Windhoff 750
Windhoff is a rare piece of German engineering. The small manufacturer based in Berlin mainly produced small 2-strokes, but as you know, there is something called “no rule without an exception”. Towards the end of the 1920s, this resulted in Windhoff Motorenbau trying its hand at larger and heavier motorcycles. The result was a spectacular and eye-catching 750 cc inline-four.
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Windhoff was established in Berlin as early as the 1880s, and produced radiators that were used in both passenger cars, trucks and aircraft. When World War I broke out, they had good sales of their product, which would become a commercial challenge to follow up after the war, because demand fell dramatically. The sluggish economy of the interwar period also created a need for affordable and simple means of transportation. Small and simple motorcycles with 2-stroke engines thus became an area of focus for Windhoff in 1925.
750 cc inline four
Towards the end of the 1920s they invested heavily, and in 1927 they launched their new model, the inline-four 750. However, this model was neither affordable nor simple, but on the contrary advanced and not least sophisticated. Inline-fours were in themselves quite common in the 1920s, and several of the American motorcycle manufacturers such as Indian , ACE and Hendersom made motorcycles with four-cylinder engines placed longitudinally in the frame. Windhoff did almost the same, while at the same time choosing a solution that was a little out of the ordinary. The engine was oil-cooled, and functioned as an essential part of the frame, where both the rear frame and front suspension were mounted based on the engine block.
A technically refined motorcycle
Windhoff 750 was packed with beautiful details, but despite its sophistication, it was not a sales success, and in 1933 production was discontinued. Windhoff is a masterpiece in terms of craftsmanship and technology, and the bike has a wealth of detail that I have rarely seen. The engine is a 4-cylinder 4-stroke that functions as part of the frame. The shiny tubes that run horizontally out and back from the engine make up the rear frame. Windhoff was produced in Berlin, and only 1450 copies of the model were produced. In 1928 it cost 1950 Reichsmark.
Technical data Windhoff 750, 1928 model:
Engine: 4-cylinder 4-stroke
Displacement: 742 cc
Power: 22 hp
Weight: 185 kg
Top speed: 130 km/h
