Simson, MZ & Co. – The two-wheeled forge of the GDR
Suhl and Zschopau as locations for bicycle manufacturing in East Germany
If you ask former citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) which companies were the most important manufacturers of motorised two-wheelers in the GDR, most will probably immediately think of Simson from Suhl in the Thuringian Forest or MZ from Zschopau in the Saxon Ore Mountains.
Simson was known for its many different moped and motorbike series, such as the famous bird series with the evocative names Schwalbe, Spatz, Star, Sperber and Habicht, or the widely used S50 and S51 models, which were often simply referred to as »Simmen«. The single-cylinder two-stroke motorcycles from the Zschopau Motorcycle Factory (MZ) with the type designations RT, ES, ETS, TS and ETZ even earned a good reputation beyond the borders of the GDR.
Not infrequently, especially in the 1960s, the two-wheelers from Zschopau took top places in international motor and enduro racing and were considered good and reliable designs that also sold well in Western countries. For example, the vehicles are still extremely popular in Great Britain today. The mopeds from the VEB Fahrzeug- und Gerätewerk Simson Suhl, which became the VEB Fahrzeug- und Jagdwaffenwerk »Ernst Thälmann« in 1969, were also exported to over 40 countries – mainly to socialist brother countries, while they remained relatively unknown in the West.
Special vehicles for the People's Police and the NVA were also produced in Zschopau. The basis for MZ's product range was the simple design of DKW (Dampfkraftwagen) two-stroke engines, which were already popular before the Second World War and continued to be developed until the end of the GDR and beyond.
Between Pitty, IWL and S51 – Two wheels, one attitude to life
However, in the history of the GDR, it is not only Suhl and Zschopau that are worth mentioning as locations for East German motorised two-wheeler production, but also Ludwigsfelde in Brandenburg. Between 1955 and 1964, four different scooter models were built there at VEB Industriewerke Ludwigsfelde (later: Automobilwerke Ludwigsfelde) before the factory had to devote itself entirely to truck manufacturing. These included the IWL Pitty and the IWL SR 59 Berlin, which can be found in the GDR Museum exhibition.
In the absence of sufficient car production, mopeds, scooters and motorcycles provided individual mobility in the GDR, while motorised two-wheelers in the Federal Republic increasingly became sports and leisure companions from the 1970s onwards. The GDR can therefore rightly be described as a two-wheeled country, as the short-term availability without long waiting times and the moderate prices compared to cars contributed to the widespread use of motorised two-wheelers in the GDR. This was to remain the case until reunification.
Simson's Mokicks, with their 50 cc engines and top speeds of 60 km/h, were a huge hit with young people in particular, as they could be ridden by 15-year-olds. This is still the case today, as this regulation was part of the 1990 Unification Treaty. With over 1.6 million vehicles built, the various Simson S50/S51 series are still the most widely produced mopeds in Germany today. A total of around 6 million motorised two-wheelers were built in the GDR between 1949 and 1990.
Wound up, but not forgotten: the return of GDR mopeds
Although two-wheeled vehicle production in the GDR declined somewhat more gently than that of manufacturers of four-wheeled East German vehicles after the transition to a unified Germany, they had little to counter the overwhelming competition from Japan or Italy in the long term. Still highly sought-after in the planned economy, they had landed overnight in the low-price sector of the West German market economy. In the years following reunification, the heyday of motorised two-wheelers for everyday use in the new federal states quickly came to an end. With the closure of the MZ factory in 2008 and the final end of production in 2012, industrial series production of East German motorised two-wheelers came to an end after a history spanning a good 70 years. However, this does not mean that the history of vehicles produced in the GDR is over – quite the contrary. Today, Simson and MZ motorcycles from the former state enjoy cult status, and a lively community of mechanics, hobbyists and enthusiasts has developed. With the latest development stages of the M451 and M 471 engines, which were developed in Suhl during the GDR era, part of the East German two-wheeler industry is once again being manufactured in Thuringia today. Today, it primarily serves as a replacement engine and basis for conversion work on the old East German mopeds that are still on the roads of the Federal Republic today.
140 East German bicycles in the depot in Berlin-Marzahn
The DDR Museum's own collection comprises 140 motorcycles, which are housed in an old warehouse at Pyramidenring 10, formerly belonging to the Autobahnbau Kombinat Betrieb Nord motorway construction company. The vehicles from Suhl, Ludwigsfelde and Zschopau cover the entire period of the GDR. Many of the machines have been restored, but most were first registered during their respective production periods. In addition to typical everyday vehicles, such as those frequently seen on the roads of the GDR, our collection also includes some rarities, such as an MZ FBM Brasil 250 RSJ, which the Zschopau-based company developed for the Brazilian market in collaboration with the Brazilian vehicle manufacturer Fabrica Brasiliera de Motos (FBM), and an AWO Eskorte, of which only 30 vehicles were built in Suhl.
Anyone who would like to see the vehicles and the rest of our collection of everyday objects from the GDR for themselves can do so every Thursday from 12 noon to 5 pm and every 1st and 2nd Sunday of the month from 11 am to 4 pm Tickets for the respective viewing and guided tour dates are available on our »Depot Tour« page.
