Barbedwire to world tides
Fifty (cc) racing creates extremes of emotions,from liking to loathing. However,one factory, Kreidler,was for a time Germany'slargest by-volumemotorcycle builder,won world championshipsand presented a gold tie pin to each owner covering 100,000km astride
Photographs: reidler Fahrzeugbau, of Kornwestheim, Stuttgart, supplied stock and semi-finished metals to German industry. They also made barbed wire, leading many to suggest their emblem was representative of it. so, a clever ploy as it is also a pair of letter Ks back to back.
The business was founded in 1903 by Anton Kreidler
(in business since 1889) as metals and wire specialists. Quickly, they gained a reputation for quality products and expanded their range and expertise into many steel, aluminium and other alloys to suit specific industrial
needs, plus a selection of wire products. Anton's son Alfred restarted the business after the Second World War and, having an interest in motorcycles, saw the home market need for lightweight machines.
Launched for the 1951 season, Kreidler's first motorised two-wheeler was the 55kph (34.5mph) K50 piston ported two-stroke moped, with a single cylinder 49cc (38x44mm) two-speed engine. Although similar in style to the new machines from rivals, the maker aimed at quality, rather than economy of price. Although also heavier than some, the K50 sold well to the transport-hungry German market.
Encouraged, Kreidler added the better equipped K51, making a two-model range for the 1953 season. The Junior and scooterette-like RSO appeared a year later.
Manipulations in permitted power output and top speed for German market mopeds in 1955 led Kreidler to research both power restriction and increase. At this time, they were developing methods to hard chrome aluminium alloy cylinder bores for both durability and in the quest of more power, as it gave less piston drag and aided cooling. Next came the Amazone and for 1957 the Florett was launched. And in the 50cc step thru and motorcycle market, this was a game-changer, over the next 25 years going on to sire up to 60mph miniature motorcycles and forming the backbone ofKreidler's initial racing effort.
The Florett had a new 49cc (40 x 39.7mm) single cylinder air (fan) -cooled, single-cylinder two-stroke engine, with in unit three-speed gearbox. Although restricted versions were to be made, the launch model - which also went for export - developed 3bhp@5500rpm, enough to push the 75kg (1651b)machine plus adult rider along at 65kph (41mph) and with dual seat fitted instead of single saddle, two-up cruising at 40mph was a reality.
Although mopeds and mofas weren't forgotten, Floretts in many forms - from tourers to ISDT-type machines of the early 1960s and the fast RS models of the 1970s - were the mainstay of the Kreidler range. And although durability and huge mileages were part of the factory's quest, so too was speed. Not only were more powerful models built, those in the know (including the late Brian Woolley of TCM) bought factory development racing parts, and then, in the late 1960s, the Rennstatz (racing kit) was offered.
The Rennstatz included cylinder head with reprofiled combustion chamber, cylinder barrel with revised porting and piston to suit, developed exhaust system, larger bore carburettor with remote float chamber, and associated sundries. Correctly assembled, the Rennstatz-equipped Florett developed 9.5bhp@l2,500rpm, giving a top speed of 120kph (75mph). These were used effectively nationally and occasionally internationally on the race track, although it is rumoured many were used on the road - perhaps why Kreilder launched the ultra-fast (well, for a '50'... ) RS road model. Dutch importers and entrant of the Van Veen Kreidler racing team offered racing kits too in the 1970s - initially air-cooled then water-cooled, with which the skilled racing engineer could build a 15.5bhp@l 4,500rpm Kreidler racers.
After the launch of the Florett, a group of workers and friends decided to race-prepare a fan-cooled Florett. Factory boss Dr Alfred Kreidler willingly gave the idea the thumbs up, but kept in the background, perhaps in case the project fell flat. With layers of foam atop the tank for the rider to lay on, it looked basic and, retaining its roadster silencer, was quiet. Although not that fast, it performed well enough to interest Alfred, leading to a factory prepared Kreidler Florett-based racer winning the 1960 West German 50cc championship.
A year later, in 1961, the FIM instigated the Coupe de Europe, and although Kreidler didn't enter all rounds, works rider Hans-Georg Anscheidt slugged it out with the Yugoslav Tomas team to take the title. However, the thought of works teams was unnecessarily lavish in Kreidler terms - all the racing team engineers, helpers and riders worked during the week in the factory on design, office duties, production line assembly and in effect developed the works machine after hours, although those in the know imply Dr Alfred looked the other way at times during the working day.
