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Zundapp Trials.


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Well I’ve just read about Gustav Franke and his impressive efforts riding a Zundapp Trials bike. I knew that they entered Enduros but had not considered Trials, even though most of the events were in my youth when I was totally Trials and Scrambling mad. All things considered this may have been a subject that’s already been covered on this website so directions please. I have seen and read the discussion about a Zundapp Trials bike being on eBay and noted some of the comments, does anyone know if these works bikes still live on? Looking on Google doesn’t give much more than I have read in a recent publication. To me Gustav appears to have been an excellent rider often beating Miller and Smith on many occasions and riding the SSDT with a broken foot....three open fractured metatasles. Any information please.

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Thank you majesty, nice photos showing some alternative mods. Like the slide through kickstart pedal. The frame looks very wide at the bottom rails, but the engine is no slimline. I seem to remember the Rickman Zundapps being advertised in MCN years back. From your comments I guess that you no longer own the Rickman Zundapp, was it 125, 175cc or bigger? Really like the bungalow. ?

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10 hours ago, section swept said:

Thank you majesty, nice photos showing some alternative mods. Like the slide through kickstart pedal. The frame looks very wide at the bottom rails, but the engine is no slimline. I seem to remember the Rickman Zundapps being advertised in MCN years back. From your comments I guess that you no longer own the Rickman Zundapp, was it 125, 175cc or bigger? Really like the bungalow. ?

Yeah, dim and distant past.

It was a 125 and the thing that sticks in my mind was how well it handled..   :D

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On ‎07‎.‎09‎.‎2018 at 12:41 AM, section swept said:

Thanks b40rt I was aware about the Continentals using those makes, but it is the ‘works’ bike that I was particularly interested in?

They where all works bikes and custom made so non of them where similar in build, the early Franke owned where 200cc models, later they had 250cc. Not only Franke rode them also Felix Krahnstöver from Celle.
(Felix was 11 times German trials Champion, wrote a very good book about trials riding and was founder and editor of Trialsport now the oldes Trials related Magazine).

Anyway here some pics, the first is a 200cc I thin which is very much likewise the Franke bike photo taken from beginning July in Lüneburg:GIH_OUi0BzpkREboqUZP6trcpBoFLV6L1ktdp0Yx

Another one, from Brockhöfe in March 2015 or 2014:

iT_BNU_urbnjyVUQq8pQgK7mFDL9WdiZGzBjlCJ5

Also very interesting a Hercules with Sachs engine, they are kept in much original shape here

NKKHI8UQaFmbPbUHV5CGyWPZ8owl6ZTv9nPhTK1M

A good article is in Trialsport #501 where a complete portrait of Gustav Franke and his Zündapp is reported in Trialsport Magazine as he turned 80 on 4.12.2017, 

The Zündapps where very modern in their days, the engine had very improved porting, carb was with Bing with accelerator pump, (Bella scooter)
the fork had already hydraulic components with progressive dampning, then the super long swing arm and steep fork angle surplus the light weight.

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pschrauber, Thank you so much for taking the trouble to provide the very interesting information.  TBA Zundapp pictured on the back of the transport doesn’t appear to have much front fork suspension travel and the rear sprocket looks like it might be 60 teeth at least, very low gearing! The table top carrier to transport the bike looks the business and an ideal working height, someone has obviously put a lot or thought into this.

The Brockhofe pictured bike looks to be really well developed on from the previous bike with longer travel forks. The bike immediately behind looks very interesting too, can you say what it is. 

The Hercules with Sachs engine is a lovely looking, what I call proper trials bike.

Had a look on line for Trialsport Magazine but no luck, have to have a better try later. Thanks again for the information?

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I have a keen interest in these too - in fact anything from the euro manufacturers that got little/no coverage in the UK press back in the day. Some fascinating machines

Here's some pics to get you going:

5b95d1360bae6_Zundappworks250trialsJan68.jpg.91efea82662d4ab318335d9baf2a13df.jpg

Franke again

5b95d3373a1b9_ZundappGFrankevb.jpg.42409c54378657990ac781e3710c0478.jpg

5b95d1804ce6e_Zundap250trials68.jpg.73ce411d0eb1e553c154fb82ce3f3188.jpg

Sengfelder's bike

5b95d266f2690_ZundappTrialsGuntherSengfeldersoriginal.jpg.bb01cb665287aa294606fcc0dbee6924.jpg

5b95d16944bf1_Zundap185special1962GSengfelder.jpg.889748f629f047ef057761b9240367dc.jpg

 

Said to be Jacky Ickx's 1964 works 125

5b95d20309b7c_Zundapp125trialsspecial1964270grclear.jpg.e6ae238f7680956de7860de44a5185e7.jpg

5b95d1d6c18cf_Zundapp100-125trialsspecial1964.jpg.0b64cc6f6e1c8a1ad3d5a1347ee4c914.jpg

5b95d1b5ebe6c_Zundapp100-125trialsspecial21964.jpg.bff350a7b08be399369015befd1c43d3.jpg

 

The other side of one above5b95d242e4eab_Zundapptrials(2).thumb.jpg.e3fd2b2aafd98c465f874e67bab3c410.jpg

 

Another nice one

5b95d294a0f76_Zundapptrials.jpg.e099c0d32375eb090de999af65b65695.jpg

 

And a Rickman Zundapp trials

5b95d10255f4b_Rick125.thumb.jpg.4a647df6af4faaf14c713260245abfc0.jpg

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Rickman do seem to make their bikes look just right, no modding needed. This looks as ‘right’ as the Puch engined Dalesman. The Zundapp ‘other side view?’ looks excellent and reminds me of the 70 and 80’s when development seemed to gather pace. Is that a CZ behind? Gustav Franke (apologies spell checker changed his surname to France, now corrected). On a personal opinion I would rate Gustav Franke’s as good as Sammy Miller both in the riding skills and engineering application. Than you for wetting my appetite even more ??

So when Villiers decided to do the dirty on a great many small to medium sized competition bike manufacturers and stop supplying their engines, I ask this question, why did the Zundapp engine range get overlooked? The Russians were quite happy to supply complete bikes into Asia and just engines to the TRX concern in the UK. I also understand that CZ did not like to be seen being so successful with their scrambles/ motocross machines, Eastern block trade embargo? Or other reason. I think even Greeves missed an opportunity with not marketing their own engine to other bike companies, quite how suitable that engine would be for Trials I’m not sure. I had a new kit form Sprite Trials 1967 with Villiers ‘latest’ 37A engine from Frank Hipkin not too shabby either, might have been the last of many around that time. I managed to blag an Alpha Stepha full circle crank assembly with polished knife edge connecting rod, but it didn’t plonk like it would with the original Villiers crank. Wonder where the many companies that used Villiers engines would be now if things had been different and Manganese Bronze Holdings hadn’t got involved or kept away from AMC and then Norton Villiers. ?

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On 10/09/2018 at 10:12 AM, majesty said:

I love the Rickman Trials.

I remember with great "affection" those handlebar grips that hardened up in the cold Yorkshire winters, :D

 

Palm killers, you knew when you were gripping too hard, thank goodness someone invented gloves! Those levers look to be quality items, possibly Madura? Just noticed spell checker changed my wording, not Madura it’s Magura the levers of choice in the late 60’s and 70’s.

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