The Fantastic Story of the Gigantic Münch Mammut

Friedl Münch, who had founded a small factory in Altenstadt, then West Germany, created the Mammut around a car engine. Unsatisfied with the two-cylinder engines powering most motorcycles of the time, Münch turned to the automotive world, using the engine from an NSU Prinz 1000: a four-cylinder inline, four-stroke, 996 cc, air-cooled engine with a single overhead camshaft and a robust five-bearing crankshaft.

It wasn't a simple operation. Münch had to manufacture an oil sump, a primary cover, and a four-speed gearbox from the defunct Horex. He wanted more horsepower than the standard models, so he had to develop new camshafts or install dual-throat Weber carburetors: no problem for Friedl, an engineer and an inveterate handyman.

He created a double cradle frame made of steel tubes, handcrafted, inspired by the famous Featherbed of the British Norton, the best of its time. The front wheel was the classic spoked type with a massive 10-inch ventilated drum, designed by Münch himself.

For the rear, since a conventional spoked wheel was simply not enough to withstand the power transfer from the NSU engine to the asphalt, he designed an alloy rim (the first on a production motorcycle), with an integrated brake drum. For both the front drum and the rear rim, he used Elektron, a magnesium alloy lighter than aluminum, though more difficult to work with and very expensive. He also used Elektron for the seat base and rear mudguard, made in one piece.

Other innovative features for the time included a 12-volt electrical system with two batteries, a fully enclosed chain case forming half of the swingarm, and even handlebar-end indicators.

The Mammut weighed only 227 kg and reached a speed of about 185 km/h. The materials used, the artisanal manufacturing, and meticulous engineering also made it an incredibly expensive motorcycle, more than twice the price of the BMW R69S and almost three times that of a Triumph Bonneville. However, this did not prevent Münch from soon having a significant order book.

In 1967, Münch made two important decisions. He opened a new factory in Ossenheim, Germany, with 20 people, and signed an agreement with Floyd Clymer, granting the former racer and famous promoter and publisher (one of the world's most important in motorcycles and automobiles) the distribution rights of the company in the United States, while appointing him as the operations director of Münch Motorcycles.

A wise decision as the brilliant Clymer was an excellent businessman, while Münch, a visionary engineer and phenomenal tuner, was not adept at financial matters. Clymer's advertising slogan for the motorcycles was: "Built up to a Standard, Not Down to a Price." After Clymer's death in 1970, the importation of subsequent Mammuts passed through various hands.

As production continued into the seventies, each machine was a special order; no two were alike. During this time, Münch launched the 115 HP Sport-Münch and later the Daytona Bomb, conceived to break the world speed record for one hour at Daytona. At that time, Mike Hailwood held the record, set with an MV Agusta in 1965. The Daytona Bomb was faster than Hailwood's MV, reaching average speeds of 286 km/h, but the team couldn't find a rear tire that lasted more than four laps...

The Mammut continued with the first 996 cc Prinz engine until Münch adopted the NSU Type 110 engine. This air-cooled, 1200 cc engine generated 85 HP and was capable of gaining a few more with good tuning. This increased performance allowed it to reach 160 km/h in 11 seconds, without vibrations and with exceptional reliability.

It had only one real drawback: due to the increased power and torque, the motorcycle consumed rear tires considerably, and even the most conservative rider was lucky to cover 1600 km with one tire. In 1973, the Münch 1200 TTS-E became the world's first production motorcycle with fuel injection (a Kugelfischer mechanical system), which made the bike an Einspritzer, hence the E in its model designation.

But the Münchs now faced a rapidly changing landscape: Japanese motorcycle brands were arriving, with excellent, powerful, reliable models... and at unbeatable prices.

By the end of 1973, Münch Motorcycles was experiencing financial difficulties, and its founder had to resign. Münch motorcycles continued to be manufactured until 1980, when the factory closed its doors for good.

In 1991, Friedl Münch returned to build the Münch 2000. It was another extraordinary motorcycle that also, as nobility obliges, used a car engine, a liquid-cooled, four-stroke Cosworth, with a 1998 cc and a Schwitzer turbo, offering 260 HP. It used Öhlins suspension and a carbon fiber fairing, with an advanced design. Only 15 units were made (the factory was now in Poland).

Today, it is estimated that just under five hundred Münch motorcycles were made, and only a little over three hundred survive, making it undoubtedly a cult motorcycle.

Friedl Münch left this world on April 26, 2014, leaving behind an unforgettable motorcycle: "the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive of its time," as motorcycle historian Hugo Wilson would define it.