► Photothread: Motorcycles of Wehrmacht

[kerryboo]

Hi Bert,
That is great, thank you. Such a quirky engine layout, two less for the "Unknown" file!
Kerry.

[GregSingh]

Still, two wheels on the road...

2-4.jpg

[arminfreitag]

Hi everybody
here a recent Ebay-picture.
Could anybody please identify it?

Regards
Armin

[SIS 5]

Hi Armin,

this motorcycle could be a NSU 601 OSL like on this pic (source: Waffen-Arsenal Sonderband S-53 "Schwere Beiwagenkräder der Wehrmacht 1935 - 1945" by Horst Hinrichsen).

Regards

Bert

[arminfreitag]

Hi Bert
thanks for the identification.
Here another bike with an interesting marking.

Regards
Armin

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Gnôme et Rhône AX2 (I think)

Image from Ebay
Sturm78

[spannermann]

Hi,
This is the Terrot built version of the Gnome Rhone Ax2, specifically manufactured for the Wehrmacht during WW2 and altered to suit the German requirements.

cheers paul

[Sturm78]

spannermann wrote
This is the Terrot built version of the Gnome Rhone Ax2, specifically manufactured for the Wehrmacht during WW2 and altered to suit the German requirements

Hi spannermann. How is possible to differenciate between a Gnôme et Rhône AX2 and a Terrot built version of the Gnome Rhone Ax2 for the Germans ??

On the other hand, another image from Ebay: DKW NZ250-350

Sturm78

[spannermann]

Hi Sturm 78,
Its not too difficult to tell a Pre-1940 French Army GR Ax2 from the German/Terrot version;--

For the bike, they added a pillion seat onto the parcel rack, added rear foot rests and lowered the silencer so that it was in a direct line with the front pipe. Sometimes added leg shields as optional items.

For the sidecar and its chassis, the changes were much bigger, the sidecar was still made by Bernardet and called a Dragon Porte, but was much lower and narrower than the original French Army design, also the sidecar chassis was very different, the very high chassis front with its tow hook, was replaced by a lower tubular design.
Also the sidecar mudguard went from the French curved design to a "squared" design.

In all some 6000 Terrot Gnome Rhone AX2 were believed to have been made, there are plenty of photos of then in German use.

Below are some photos of both versions from both sides of the machine.

But note you will see in photos hybrids of both versions, for example ; the ex-French Army AX2 with a pillion seat added but the silencer still in the high position, and so on.

cheers

mc0163.jpg

DSCN0483.JPG

Gnôme et Rhône AX2 sidecar in German use.jpg

[arminfreitag]

Hi all
a few ebay pictures from last week.

Regards
Armin

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Could be the third image posted by Armin a Zundapp K800W ??

Sturm78

[SIS 5]

Hi Sturm 78,

You are right. The motorcycle on the pic posted by Armin is a Zündapp K 800 W. Here another pic of this motorcycle (source: "Von A wie Ardie bis Z wie Zündapp" by Horst Hinrichsen.

Best regards

Bert

[Sturm78]

Thanks for your confirmation, Bert...

Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Hi all

I have these three images in my hard dis listed as Type 97 Japanese motorcycles.

In fact, if you look closely you can see that, despite being similar, these three bikes are different: front fork, exhaust, front fenders, .....
Can anyone confirm that all three are Type 97 models?
Perhaps the different series made in Japan of this model had slight changes that could justify these differences...

Sturm78

[Hans1906]

Sturm78,

probably japanese "Rikuo" motorcycles...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikuo_Motorcycle

The rarest of the rare stuff nowadays, only very few in european collections, I have never seen just one of them, never!
Link to more photos: https://www.google.com/search?q=Rikuo+M ... =759&dpr=1

Sokół motorcycles (Poland) in a similar context: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokół_motorcycles

The original Rikuo bikes are "top notch" in Japan, and in the USA, sometimes "chopped" or "customized", very rare and more than expensive.

All the former produced model were so-called "Flatheads", Side-Valve models, up to 1000/1200 cc displacement,
Correct me, if I am wrong ?

Polish "Sokol" bikes were cheap still in the 1980s, nobody wanted them, not here in Germany, we were in the need of Harleys and
Indians, nobody wanted to buy a classic Sokol, for sure a mistake.

Hans (Thanks for the nice photos!)

P.S. I bought a Indian 741B in the 1980s, and traded the bike for 1200 HD "Electra-Glide", a big mistake, but you were too young to know what you had in your hands at the time...
Stupidity and drunkenness has always been a topic...