F189 1973 MUNCH MAMMOTH For four decades, Friedl Münch built these powerful, beautifully crafted motorcycles. He never got wealthy or particularly famous, but his dedication to building the fastest, most comfortable superbikes one could buy inspired loyal fans. The Münch Mammoth was first shown to the motoring public at the international two- wheel show in Cologne in 1966. The Münch Mammoth combined an air-cooled, high-performance, inline 4-cylinder engine and a modern, double-loop, tubular frame with superb brakes and many other interesting features. The rear chain case acted as the left side of the swingarm, and it permitted the chain to be completely enclosed and to run in an oil bath. It also incorporated a chain tensioner, which allowed drive chain slack to be adjusted within seconds without touching the axle and disturbing the alignment. The rear wheel was an alloy casting with an integrated duplex drum brake, fitted after initial tests had shown that no spoke wheel would take the brute power of the engine. A bolt-on casting incorporated the rear fender and provided the seat mounting as well as the housing for all electrical components. The engine, from the NSU Prinz automobile, is a 996cc, air-cooled unit with a chain-driven single overhead cam, four cylinders and a choice of one, two or four carburetors. Although it must have seemed like madness at the time, this engine was actually well-suited to motorcycle use, and just a few years later, the same basic layout became the power unit of choice for the globally dominant Universal Japanese Motorcycle. In 1967, a total of 30 Münchs were built, with a good share going to the United States. Cycle World magazine reported it as “… the biggest, strongest and fastest production bike in the world,” stating that “… the motorcycle is as reliable as a car, as fast as a Porsche and as exclusive as a Rolls-Royce.” The base price of a 1970 Münch was $5,135, excluding options and shipping to the U.S.; for comparison, a BMW could be had at that time for less than $2,000. Handmade to order and thus extremely exclusive, it’s thought that fewer than 500 Münch machines were built across the various model lines over a period of about 25 years. The 1973 Munch presented here belonged to Malcom Forbes; while he was known as a big fan of Harley-Davidson, it’s apparent Forbes also appreciated German engineering.