On entering the GP circus at the launch of the 50cc series, the semi-professional Kreidler boys were pitted against the might of Honda and Suzuki with dedicated racing teams and large budgets. However, they evened the playing field to an extent with a new, ultra light frame for their 12-speed machines. Unexpectedly, Alfred Kreidler allowed non-factory employee Jan Huberts (Holland) to join his factory employed riders Anscheidt, Wolfgang Gedlich and Rudolf Kunz.
On May 6, 1962, the first 50cc GP was flagged away at Montjuic, Barcelona, and despite the might ofJapan, first blood went to Anscheidt, with Honda (Luigi Taveri) the first Japanese machine home. A week later, Huberts led home a procession of Hondas and Suzukis and then Ernst
Degner (Suzuki) took over, with Kreidlers in the places or not at all, until Hubert won at Sachsenring and Anscheidt at Monza with a race speed of 134.386mph (83.99mph) - but the crown was Degner's.
Next season, Anscheidt again performed well to record three GP wins but New Zealander Hugh Anderson (Suzuki) took the title, as, steadily but surely, the technological advances by Suzuki and Honda relegated Kreidler to ever-lower in the results.
However, Kreidler's racing programme was boosting sales. Kreidler had developed a twin cylinder 50cc racer, then shelved it, but they did build a special world record breaking machine with which Rudolf Kunz took the ultimate land speed record for 50cc machines on the Bonneville Salt Flats on October 23, 1965, posting 209.777kph (131.11mph). Record breaking and race entries continued, but the racers underwent little development from 1965 onwards.
In a seemingly last ditch effort, Kreidler teamed with Dutch importers Van Veen to develop a 15bhp machine for the 1969 season, knowing the changes in FIM regulations was to their advantage and although their top rider Aalt Toerson raced into an early lead with wins in Spain, Germany and France, upand-coming Spanish star Angel Nieto (Derbi) beat Toerson/Kreidler for the crown. With Toerson racing Jamathi in 1970, it was
Kunz and Jan de Vries who took on Nieto.
Then Van Veen unveiled another gamechanger for the 1970s. The old engine design was sidelined in favour of an all-newwatercooled unit designed by German Jorg Moller. The new, tiny, stunning machine boasted Ceriani forks, trellis-like frame and sizeable Fontana double sided brake.
Jan de Vries took five wins from nine meetings and the 1971 title - Kreidler's first - and his Spa and Monza victories were at just under 100mph. The following year, Nieto (Derbi) famously beat de Vries by just 21.32 seconds after the season's series. Derbi withdrew before 1973, which lessened de Vries' opposition, and, with five wins from seven races, he took title number two, then retired.
Another Dutchman, Henk Von Kessel, took over, with six wins good enough to collect the 1974 title racing a privately prepared (by Jorg Moller) Van Veen Kreidler and although not victorious at Spa, he posted a best lap of 101.7mph. After seemingly wandering about in the lightweight wilderness for two seasons, Nieto joined the Van Veen Kreidler team to race their ever-more developed, reliable 50cc racers, with over 19bhp on tap, and engines which some observers claimed raced a season without a strip. With six wins and two seconds from eight races he took the title, Kreidler's fourth.
Nieto teamed with home country Bultaco team to secure the 1976 and 1977 titles, then another Spaniard, Ricardo Tormo, gave Bultaco their third title in 1978. The Italian Eugenio Lazzarini, one of the neatest 50cc racers ever, had learned his craft by 1979 to secure Kreidler the title, then re-created the feat a year later, squeezing home with a tiny two mark margin. And it's worth noting that although Lazzarini's machine delivered over 19bhp, the over-the-counter Van Veen Kreidler had been developing 16-5bhp@l6,000rpm since the mid 1970s. Thus a well-prepared privateer could give the works teams a run for their money every time out, making for exciting racing.
Ricardo Tormo took his second and Bultaco's fourth rider's world crown in 1981 by a massive 25 point margin, to hand over to the Swiss racer Stefan Dorflinger and Kreidler's last stand -with Krauser's support - on the GP stage. With three wins from six races, Stefan took the 1982 title (Kreidler's seventh) on a Herbert Rittburger-developed machine delivering 21bhp. During the season, the Kornwestheim factory collapsed, despite them developing a range of new models over their last years, including 80cc machines. However, Dorflinger secured the final 50cc world crown racing a 'Krauser; in effect a re badged Kreidler, thus title number eight.