In the past ... Memories of Kreidler and Zündapp

In Auto Motor Klassiek number 11 from 2017 was a beautiful Kreidler story. That story created memories. And then let it be a Zündapp ... But still ...

Back in the days

Oh yeah. The past is over. But in 1972, party evenings lasted enormously long and the joy of the party was increased by lots of beer and taped cigarettes that made you cough enormously. And then you just drove home. Sometime early in the morning two full moons were reproachfully hanging in the sky that was getting lighter. The young God and his machine found each other in supreme harmony. The summer night sky did wonders and the number of moons slowed down. And so you suddenly drive past the Knorr factory and you know that you are on track again. Because via Loosdrecht you can cross the Bloklaan.

The Bloklaan looks fantastic

And that lies nicely between the puddles and just around the end there is a magisterial turn. Chuckling under yet again two full moons, the evening had been perfect. Only the dream princess had gone up in smoke. But that wasn't bad. Signs informed passers-by that Loosdrecht was connected to real sewerage. Sewage work goes hand in hand with broken road surfaces and targeted excavation work. At the Wolfshoek marina, a completely different set of partygoers were saying goodbye. The shaky goodbyes were loosely grouped around a Jaguar whose driver apparently had also had a great evening. At that moment a horseman suddenly appeared. Not a man who brings his horse to tenderness. A road barrier. A cheerful red and white painted beam on trestles.

Stress with a Jaguar

While the Jaguar and the people became a bit restless, it was also a crisis meeting behind the Zündapp steering wheel. A road barrier. Last time it wasn't there yet. Is he actually there? Somewhere in this quiet analysis route the moped touches the road barrier. The blow is fully absorbed on the forearms. The beam pops out of its trestles and finds a place in the sand. The camouflaged KS50 and its rider come to a halt next to the Jaguar. A young woman in evening dress turns to a man who is also nicely dressed and screams; "Cock! Now see what happens! ".

Quarrel next to the Jaguar

With some difficulty, some Jaguar passengers leave their predator. One of them stumbles over the moped lying on the ground and hits his snout on a dreamy manhole cover. The situation of the former partygoers is getting out of hand. Then as a seventeen-year-old there is nothing left to do but to do your business again. Fortunately, a Zündapp weighs less than a Jaguar. There is now a serious upheaval around that Jaguar. But do you see that nothing is wrong? Because the engine is running again. Hoppa. Tight through the sand of those fighting motorists and drunkards. Nice home. My basket in ...

All's well that ends well

No sooner said than done. Only getting up the next day was less. The arms hurt even more than the head. The story ended with two plaster arms and a steering wheel, the ends of which were bent about twenty inches back.

The lesson, of course, is that motorists are to blame for most motorcycle accidents. Two days later I bought my first motorcycle. A Jawa 250 from 1956. Because riding a moped had really become too dangerous for me.

But Kreidlers and Zündapps remain fun.
Just like our childhood memories.