Kreidler was a German manufacturer of

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typic ...

s and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s. Kreidler was originally based in

Kornwestheim Kornwestheim ( Swabian: ) is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about north of Stuttgart, and south of Ludwigsburg. History Origins and Development Kornwestheim can look back at a history ...

, between

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is ...

and

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

. It was founded in 1903 as "Kreidlers Metall- und Drahtwerke" (Kreidlers metal and wire factory) by Anton Kreidler and started to build motorcycles in 1951. In 1959 one third of all German motorcycles were Kreidler. In the 1970s Kreidler had very great success in motorsport. Especially in the Netherlands the riders Jan de Vries and

Henk van Kessel Henk van Kessel (born 25 June 1946, Mill) is a Dutch former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He won the 1974 F.I.M. 50 cc world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from ar ...

were successful. Kreidler went out of business in 1982 and the rights to the trade mark were sold to the businessman Rudolf Scheidt who had Italian manufacturer

Garelli Motorcycles Garelli Motorcycles was an Italian moped and motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 by Adalberto Garelli (10 July 1886 – 13 January 1968). History At age 22, Adalberto Garelli received a degree in engineering and dedicated his work ...

make mopeds under the Kreidler name until 1988. The rights to the Kreidler brand were subsequently acquired by bicycle manufacturer Prophete. Today the brand is used by Prophete's subsidiary

Cycle Union Prophete GmbH u. Co. KG is a German manufacturer for bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, and supply parts that traditionally trade under the Prophete brand name. The company (including the subsidiary company Cycle Union) employ a staff of about 400 peo ...

GmbH based in

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

, Germany, where bikes are built and distributed to dealers mainly throughout Europe. Kreidler was active in Grand Prix motorcycle with great success in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring eight world champion titles in 50 cc class: *1971 Jan de Vries *1973 Jan de Vries *1974

*1975

Ángel Nieto Ángel Nieto Roldán (25 January 1947 – 3 August 2017) was a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He was one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers in the history of the sport, winning 13 World Championships and 90 Grand Prix ...

*1979

Eugenio Lazzarini Eugenio Lazzarini (born 26 March 1945) is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion. Lazzarini began his Grand Prix career in 1969 in the 250 class on a Benelli. He won his first Grand Prix at the 1973 Dutch TT on a Ma ...

*1980 Eugenio Lazzarini *1982

Stefan Dörflinger Stefan Dörflinger (born 23 December 1948 in Nagold, Germany) is a Swiss former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. Dörflinger won four consecutive FIM road racing world championships. In 1982 and 1983, he was the 50 cc world champion. In 19 ...

Gallery

File:Kreidler 50ccm Jan de Vries.jpg, Van Veen Racing Kreidler of Jan de Vries (1971) File:ZweiRadMuseumNSU Kreidler Rennmaschine.JPG, "Kreidler Racing Florett" (1963) File:ZweiRadMuseumNSU Kreidler VanVeen.JPG, "Kreidler Van Veen GP" (1977) File:ZweiRadMuseumNSU Kreidler Zigarre.JPG, "Kreidler Zigarre" (50 cm³, record: 210.634 km/h 23 October 1965, Utah, USA)

References

Motorcycle manufacturers of Germany Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1903 {{Motorsport-stub

Gallery

See also

References