Sexy Sachs
SEXY SACHS
SACHS WAS A SMALLengine builder in Germany from early in the last century until recent times. Now, it produces powered bicycles and some motorcycles with other companies’ engines. My jaw dropped when I saw the stunning “Beast” design study wearing the Sachs name at last September’s Intermot Show in Munich.
A giant, liquid-cooled 998cc V-Twin engine, produced by Folan in Sweden, is made into a motorcycle with hardly any chassis, hardly anyplace to sit, premium components and a clever cooling system. The claimed weight is 330 pounds-real racebike weight, but with road equipment. Target Design is the stylist.
I asked engineer Hartmut Huhn how the Beast came to be. He replied that Sachs is a small company that sees big changes in the motorcycle market, especially in Germany. Sachs sees a place for straightforward, practical machines.
“We don’t want to build the 27th copy of the MV,” he began. The Beast is an effort to attract venture capitalists by showing what Sachs can do with basic elements. The Folan engine was chosen because “it is very technical-looking” and extremely light-only 101 pounds. Unfortunately, Huhn explained, its durability falls short of German highway standards, so Sachs must either “make it last,” or find a partner with an existing engine or the means to create one. Sachs hopes one day to design its own powerplant. The company’s current Roadster
800 V-Twin has Suzuki Intruder power.
As inspiration for the Beast, Huhn listed the Vincent and Britten. The idea is the same in each case: Put a visible engine of maximum size to work to move one person on two wheels using almost no parts.
No parts doesn’t mean no style. The elemental nature of the Beast is a powerful message. As you look at the tiny seat, which is bolted to the massive engine, you can feel the shaking of the machinery. From the rear, the wide tire almost hides the rest of the bike. Stiffening plates can be seen extending down the cylinder heads, and bracing the attachment of the swingarm.
“There are no fairings, only small winglets,” Huhn continued, “and flaps control the airflow.”
The split cooling system is unique, as well. One radiator is located under the engine, and airflow is directed to it by “elephant ears” attached to the fork. The other is inside the chassis beam that extends from the fork rearward and attaches to the cylinder heads. There is no steering stem. The two steering bearings sit at the top and bottom of the aforementioned tube.
Because the engine question is unresolved, Huhn deflected my request for specifications, saying only that it is roughly like other current V-Twins with four valves per cylinder. The engine is not the main thing. Naked simplicity is.
The late John Britten would admire this motorcycle. Designers of daysailers and airplanes, who must make every part perform at least two functions to justify its weight and bulk, would admire this motorcycle. Design at Sachs obviously extends far beyond the modest Roadster 800 and 650 it now produces.
Kevin Cameron
