"I wanted a green elephant"

Rolf Barry-Berg from Oslo bought his first vintage motorcycle in Harstad in 1976. This was a “Wehrmacht machine”, more specifically a Zundapp KS600 with sidecar from 1939. Rolf became good friends with the Zundappen despite the engine being fairly worn out and thus offering constant challenges.

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Rolf's “red” Elephant

Rolf eventually became aware that there was a Zundapp model called the KS 601, a motorcycle with a far more reliable engine, and last but not least higher power. However, it would prove very difficult to find such a Zundapp , and it would take nearly 35 years before he found his “Green Elephant”, in Norway of all places. By then, the bike had traveled from Germany to the USA and on to Canada, before it arrived as moving goods to Norway. From the start in 1951, the KS601 became a very popular sidecar bike, and for Rolf it was a “must” to find a sidecar that fit his bike. Rolf’s fascination with sidecars was crowned with a certain amount of luck when, three years ago, a Steib sidecar appeared in Denmark. In addition to the fact that this was a widely used sidecar on Zundapp models, it was painted in almost the same red color as the original on Rolf’s US model. Since

Export model

Rolf's original "green elephant" was an export model, painted red, with chrome on the gas tank. Rolf's equipment has undergone a total restoration, and the result is surprisingly good. Rolf enjoys every mile on this vintage bike that effortlessly keeps up with traffic, even on the highway, with a sidecar attached. The Zundappen was also, as previously mentioned, the fastest German motorcycle in 1951, and it easily does 120 km/h with a sidecar.

Excited the motorcycle press

The “green elephant” was shown to the press in the autumn of 1950, and was the fastest German motorcycle model available at the time. The two-cylinder boxer engine, which had its roots back in the KS600 from 1938, was now equipped with two 25 mm Bing carburetors. The power was estimated at about 28 hp at 4700 rpm, which gave the bike a top speed of about 145 km/h. This was a remarkable achievement for a series-produced motorcycle at the beginning of the 1950s, and the Zundappen was a tough competitor to BMW R51/2. The KS 601 is the last major motorcycle from the once proud manufacturer that was established in Nuremberg in 1917. In 1950, however, Zundapp moved motorcycle production to Munich, where they kept it going until 1984. The KS601 was produced until 1959, and only 5,500 models were made during the 8 years it was in production. There are very few bikes of this type left today, and the KS601 is therefore a highly sought-after model at home in Germany. When production of the KS 601 ended in 1959, the factory switched to the production of small lightweights and mopeds with 2-stroke engines, including the popular scooter “Bella”.

Technical data Zundapp KS 601, 1952 model:

Engine: 2-cylinder 4-stroke, OHV (boxer engine)

Displacement: 597 cc

Power: 28 hp at 4700 rpm.

No. of gears: 4

Weight (dry): 202 kg without sidecar, 257 kg with sidecar

Top speed: 120 km/h with sidecar, 145 km/h without sidecar