Zundapp Motorcycles K800 1938
The Zundapp Company was originally set up as an armaments manufacturer in WWI and found itself making motorcycles in post-war Germany under the direction of new owner Dr Fritz Neumeyer.
It built its first machine in 1921, making its own engines in 1924, and selling more than 10,000 machines that year.
It introduced the new horizontally opposed four stroke twins at the 1933 Berlin Motor Show, the 598cc (K600) and the 798cc (K 800). These two models with robust pressed steel frame and girder forks proved to be well suited to the rough unsealed roads of the day and quickly became popular, with the company producing its 100,000th machine by September 1933, a considerable achievement for a Company only a decade old.
The Zundapp K800 is listed as one of the top 100 machines of the 20th century. This classic motorcycle has innovative features such as ‘unit construction’ horizontally opposed 4 cylinder motor with shaft drive, a design latter adopted by Honda for the first Gold Wings. The frame and girder front forks are pressed steel.
- Country of Manufacture-Germany
- Engine-Air cooled transverse opposed 4 cylinder side valve
- Ignition-Battery and Coil
- Power Rating-22 bhp at 4,300 rpm
- Displacement-804cc
- Fuel System-Single 22 mm Pallas carburettor
- Transmission-4 speed hand shift
- Top Speed-70 mph
