The Sachs 125 is the 125 cc end of the range of Sachs Bikes, the Nuremberg company that took over the motorcycle production of Fichtel & Sachs in 1995. Its 125 cc line ran from the ZZ and ZX 125 through the two-stroke XTC 125 and its four-stroke successor to the X-Road 125 and the Roadster 125 V2.
Sachs 125 at a glance
| Maker | Sachs Bikes (Sachs Fahrzeug- und Motorentechnik), Nuremberg |
|---|---|
| Company from 1995 | motorcycle production separated from Fichtel & Sachs |
| Company from 2008 | SFM GmbH |
| 125 cc models | ZZ 125, ZX 125, XTC 125, X-Road 125, Roadster 125 V2 |
| Engines | two-stroke and four-stroke singles |
| XTC 125 | two-stroke sports model, later a four-stroke successor |
| XTC 125-N | naked version of the two-stroke XTC 125 |
| X-Road 125 | supermoto, naked bike and sports motorcycle mix |
| Roadster 125 V2 | Yamaha Virago 125 engine |
| Other 125 cc models | Dirty Devil 125 CR, Dirty Devil Phatt 125 |
The 125 cc Sachs models have no Wikipedia pages of their own; this page is based on the model list and history in the German and English articles on the company.
History of the Sachs 125
From Hercules to Sachs Bikes
Sachs Bikes appeared in 1995, when Fichtel & Sachs, owned by Mannesmann since 1991, sold the Hercules brand and its bicycle production to the Dutch ATAG Cycle Group. The motorcycle production that stayed in Nuremberg traded as Sachs Fahrzeug- und Motorentechnik GmbH and sold its machines under the Sachs name instead of Hercules. The new company inherited a long tradition of small engines: Sachs moped motors had been used by many makes until the mid-1990s, and small motorcycle engines of up to 175 cc were built as well.
A new range under Hartmut Huhn
In the late 1990s the technical director and later chief executive Hartmut Huhn led the development of new models. The Hercules name was no longer available, so the machines were sold as Sachs. Next to the MadAss and the larger Roadster models, the company offered 125 cc bikes; the Roadster 125 used a Yamaha Virago 125 engine, a sign that Sachs, for decades an engine supplier to others, now had to buy engines in.
Two strokes and four strokes
The German article on Sachs Bikes lists the 125 cc line as it stood in the 2000s: the ZX and ZZ 125, the XTC 125 as a two-stroke sports motorcycle with a naked XTC 125-N version, a four-stroke XTC 125 that succeeded it, the X-Road 125 that mixed supermoto, naked bike and sports motorcycle around the four-stroke XTC engine, and the Roadster 125 V2. After the insolvency of June 2006 and the management buyout that took over on 1 January 2007, the company turned towards scooters; among the new models shown after the rescue was the XTC 125, unveiled at the Intermot fair.
Design and features
- Two engine families: the two-stroke XTC 125 and its four-stroke successor.
- Bought-in engines: the Roadster 125 used a Yamaha Virago 125 unit.
- One engine, several bodies: sports XTC, naked XTC 125-N, X-Road 125 and Roadster 125 V2.
- Off-road line: the Dirty Devil 125 CR and Dirty Devil Phatt 125 shared the capacity.
Sachs 125 versions
- ZZ 125 and ZX 125: the pair of 125 cc models in the range.
- XTC 125 (two-stroke): sports motorcycle with the naked XTC 125-N.
- XTC 125 (four-stroke): successor to the two-stroke XTC.
- X-Road 125: supermoto, naked and sports mix on the four-stroke XTC engine.
- Roadster 125 V2: roadster with a Yamaha Virago 125 engine.
- Dirty Devil 125 CR and Phatt 125: the off-road pair.
The XTC 125 has an article of its own at Sachs XTC, and the small-capacity models are collected in Sachs 50. More machines are in the Sachs collection.
Video: Sachs ZZ 125 Supermoto soundcheck & drive
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Sachs Bikes, German Wikipedia: model list and company history
- Sachs Motorcycles, English Wikipedia: company history, Roadster and XTC models
