KTM
When it comes to mopeds from Austria, every motorbike enthusiast is sure to think of Puch. However, our eastern neighbour was also home to other renowned moped and motorbike manufacturers in its heyday that are still remembered today. KTM Motor-Fahrzeugbau KG is certainly one of them. We have KTM's engineers and designers to thank for the endearing Foxi moped, the reliable Hobby model and the GP40 motorbike. The Austrian two-wheeler manufacturer also took over the final assembly of the famous Pony mopeds from the manufacturer Amsler & Co. AG. We introduce you to the manufacturer, its history and its most famous mopeds in more detail.
Seat | |
Status | Active |
Foundation | 1934 |
Company founding and early years
Kraftfahrzeuge, Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen, or KTM for short, was the name of the locksmith's workshop that Hans Trunkenpolz founded in the aforementioned Austrian town in 1934. The company founder initially worked personally on bicycles, motorised two-wheelers and motor vehicles of all kinds to get them back in shape. The business flourished and the company founder soon entered the vehicle trade. Trunkenpolz sold the popular DKW motorbikes and Opel cars. A complete success and the rise of his young company continued seamlessly. Even the terrible Second World War did nothing to change this. However, instead of selling two-wheelers and cars, the later moped manufacturer now repaired diesel engines for the German army during the war years. Thanks to these orders, the company in Mattighofen continued to grow; by the end of the war in 1945, the previously small metalworking shop already employed 35 people and continued to expand in the years that followed. The establishment of its own foundry also allowed the company to enter into the production of engine components. This proved to be a real stroke of luck, as the bread and butter business, which at that time was the overhaul and repair of engines, declined sharply from the 1950s onwards.
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The development of the first motorbikes
In order to counter the economic misery, Trunkenpolz's plan was to enter into the production of vehicles. From 1951, the first light motorbike, the Moser-KTM 100 model, was therefore developed in cooperation with the Austrian engine specialist Rotax. At this time, the financially strong partner Ernst Kronreif also joined the company. With his financial resources, it was not only possible to start up and expand series production of two-wheelers, but the ‘K’ in the company name was also given a new meaning. From then on, the manufacturer was called KTM-Motorfahrzeugbau KG, Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. By the early 1960s, not only had production been increased, but the Austrian manufacturer's model range had also been diligently expanded. However, it would be a few more years before the first real mopeds left the factory in Mattighofen-Schalchen. Until then, the manufacturer launched the highly successful Tourist, Mustang and Tarzan motorbike models and scooters such as the Mecky, Mirabell, Ponny I and Ponny II models on the market.
Sporting successes in motocross and the first cross moped
Parallel to the development of new models, the manufacturer became involved in motorsport, which was becoming increasingly popular, and achieved considerable success both in road races and on race tracks. However, the machines developed by KTM were particularly successful in motocross or, as they used to say at the time, off-road sport. The launch of the Comet-Hödis in 1964 is certainly due to the special connection with motocross. This two-wheeler was one of the first genuine sports mopeds. As a Comet-Cross version, this slicer was a truly off-road machine and therefore a genuine pioneering two-wheeler, at least in this cubic metre class. In the version for the Austrian market, the Comet-Hödi was powered by a Puch V engine and delivered 2.6 hp. This two-wheeler was one of the most successful models of those years. Just two years after the start of production, 10,000 units had been produced and sold.
Foxi, SM 25 and KTM Ponys
However, the manufacturer did not rely on Puch engines for the numerous export versions of its other two-strokes. Most of the motorbikes that were developed and produced until the end of the 1970s were equipped with a Sachs 505 engine. This also applies to one of the manufacturer's most popular motorbikes, the Foxi model, which was not built until 1980. Thanks to an upside-down suspension fork, which incidentally was also used in the Zündapp models ZA10 and ZA20 in an identical design, and stereo shock absorbers on the rear wheel, rides on a Foxi moped are still a very comfortable affair today. The 1.36 hp output of this moped was also provided by a wind-cooled Sachs 505 engine, which was fuelled by a BING 85/10/101 carburettor, optionally in version A or B. Another child of the late 1970s and early 1980s is the KTM SM25 moped. In its day, this moped was regarded as a genuine top-of-the-range model. Its beefy look with a full-length seat is somewhat reminiscent of the competitor models G3 and GT from the manufacturer Hercules, which were launched shortly after the KTM moped. The first SM25 motorbikes were powered by Sachs 503 engines, while later models were equipped with a Sachs 506. During this time, the Austrians also took over the final assembly of the pony mopeds from Swiss manufacturer Amsler & Co. for several years. The two moped manufacturers had been working closely together since the mid-1960s. Initially, Amsler only purchased individual components for its Pony mopeds from the Austrians, but then decided to move the complete assembly to its eastern neighbour for cost reasons. The mopeds that were produced during this time therefore bore the unofficial name KTM Pony, not to be confused with the KTM Ponny scooter mentioned above. However, this episode was short-lived; after a few years, Amsler brought production back to its home town of Feuerthalen, where the mopeds are still produced to this day. In complete contrast to the KTM mopeds.
Decline and end of moped production
Although the Austrian moped manufacturer was still generating sales in the double-digit millions with its moped division in the mid-1980s, the company, which also produced bicycles and tools, got into financial difficulties, making insolvency and the subsequent break-up of the company unavoidable. This meant the end of moped production, while the other business divisions were spun off and in some cases continued in separate companies. KTM motorbikes, for example, continue to be built to this day under the umbrella of Pierer Mobility AG. However, the Foxi, Comet, SM 25 and other motorbikes from the manufacturer are still unforgotten to this day. The fact that you can still see one of the manufacturer's endearing mopeds on Swiss roads here and there is thanks to those enthusiasts who look after their mopeds with passion and love.