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1957 Zundapp KS601 Images - The Engine From Rear Right

  
  
A little closer look at the Zundapp KS601 engine, gear box, and drive shaft. I apologize again for the rotten pics. I really must get some from a more recent century, literally. I had not yet learned how to work (or, apparently, even focus) my brand new 2.1 megapixel leading edge Olympus, which has now been collecting dust in a drawer for a decade or more after about that long of faithful service. Time flies...

You can just see the air cleaner, under and forward of the tool kit box, nestled in the rear housing cover. Also, below the tool kit, the "Clutch Lever Bar" with the cable and spring attached to it. This operates the double disk dry clutch, located between the engine and transmission. Speaking of the transmission, there's the shift linkage on the side, operating the somewhat bizarre double roller chain drive transmission. Attached to the tranny you can see the U-joint boot and drive shaft cover, extending toward the rear of the bike.

The Zundapp KS601 engine from the front right.
       A closer view of the Zundapp KS601 engine, revealing
       some clutch, transmission, and driveline details.

As I mentioned earlier, the Zundapp KS601 engine was a refined version of the KS600. On the 600, there was one carburettor mounted about where the air filter is on the KS601, deep in toolbox's shadow at the rear of the engine in the image above. So, instead of two air tubes running between the filter housing and the individual carbs as you see above, there were two intake runners running from nipples cast into the back of the engine casting. These were directly forward of the tubes you see, above, coming out of the air filter housing which, on the 600, was instead both a carb and air filter housing.

Those KS600 intake runners looked nearly identical to the KS601's air tubes, and may have even been interchangeable with the 601, I don't know. But the interesting thing is that the early KS601 engine castings retained the intake runner bosses, just not machined for the tubes. I believe this was the case up to '52, if I recall correctly. My parts KS601 has those cast bosses, so it's a '52 or earlier.

If nothing else, the ease of working on the KS601's carbs, compared to the 600, is one hell of an improvement. It's a bitch to work on that single carb, scrunched up in the tight confines behind the engine.

Last updated 03-09-16
Email:  mechanique at wmol dot com

Zundapp drive shaft, U-joints, and pinions.