Zundapp K500W Light Military Motorcycle

Specifications

Year: 1934
Manufacturer(s): Zundapp - Nazi Germany
Production: 1,000
Capabilities: Reconnaissance (RECCE); Utility;

Crew: 1
Weight: 0 tons (190 kg); 419 lb

Power: 1 x 2-cylinder, 4-stroke, 498cc opposed piston engine developing 16 horsepower at 4,800rpm.

Speed: 65 mph (105 kph)
Range: 158 miles (255 km)

Operators: Nazi Germany

BMW secured the rights to stock the reemerging German Army of the 1930s with motorcycles for training and operational service back in 1932 with the R4. However, other suppliers - though not as well remembered - contributed to the mechanized capabilities of German ground forces - particularly its motorcycle troopers. This included Zundapp of Nurnberg which supplied its civilian-minded, light-class K500W models primarily for training (though the necessities of war pressed them into the dispatch role for which they were not intended for and, thusly, suffered as a result). Procurement of K500W bikes spanned from 1934 and lasted until 1938.

The military models retained the form and function of their civilian counterparts. A 2-cylinder, 4-stroke opposed engine was used outputting 16 horsepower at 4,800rpm. The engine sat under the rider in the usual way with the frame of the bike being completed through a pressed-steel process. Road speeds could reach 105 kmh.

Like other German wartime bikes, this series saw service into the war's final days.

Armament

None.

Ammunition:
None.

Variants / Models

• K500W - Base Series Designation