Zündapp KS 601
The Zündapp KS 601 is a motorcycle designed by Ernst Schmidt that the Zündapp -Werke GmbH, Nuremberg, built in the period from 1950 to 1957 "in almost 5,000 copies". The machine was mainly driven with a sidecar . Because of its weight and the powerful engine as well as its typical green paint finish - other colors were also available - it was given the nickname “The Green Elephant” in a test report in the German magazine Das Motorrad (issue 25/1951), which has become a household name has been. In January 1956, KS-601 drivers - among them the motorcycle journalist Ernst Leverkus , known as "Klacks" - met at the Solitude race track for the first elephant meeting , which has been taking place every year since then.
"KS" originally stands for "Kardan Sport", the KS 601 was the last Zündapp model with a cardan drive . This common abbreviation was later used for other constructions at Zündapp.
general description
The KS 601 has a 2-cylinder boxer engine with hanging valves and a camshaft (OHV) below , displacement 597 cm³, maximum output 20.6 kW (28 PS) or 24.8 kW (33.5 PS) for the "KS 601" model S ". In contrast to the previous model KS 600 with pressed sheet metal box frame , the KS 601 has a double tube frame with four attachment points for the sidecar. A special feature of the telescopic fork is the central hydraulic shock absorber , which is placed between the two fork legs in front of the steering head . The rear wheel has straight travel suspension with "rubber shock absorbers".
KS 601 EL
A version with a rear swing arm was available towards the end of production under the designation "KS 601 Elastic" or "KS 601 EL" for export to the USA . The cardan shaft ran in the right swing arm. This version had 18 "wheels and a wider, raised handlebar, typical of the USA; in advertising, the importer stated a compression ratio of 8: 1 (optional), an engine output of over" 35 HP "and a top speed of over 100 mph. In In the USA advertisement it was called "600cc Supersport" and was also available with a metallic blue paint finish. This data also applies to the model with straight-way rear suspension that was previously exported.
Technical specifications
Zündapp | KS 601 | KS 601 Sport |
---|---|---|
engine | 2-cylinder boxer engine | |
Displacement | 597 cc | |
Bore × stroke | 75 mm × 67.6 mm | |
Valve control | lower camshaft (OHV) | |
Power at 1 / min | 20.6 kW (28 hp) for the 4700 | 23.5 kW (32 hp) at 5500 |
Compression a | 6.7: 1 | 7.3: 1 |
cooling | Air cooling (airflow) | |
Electrical system | Battery light ignition system Noris 6 V | |
Carburetor | Bing (left 1/25/1, right 1/25/2) | Bing (left 1/25/3, right 1/25/4) |
transmission | 4-speed duplex chain transmission with foot switch | |
coupling | Multi-disc clutch | |
Power transmission | Double joint cardan shaft with needle bearings | |
frame | closed double tube frame | |
Front suspension | Telescopic fork with central hydraulic shock absorber | |
Rear suspension | Straight suspension | |
wheelbase | 1415 mm | |
tires | 3.50–19 front and rear, with sidecar: 4.00–19 rear |
|
Brakes | Drum brakes (Ø 230 mm) | |
Empty weight | 224 kg | 208 kg |
tank | Saddle tank , capacity approx. 14.5 l | |
Standard consumption b | 5.3 l / 100 km | 5.8 l / 100 km |
Top speed (solo) c | approx. 140 km / h | approx. 155 km / h |
price | 3,125.00 DM | 3,225.00 DM |
Motorsport
"The ... KS 601 demonstrated its class especially with a sidecar and won the German off-road championship in the large sidecar class without interruption from 1955 to 1960".
swell
- Ernst Leverkus: The great motorcycles of the 50s, 8th edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-87943-849-8
- Catalog 100 motorcycles in words and pictures , Verlag für Handel und Wirtschaft - Müller & Co., Munich 1952
literature
- Reiner Scharfenberg: Zündapp KS 601. A Legend on Wheels - The Green "Elephant". Schiffer Publishing, 2001. ISBN 978-0-7643-1291-5
- Reiner Scharfenberg: Zündapp KS 601. A legend - The "Green Elephant (= MOTORRAD Profile, No. 1), publisher: Flugzeug-Publikations GmbH, Illertissen.
- In particular the works anniversary books that are listed in the Zündapp article .
Web links
- Showpiece of the month July 2011: The Zündapp KS 601 team on "Museum Street" in the Museum of Industrial Culture. Zündapp-Werke GmbH Nuremberg, 1953 ( Memento from June 22, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
- A rare all-terrain vehicle of the Zündapp KS 601 in the Nuremberg Museum of Industrial Culture
- Photo of two "KS 601 EL" at meisterdinger.de
- Customs Museum ( Memento from February 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- Image without sidecar ( Memento from October 27, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
- English-language homepage of a fan from the USA with many photos of the "KS 601 EL" (accessed on October 14, 2015)
- Page about the repair of a KS 601 https://ks601.wordpress.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ulrich Kubisch : Zündapp - rise and fall. Nicolai, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-87584-176-X , p. 123. - According to Scharfenberg, however, 5003.
- ↑ Zündapp brochure (leaflet no.2265) from 1957
- ↑ Ulrich Kubisch shows a picture of a KS 601 with rear swing arm dated February 1954 in his book: Zündapp - Aufstieg und Niedergang, 1986, ISBN 3-87584-176-X
- ↑ Ulrich Kubisch: Zündapp - rise and fall. Nicolai, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-87584-176-X , p. 115