Lot details
Registration No: Un-Reg
Frame No: 613951
Engine No: 613264
MOT Expiry Date: None

In the allied armed forces the roles that had previously fallen to heavy motorcycle combinations were increasingly met by the Jeep, however, in comparison, the German armed forces choose instead to employ a number of different, more specialised vehicles to fulfil the same roles as those carried out by the allied Jeep. The Kubelwagen served as a field car but was limited due to its lack of four wheel drive, the complex and expensive tracked Kettenkrad addressed the need for a light field tractor and reconnaissance units were equipped with technically advanced motorcycle combinations produced by BMW and Zundapp.

These two motorcycle combinations had been developed as replacements for the BMW R12, drawing on experience gained with that model in the early campaigns as well lessons learnt from examining captured FN and Gnome & Rhone outfits. The two machines that emerged shared many common components including carburation and electrical systems, although they differed visually. The BMW R75 was the first to see service and employed an overhead valve engine housed in a tubular frame. The Zundapp KS750 employed a pressed steel frame to house its over head valve engine. Both machines employed a shaft final drive to the rear wheel and drive to the sidecar wheel, which, when combined with a choice of high and low ratio gearboxes and a differential gear, developed by Zundapp, that shared the torque between the two drive wheels according to the centre of gravity, resulted in exceptional off road performance. Capable of travelling at 55mph with a crew of three including their equipment and an MG34 the machines excelled in their role. Unfortunately, they were complex to produce and were consequently never available in the numbers required.

This example of the Zundapp KS750 was imported into the UK during 1993 and is offered with a C&E 386 form indicating that all charges have been paid. It has not been registered with the DVLA since being imported. The engine and exhaust system are offered with the machine however the transmission and carburettor are not present.