History
The Zündapp KS 750 motorcycle with sidecar dates back to 1941. Already in the First World War, the armies saw the advantage of a motorcycle with a sidecar. They could use this to transport men, materials and ammunition and to place heavy machine guns or other weaponry.
As early as 1937, the German army commissioned BMW and Zündapp to develop a motorcycle with a sidecar. They required the following specifications for this development:
- 500 kg load, equivalent to three soldiers with their weapons, ammunition and gear.
- A cruising speed of 80 km/h and a top speed of 95 km/h, a minimum speed of 4 km/h to be able to ride with marching troops.
- 4.5 × 16 inch tires (which made them interchangeable with those of the KdF-Wagen and the Volkswagen Kübelwagen).
- 150 mm ground clearance and space in the fenders for installing snow chains.
Ultimately, the Wehrmacht commissioned both BMW and Zündapp to develop a military sidecar combination, the Zündapp KS 750 Gespann (its German name) was further developed.
Zündapp KS 750
The Zündapp KS 750 had a twin cylinder flat stroke 751 cc engine. With two driven wheels, one on the motorcycle and one on the sidecar, this prevented pulling to one side when driving away or accelerating. These two wheels were also braked with a hydraulic system, when removing the sidecar with the special locking differential, a hydraulic hose with a coupling was simply pulled from the motorcycle and the system was kept intact. The front wheel was equipped with a drum brake.
BMW developed its own motorcycle with sidecar, the BMW R75. After lengthy testing, the Wehrmacht found the Zündapp KS 750 superior to the BMW R75. They asked if BMW could build the Zündapp instead of their own engine but BMW refused this proposal. The OKH (OberKommand Heer – German army supreme command) then asked whether BMW could adopt the superior solutions of the Zündap, such as the rear wheel drive solution, the hydraulic brake system and wheels. Both engine manufacturers worked to use as many standard and interchangeable parts as possible so that maintenance, especially in the field, was easy and the number of parts was reduced. This collaboration between Zündap and Mercedes-Benz ensured that the BMW sidecar box was fitted to both motorcycles in 1943.
Specifications and Special Features
The Zündapp KS 750 motorcycle was outfitted with a spare wheel, a tow bar for a trailer and holders for ammunition cases and gasoline canister. It could hold three soldiers with equipment and a machine gun could be fitted on the sidecar. The Zündapp KS 750 had a driven sidecar wheel. 70% went to the rear wheel and 30% to the sidecar wheel.
The motorcycle had 6 gears, 5 forward and one reverse and had a high and low gear to negotiate rough terrain and slopes but also a crawler gear of 4 km/h to keep up with the troops as they marched. The opposing cylinders in a boxer arrangement were at an angle of 170° for more ground clearance. The grips were heated.
The frame had 5mm thick oval tubes and it was the first motorcycle with hydraulic brakes and a locking device on the rear wheel. The KS 750 had a cruising speed of 80 km/h and a top speed of 96 km/h
The Zündapp KS 750 was manufactured from 1941 until 1948 with over 18630 units built.
