BÜCKER motorcycles 1922-1954
Franz Bücker had to join the German army in 1914 as a mechanic
in the engine factory in Oberursel. In this factory the army manufactured
engines for the Fokker DR 1, the aircraft of Manfred von Richthofen, the
"RED BARON".
After WW I he started a business: motorcycle repair and manufacturing.
The motorcycles were known as reliable and fast bikes. Franz Bücker
won a couple of races. For street races, he used an engine with a normal
compression ratio. For track races, he had to raise the compression ratio
and added a dome to the top the piston by welding on some material. High
quality pistons were rare and expensive in the twenties, and he turned
the dome off for the next street race etc- etc...
The fastest Bücker motorcycles were the 1000cc bikes with 55 HP
JAP-JTOR-V2 engines, first relased in 1930. They had a top speed of more
than 170 kilometers per hour.
Production came to a standstill during WW II. After the war, the factory
was under American control. New models were released in 1948 with 125 and
250cc engines. They were sold all over Germany and in Belgium, the Netherlands,
Greece, Sweden and Switzerland.
1949 Bückner began to use ILO (ESPERANTO for "good tool") engines
for his motorcycles. The first model was the TZ 125 with 5,4 HP, followed
by the TZ 125 S with 7,5 HP in 1950. The TZ 175 had 175cc ILO engines with
3- or 4speed transmissions. The annual production numbers reached 500 units.
In 1952 Bückner had two 250cc models: the ILONA I with a
250cc 1-cyl. 12,5 HP ILO engine and the ILONA II with the brand new 2x125cc
ILO Twin engine with 15 HP/6000rpm.
1953 brought the new TZ 200, but production numbers fell to 400 units.
In 1954 a 50cc moped entered the showrooms, but the production numbers
reached only 165 units, and the motorcycle production was stopped.
Franz Bücker became a car dealer for FORD and GLAS, and the business
boomed. Franz Bücker died in 1980.
Submitted by
Hartmut Schouwer
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