Hercules K 125 BW

Hercules K 125 Military with telescopic fork

Hercules K 125 BW with swing arm

Type plate from 1973

The Hercules K 125 BW / Military is a motorcycle ("Krad") of the Bundeswehr . It was produced from 1970 to 1990 for the German armed forces , mainly for motorcyclists , and is now only in use for training purposes by the German armed forces. The successor was the Hercules K180 with 12 kW (17 PS), which was manufactured from 1991 to 1996. All Hercules models are currently being replaced by the KTM 400 LS-E Military and KTM 640 LS-E Military . The KTM 400 LS-E Military is used exclusively by military police and the Special Forces Command (KSK), the KTM 640 LS-E Military exclusively by the KSK.

Hercules K 125 BW

The first version of the Hercules was introduced in 1970 as the successor to the Maico M 250 B in 5,000 units in the Bundeswehr. It had a half -length swing arm at the front , a round headlight with an integrated speedometer and ignition lock, handlebar end turn signals (so-called ox eyes ), folding luggage rack, a leather case on the left side and a Bosch magnetic ignition system with a 6 V wet battery. The components consisted almost entirely of metal. The Hercules K 125 BW was also used in significantly smaller numbers between 1971 and 1983 by the Federal Border Police.

Hercules K 125 Military

From 1984 the modernized version of the Hercules K 125 BW was introduced to the Bundeswehr. In contrast to the previous version, the "Military" was equipped with a telescopic fork and a rectangular headlight in a plastic housing at the front . There were also two indicators at the front and rear, a rigid luggage rack, a plastic instrument carrier on the handlebar and a plastic case on the left. The fenders and rear light housing were made of plastic in this version. A Motoplat ignition with a small battery was installed as the ignition system. A battery was no longer required.

technology

The Hercules K 125 BW / Military is one of the Bundeswehr's medium-sized motorcycles. It has an air-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke engine from Fichtel & Sachs with flat pistons and 9.2 kW (12.5 hp) at 7000 rpm. The swirl silencer is raised. The piston diameter and the piston stroke are each 54 mm; this results in a displacement of 123 cm³. The multi-disc clutch runs in an oil bath. The contactless ignition unit in version 2 comes from the supplier Motoplat. Stationary and driving noise are 71 dB (A) N and 82 dB (A) N, respectively.

The bolted floor protection plate is equipped with side crash bars.

The K 125 BW / Military is equipped with off-road tires of size 3.25 / 3.5-18. The front and rear wheels have quick-release axles and are interchangeable. The fording depth is 300 mm.

equipment

The equipment includes an air pump, a tool roll, a camouflage kit for the lighting equipment and a trowel. The regular suitcase can e.g. B. for driving school use can be replaced by a SEM 52 S radio in a case.

literature

• Frank Rönicke: German military motorcycles. Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, 1st edition 2010. ISBN 978-3-613-03215-6 .

Web links

• Bundeswehr Classix: Fire chair (1971) ( YouTube video)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ TDV 2340 / 004-12, status 1987, page 13
2. ↑ TDV 2340 / 004-12, status 1987, page 23
3. ↑ Frank Rönicke, pp. 90, 91.