Krauser. You know that brand from the suitcases.

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Krauser. You know that brand from the suitcases. But so much more beautiful has been made by this man! Such as the BMW Krauser MKM 1000. From 1980-1982. A few hundred of them have been made

'MKM' stands for Mike Krauser Munich. Because Krauser supplied conversion kits to release the Beast in BMW boxers. But the company also supplied ready-made machines. In the context of 'find the differences', in the best case it only comes down to a different engine numbering and license plate designation. You can recognize the Real Krauser by frame, block and box numbering that is 'identically the same' and starts with a 'K'. The 'K' from Krauser.

Because everything started with Michael "Mike" Krauser. The man was busy in the road racing. Of course he drove himself, but his heroics were in the field of sponsoring and own constructions. His hit made the motorcycle dealer from Munich with the sale of his Krauser suitcases. Mike's techie went for more. He saw the BMW boxer blocks very differently than the best touring drivers saw them. That is why he developed four-valve heads with a much crazier cam timing than the factory dared to do. The engines that were based on the full liter versions of the RT family delivered instead of the factory 70 hp approximately 85-90 hp.

A kind of Ducati frame

To complete the case, Krauser constructed a timber frame a la Ducati and a tank / seat combination plus a tub around it. Such a frame consisted of 56 pieces of pipe that were placed one after the other 16 meters long. Those framesets were also sold separately and so you can also find Krauser BMWs with ordinary two-valve boxer blocks. Also beautiful and much better than the four-valve cars. And meanwhile worth a lot of money. And there are just as many people who think the MKM 1000 is just as ugly as it is genius. 'Typling' and 'Munich' go hand in hand less than 'Munich' and 'beer'.

But technology and Munich, according to the legends, a full match. Still, the air-cooled four-valve heads had quite a headwind in practice. There were testers who found the valve noise unacceptable. Those valves would also have to be put in place every now and then. There were stories about a lack of lubrication of the boxer's fists. Thermal problems would cause 'hot spots' and therefore uncontrolled ignition. A quarter of a century later, the MKM has become such an icon that it is cursing in the church but ... the quality of the heads was poor at best. Apparently Mike had his hand overplayed in the technical / financial field.

There were cylinder heads that were porous, but also the good ones were really tired after a kilometer or 60.000. Now that does not matter much for a motorcycle of which only 237 pieces are produced. The MKM 1000 was at the Ferrari and Lamborghini level. Highlights that were mainly sold to people who went for the passion and had the money for it. Of the 237 copies, 140 went to Japan. And those Japanese people are keeping a close eye on the market and are on top of it when an MK 1000 is offered for sale somewhere in the world. They are significantly less interested in the 66 BMWs that Krauser sold as a kit.

In Germany, the manufacturer or the person offering the frame for testing is the name giver of the engine. For example, an engine that looks like an MKM 1000 can be known as "Wenckebach", "Schmidt" or perhaps "Jansen". This is desirable for enthusiasts, and 'Not Intellesting' for the Japanese.

The only one in NL

One new item was officially sold in the Netherlands. The lucky buyer was the former BMW dealer from Leek, Dirk Haan. We currently have three MKM 1000s standing here in the Netherlands. Various enthusiasts still have a careful handful of copies that are based on building kits supplied. Engines equipped with a normal two-valve block have less value. But it is the machines that can be used and that have the driving behavior of a trained Ducati. But the Japanese have nothing to do with that.

The story just continues
Because the Hobbyist has bought the remaining batches of Krauserspullen, the rights and the production molds. And at Mat Bleekers they also know about mittens.

When purchasing a four-valve car, think of a euro 0f 40D

 

 

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2 comments

  1. Just read your article from 25 January 2017 about the Krauser MKM 1000.
    It mentions the only officially imported MKM 1000 in the Netherlands. Derk Haan bought this Krauser at the time, because his customer who ordered it canceled the purchase at the last minute.
    Since 2006 I am the lucky owner of this four-valve Krauser MKM 1000, who has not yet run an 15.000 km.
    Characteristic of the real MKM 1000 is the 'blue book' which has a sealed certificate of authenticity with the (stamped) issue number. My Krauser has number 14 stamped on the engine block, gearbox and cardan case. The number is also stamped on a silver plate on top of the tank.
    Derk Haan has already died a few years ago at the age of 66.

    Sincerely,

    Cor Mulder

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