The Sachs 50 is the 50 cm³ side of the Sachs Bikes range: geared mopeds, mofas and small scooters built in Nuremberg on a line of small two-stroke engines that Fichtel & Sachs had supplied to other manufacturers for decades.
Sachs 50 at a glance
| Maker | Sachs Bikes, Nuremberg |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 50 cm³ (49 cc class) |
| Mokicks and mopeds | XTC 50, KX 5, Saxy 25/45, Prima, Prima G3 |
| Scooters | Speedforce 50, Speedjet 50, Bee 50, 49er |
| KX 5 | KX 50/Classic, built 1995–2001 |
| MadAss 50 | 49 cc version of the geared mokick |
| Engine heritage | Sachs moped motors used by many makes until the mid-1990s |
| Small motorcycle engines | built by Sachs up to 175 cc |
| Company from 1995 | Sachs Fahrzeug- und Motorentechnik GmbH |
| Company from 2008 | SFM GmbH |
The 50 cc Sachs models have no Wikipedia pages of their own; this page is based on the model list and history in the articles on the company.
History of the Sachs 50
An engine maker first
Sachs began as an engine and component supplier. Its moped motors were used by many brands until the mid-1990s, and small motorcycle engines of up to 175 cc were built as well. The Hercules works in Nuremberg, taken over by Fichtel & Sachs in 1958, was the other half of the story: its mopeds were popular for decades, and in Britain, where a Birmingham bicycle company also used the Hercules name, they were sold as Prior.
After the split of 1995
When Fichtel & Sachs sold the Hercules brand and its bicycle production in 1995, the motorcycle production stayed in Nuremberg and traded as Sachs Fahrzeug- und Motorentechnik GmbH, selling under the Sachs name. Its 50 cm³ programme of those years mixed geared mopeds and scooters: the KX 5, sold as KX 50 and KX 50 Classic from 1995 to 2001, the ZX 50, the four-stroke XTC 50 mokick and the classic Saxy 25/45 and Prima mofas.
Scooters and the MadAss
After the insolvency of 2006 and the management buyout of 1 January 2007 the company aimed at the scooter segment, and the 50 cc range filled out with the Speedforce 50 and Speedforce R 50, the Speedjet 50, Speedjet R 50 and Speedjet RS, the Bee 50 and the 49er scooter. The MadAss, the unusual geared mokick that was the only Sachs-engineered motorcycle of the difficult years, was also sold in a 49 cc version. In 2008 the firm was renamed SFM GmbH.
Design and features
- Geared mopeds: the XTC 50, KX 5 and MadAss 50 with manual gearboxes.
- Mofas: the Saxy 25/45 and the Prima line.
- Scooters: Speedforce, Speedjet, Bee and 49er in the 50 cc class.
- Sachs engine tradition: the small motors had powered other makers’ mopeds for decades.
Sachs 50 versions
- KX 5 (KX 50, KX 50 Classic): built 1995–2001.
- ZX 50 and XTC 50: the 50 cc moped and the four-stroke mokick.
- Saxy 25/45 and Prima / Prima G3: classic mofas.
- Speedforce 50 and Speedforce R 50: scooter pair.
- Speedjet 50, Speedjet R 50 and Speedjet RS: the second scooter family.
- Bee 50 and MadAss 50: the later small machines.
The 125 cc machines are in Sachs 125, the geared mokick in Sachs MadAss and the scooters in Sachs Speedjet. More are in the Sachs collection.
Video: Sachs 50/4 LKH 1963
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Sachs Bikes, German Wikipedia: model list and company history
- Sachs Motorcycles, English Wikipedia: engine supply, Hercules mopeds, MadAss
