The Zündapp Bella is a
motor scooter
A scooter (motor scooter) is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, a transmission that shifts without the operator having to operate a clutch lever, a platform for their feet, and with a method of operation that emph ...
manufactured by
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
motorcycle manufacturer
Zündapp from 1953 to 1964.
Approximately 130,000 Bella scooters were sold, with engine sizes ranging from .
The design of the Bella was heavily influenced by that of the Parilla Levriere, also known as the Parilla Greyhound.
Along with being similar in general appearance, both designs have prominent air tunnels along the centreline of the scooter to allow fresh air to cool the engine without a fan.
As introduced in 1953, the Bella had a 146 cc
two-stroke
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...
single cylinder engine,
12 inch wheels,
6 V electrics, a
kick start
Kick start is a method of starting an internal combustion engine (usually that of a motorcycle) by pushing a ratcheting lever with the rider's foot. Kick start mechanisms were almost universally a part of motorcycle engines before the mid-1970s ...
er, and an undamped
telescopic fork. The fuel tank was mounted under the seat.
A version of the Bella called the Suburbanette was made for the United States market from 1953 to 1954.
The Suburbanette was stripped of the body panels enclosing the engine.
370 Suburbanettes were sold.
An export version of the last 150cc Bella, the R154K (K for kickstarter), with higher "Western" (buckhorn) bars and no dynastarter, came to the United States in the later 1950s.
A engine producing became available in May 1954.
The front suspension was later changed from a telescopic fork to an
Earles-type leading link fork with a single suspension unit on left side of the fork.
Later Bella scooters also had 12 V electricals
powered by two 6 V batteries.
Electric starters also became available on the Bella.
The Bella was imported into the United Kingdom by Ambassador Motorcycles,
and into the United States by International Motorcycle Company.
See also
*
List of motorcycles of the 1950s
This a listing of motorcycles of the 1950s, including those on sale, introduced, or otherwise relevant in this period.
* AJS 18 (1949–1963)
References
External links
* – Zündapp Bella test ride
* – 360° view of Zündapp Bella
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zundapp Bella
Motorcycles of Germany
Motor scooters
Motorcycles introduced in 1953
Two-stroke motorcycles
Zündapp