the company SFM GmbH in Nuremberg. In addition to a number of 50s and 125s lightweight motorcycles and scooters, their range of models mainly includes electric bikes. SFM has them manufactured in China. Only 30 to 50 copies per month of the Saxonette, a bicycle with an auxiliary motor, are produced in Nuremberg. In addition to Germany, the Benelux countries are an important market; SFM sold around 11,100 units across Europe in 2009. For 2010, the management is primarily focusing on bicycles with electric drives and auxiliary electric drives; sales are to be increased from 4,000 to around 10,000. The Roadster 125 as well as the ZZ and ZX 125 light motorcycles, which have been available since mid-2009, will probably also grow in their first full season, but SFM gives electromobility greater future opportunities.

timeline: 1895 foundation of Fichtel and Sachs, 1896 foundation of the Carl Marschutz company & Co., Hercules since 1897, Hercules electric car in 1898, motorcycle series production in 1905, Sachs engine production from 1930, first Saxonette in 1938, motorcycle production resumed before 1950, first Hercules K 50 in 1962, in 1963 Sachs bought Hercules and in 1966 the Zweirad-Union DKW, Express and Victoria, until 1983 Hercules was regularly the market leader for 50s, from 1985 production of car components, 1995 Sachs Fahrzeug und Motorentechnik GmbH, 650s and 800s with Suzuki engines, 2002 construction of the Munch Mammut 2000, 2006 insolvency, entry of Asian investors, since 2008 SFM

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