MZ BK 350

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DKW-IFA / MZ
ZweiRadMuseumNSU IFA BK350.JPG
IFA BK 350 in the German Two-Wheeler and NSU Museum
BK 350
Manufacturer VEB Motorradwerke Zschopau (MZ)
Production period 1952 to 1959
class motorcycle
Motor data
B2 engine, 2-stroke
Displacement  (cm³) 343.5
Power  (kW / PS ) 11.0-12.5 kW
Top speed (  km / h) 115
drive Cardan
Wheelbase  (mm) 1400
Empty weight  (kg) 142
Front view of an MZ BK 350

The BK 350 (short for boxer cardan with 350 cm³ displacement ) is a motorcycle model from VEB Motorradwerke Zschopau (MZ), which was produced from 1952 to 1959; initially under the name " IFA BK 350". The BK 350 was presented to the public as a DKW two-cylinder engine at the 1951 spring fair in Leipzig . The start of series production was delayed until the end of 1952. Because of its special design, the BK 350 was expected with great international interest.

The motorcycle is powered by a two-stroke boxer engine. This design was only used in very few vehicles, including the Velocette Viceroy. The engine developed 15, later a maximum of 17  hp (11, later 12 kW) at 5000 rpm . The power was transmitted to the rear wheel via a cardan shaft . The BK 350 was the first new construction of the former DKW plant after the end of the war and initially rolled off the production line under the name of the now state-owned GDR vehicle construction association IFA. Although it is sometimes claimed, the engine was not a jet engine starting unit . It is true that the DKW plant in Zschopau developed a 250 cm³ boxer engine for this task. However, the end of the Second World War prevented production. The BK engine is based on this development, with the displacement increased by 100 cm³ in order not to have a second motorcycle with the same displacement in addition to the 250 cm³ AWO, which was developed almost at the same time .

In Japan , a copy of the BK was built in the 1950s and 1960s.

From 1956 the BK 350 was gradually replaced by the MZ ES , which had nothing in common with the BK. Two reasons led to the abandonment of the BK: The production of the BK was significantly more complex than the ES, which was already built in parallel. On the other hand, the state was of the opinion that the production of only one large motorcycle model was enough for one country. The production of the Simson AWO 425 had to be stopped for this reason.

Furthermore, the engine was not fully developed. The degree of filling of the left cylinder caused difficulties when adjusting the carburettors, caused by the flow conditions in the common crankcase of both cylinders. However, correctly adjusted carburettors worked without problems. To avoid malfunctions and carbon deposits, a high-speed driving style with speeds above 3000 rpm was recommended.

literature

  • The new BK 350 from IFA. In: Motor Vehicle Technology 2/1953, pp. 44–48.

Web links

Commons : MZ BK 350  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Motor vehicle technology 4/1951, p. 81
  2. ↑ Olympus Crown Type H
  3. ↑ Information for BK drivers . In: Motor vehicle technology 4/1959, p. 163.