Hercules (motorcycle)
Hercules was a brand of motorcycle manufactured in Germany until 1992.
The Hercules Company was founded in 1886[1] and began producing motorcycles in 1904. It was merged with Zweirad Union after being purchased by ZF Sachs in 1963.[2]
In the 1950s and 1960s Sachs was the largest European fabricator of two-stroke motorcycle engines.[3] Many of these engines were used in the Hercules line of small motorcycles, scooters and mopeds.
In 1974 Hercules became the first company to offer a Wankel-engined motorcycle for sale to the general public. A prototype was first shown in 1970 at the West Cologne Fall Motorcycle Show to a mixed reception, and the production bike was sold as a Hercules product except in the United Kingdom, where it was marketed as a DKW motorcycle. The W-2000 had a single-rotor air-cooled engine of 294cc that produced 23 hp, later increased to 32 hp. Cooling was by a large fan placed in front of the engine (and the slipstream breeze while riding) and engine lubrication was by manually adding oil to the fuel in the tank.[4]
In 1976 Hercules launched the W-2000 Injection in which engine lubrication was from a separate oil tank via a pump. It had 18-inch wheels, a front disc brake and a rear drum brake. According to a March 1976 review in Cycle World, the handling was good but the bike's low ground clearance limited its cornering ability. That review also declared the W-2000 to be a daily commuting bike, not sport motorcycle.[4]
Hercules introduced a rotary-powered dirt bike (the KC-30 GS Enduro) in May 1975, but the model failed to sell due to its high price ($2,900).[4]
Partial product line [edit]
- Hercules Moped, 49cc (1957)
- Hercules Scooter, 50cc
- Hercules Ultra III Sachs 50 SW
- Hercules Lilliput, 98cc
- Hercules M4 Moped
- Hercules Prior Moped
- Hercules Lastboy
- Hercules K100 (1959)
- Hercules R 200 (1959)
- Hercules 220 (1965)
- Hercules 103 (1966)[5]
- Hercules Postie Bike (1969)
- Hercules K 105 X (1970)
- Hercules K 125 X (1971)
- Hercules K 50 RX (1971)
- Hercules K 125 Military (1971-1990)
- Hercules K 125 (1972)
- Hercules K 125 T (1973)
- Hercules K125 S (1974-1979)
- Hercules W2000 (1974-1978)
- Hercules E1 (1974)
- Hercules KC-30 GS Enduro (1975)
- Hercules 175 GS (1976)
- Hercules GS250 Ice Racer (1977)
- Hercules MC250 (1978)
- Hercules DKW 250 GS (1978)
- Hercules Prima 5S (1984)
- Hercules Prima frisiert
- Hercules GS 125B
- Hercules KJBe
- Hercules K 180 Military (1991-1992)
References [edit]
- ^ Deutsche autos, Motorbuchverlag
- ^ History - Official Sachs Bikes website
- ^ http://www.cybermotorcycle.com/euro/brands/hercules.htm
- ^ a b c Williams, Greg. "Hercules W-2000: The First Rotary-Powered Motorcycle". Motorcycle Classics March/April 2012. Motorcycle Classics. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ^ http://www.cybermotorcycles.com/gallery/hercules/index.htm
External links [edit]
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