Riedel Imme R100 1951

Imme R100 was a lightweight motorcycle produced from 1948 to 1951 by Norbert Riedel. It's one of most beautiful and modern-looking constructions of the decade. The beauty of the machine is in it's sheer simplicity: due to constrained material and financial supplies, the front forks and swinging arm are single sided, the exhaust acting as the swinging arm member with the rear wheel being cantilevered with the engine, the tubing used for the frame, headstock, fork and arm are all the same 40mm diameter, the 3-speed hand change gearbox does not have a neutral position. The egg-shaped power unit is a piston-ported two-stroke single-cylinder engine of 99 cc capacity. The engine is cast in light alloy around the cylinder liner, and has an integral cylinder head. The crankshaft is suspended on only one side. The power output is 4.4 HP at 5,800 rpm, which was considered a high output at the time. The wheels are interchangeable, and they are mounted from the left on stub axles attached to the suspension on the right.

During WW2 Norbert Riedel had designed a two stroke starter engine for the first Luftwaffe jet fighters. After the war he moved into motorcycle design; he’s first design was the Riedel R100. The American army desperately wanted his jet starter engines , so gave him the production tools and equipement which could be used for motorcycle production. The prototype was ready by summer of 1947. The motocycle had to be cheap, easy to build, and there was also seroius problem with raw materials, as all of Germanys steel works were bombed by the RAF. That's why frame and fork tubing is all the same diameter. Around Christmas 1947 Riedel started the first test rides. They showed that the combination of long travel and soft springs needed damping, so friction dampers were added. In 1948 Norbert Reidel registered Reidel AG and established a factory in Immestad, Bavaria. „Imme” is a German word for bee, and the logo was derived from this name. .Production started in 1949, but only 80 units were made in the first year. A basic Imme sold for 775 Deutschmark without battery, tachometer, or centre stand. Passenger accommodation was an optional extra, as was a spare wheel. Initially, Immes were all painted oxide red. In 1950, a better-equipped "Export" version became available for 850 Deutschmark with a battery, an electric horn, a centre stand, a speedometer, a more comfortable seat, chrome plating, pinstriping, and a choice of colours including lime green and gloss black. Production of the Imme R100 had gone up to 1,000 per month and, by the autumn of 1950, more than 10,000 had been sold. The management of Riedel AG relied upon high sales volume to offset the low profit margin. Imme engines were also sold to Fritz Fend, to power his Fend Flitzer invalid carriages. These replaced the Fichtel & Sachs engines used in earlier versions of the Flitzer. However, the Imme began to develop problems, especially with the single-sided crankshaft bearings and the freewheel for the kick starter. Riedel corrected the problem beginning with the Model D version, which had a conventional crankshaft with two bearings. However, the profit from sales was not enough to cover the warranty expenses, and, by the end of 1950, Riedel AG went bankrupt. Riedel had designed a new egg- shaped twin 150cc engine and had planned a comeback with an improved version of the Imme. But in 1951 the factory was shut down again.