history
Zundapp was a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Dr. Fritz Neumeyer and Friedruch Krupp in 1917. The company was initially focused on weapons and detonators but, as the war ended in 1919, Zunder-und Apparatebau G.m.b.H. got involved into the motorcycle manufacturing process. After only a few years since the company began producing motorcycles, it was mostly known for building bikes for all segments of users, formerly named "Motorrad für Jedermann" (motorcycle for everybody).
Z22, the first motorcycle designed and launched by Zundapp was officially rolled out in 1921. However, in 1938, Zundapp already owned no less than 200,000 motorcycles, most of them members of the K series which was first started in 1933. The K-series bikes (the “K” actually comes from Kardanantrieb – a drivetrain model) could be found in multiple displacements, from 200cc to 800cc.
Once the World War II started, Zundapp turned into an important supplier of motorcycles for the German army. For instance, in 1940, the company produced no less than 18,000 motorcycles, dubbed KS750, all of them being addressed to the German armed forces.
After the end of the war, Zundapp became more interested in smaller motorcycles, scooters and other types of vehicles that could prove to be extremely attractive for the German market. For instance, the company rolled out the Bella scooter just after the end of World War II, the bike being the main attraction of the Frankfurt show in 1953. Moreover, the company has also designed several concept bikes but most of these projects have been discontinued as the time passed by. The Bella production was stopped in 1958 when the company replaced the scooter with newer models such as the R175S, a 175cc bike.
Initially headquartered in Nuremberg, the company moved in Munich in 1958 in order to develop new and more advanced models that could help it expand on the German market. However, after shutting down the Bella production, Zundapp experienced lots of financial problems and in 1984, the owners had to sell and close the entire company.
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