1953 Zundapp KS601

This is the only remaining photograph of the bike which was my primary transportation from late 1961 through 1965.  It blew up when Joe took it on a very cold ride from Philadelphia to Yellow Springs, Ohio and separated the top of the left piston just after leaving the mountains of West Virginia.  After the piston failure, it was quickly resurrected and sold.   It was the second time the bike “swallowed” its left hand piston.  The first time it happened was when it was being driven by its’ previous owner, the legendary “Doc” Phinney.  Doc purchased it from Vic Panetti of Panetti Cycle Sales in Milwaukee where it began its career as the shop sidecar racer.   Vic had a wall of trophies, some of them in front of his black and white pictures of this bike.  Doc sold off the sidecar and its 32 mm Del ‘Orto racing carbs and put it back to a “stock” solo setup.   I purchased it from Doc when he decided to buy a 1959 Ariel Square Four still in a crate in 1961 (brand new) from Vic.

Note the non-stock “Panetti Special” mufflers.   They had a single baffle which prevented the insertion of a broomstick up the exhaust pipe and cut the exhaust note and lower it a little.  It was LOUD!  The fenders were repainted, but the gas tank still had original paint.   One of the flaws in the original KS601 was inadequate rear lighting.  This often led to damage to the removable back fender section and tail light assembly because somebody hit the bike from behind.  

I never checked to see if it had a sidecar rear end or a "standard" one.  It would do an indicated 120 mph when fully wound out in 4th gear.   To get it there, it was necessary to wind it up into the top of the power curve in 3rd gear (a bit above 90 mph) before shifting, otherwise it would not accelerate much over 100 in 4th gear.   I've guesstimated that I, along with Joe and my numerous other friends who “borrowed” it, put close to 60,000 KM on it during the time I owned it.   It had a habit of twisting off the end of a speedometer cable and going for months without recording any mileage.  It went from Yellow Springs, Ohio to State College, Pennsylvania on week-ends, spent a winter in Manhattan, and lived for a while in a garage in Philadelphia where Joe and JC rode it without my permission.   This picture was taken in front of our family home at 3503 Hamilton St. in Philadelphia.  When I lived in the dorms, my roommates and hall mates who had the guts to ride it all took their turns riding around campus.  

The electrical system was based on a 6 volt generator, voltage regulator, etc.  The lights were dim by modern standards.  It had a manual spark advance controlled via a lever on the left hand side of its’ short European style handlebars.   The wheels were 19” in diameter and fully interchangeable.  The front fender brace serves as a tire changing stand and the back of the rear fender is bolted on just below the fender brace so you can drop it down to easily remove the rear wheel.   I periodically rotated the tires front to back in order to get even tire wear.  A set of Continental Universals lasted 20,000 miles or more when properly rotated.   The bike weighed about 550 Lbs “dry.”  Horsepower was around 30.  Shop idle was 300 RPM.   It had a 40 lb cast iron flywheel which housed a clutch that had plates and springs which were  interchangeable with the original VW.   Its' four speed transmission was designed with two constantly turning shafts linked via four triplex chains connecting pairs of gears rotating in an oil bath.  The shifting dogs were activated by a lever on the left hand side of the bike.  The rear foot brake was on the right side.  Shifting was very “positive” and with some experience and caution could be accomplished without the clutch.  I found this out when the heavy duty clutch springs pulled the end off the clutch cable on more than one occasion.   Even on very hot days, heat dissipation from the deep cast iron cylinder fins was extremely good.  A thermometer placed directly on the head one 90 degree day after the bike had been running for over an hour only registered 180 degrees!    At 62 MPH with the spark fully advanced it got up to 52 mpg.

Now I have a "New" KS601 my wife gave me as a "Christmas Present" in a moment of weakness...