Motorcycle exhibition
Radolfzell – the hometown of Champion, the manufacturer of racing and touring motorcycles.
The company existed between 1926 and 1933 and likely built 50 of these racing and touring motorcycles in the workshop of the Radolfzell tractor manufacturer Julius Maier on Löwengasse.

The only surviving example of the Champion racing motorcycle brand belongs to Manfred Schiller from Radolfzell and is located in the Meßkirch Oldtimer Museum, which displays 30 motorcycles in original condition.

This racing motorcycle, built in 1926, has a British Villiers "TT-Super-Sports" engine with a displacement of 172 cc. It was never street legal and demonstrated its capabilities at events such as the Schienerberg races, which were held in earlier times.

Historical background
The spirit of the times in the 1920s was defined by a "rush on speed." Motorization signified technological progress and modernization. However, taking weekend trips into the countryside in one's own car or motorcycle was a status symbol that, despite the increased production of affordable small cars, only a few achieved. Like the automobile, the motorcycle conveyed the widespread belief in technological progress and modernization prevalent in the Weimar Republic.

While motorcycles were still a luxury item before the First World War, sales figures rose sharply in the 1920s. Between 1921 and 1924, the number of motorcycles in Germany increased from just under 26,700 to around 98,000. By mid-1931, nearly 800,000 motorcycles were registered in the German Reich. In everyday German life, the motorcycle served as a fast, inexpensive, and reliable means of transportation. Neckarsulmer Fahrzeugwerke AG (NSU) was the first German company to use the assembly line in motorcycle production for the purpose of rationalization and standardization. The 1927 NSU 251 R was originally equipped with a 250cc engine. This was later replaced by a 200cc engine, produced from 1928 onwards: motorcycles up to this displacement did not require a driver's license.

After the Second World War, the goal was to motorize the nation again. This was achieved not only through the 250cc motorcycles, which could be driven with the old Class 4 driver's license, but also through the successful sales of two-wheelers.

To reach the broadest possible customer base, a new engine displacement class was introduced on January 1, 1953: 50cc! However, this definition was not entirely sufficient, as the legislature had a specific idea of ​​how the 50cc motorcycles should be used. These were offered either as a bicycle with an auxiliary motor, officially called a moped from 1954 onwards (max. 30 kg weight plus 10% tolerance, minimum wheel diameter 580 mm, pedal cranks 125 mm long) or as a motorized bicycle (heavier than 33 kg, pedals, no maximum speed, driver's license class 4).

This is where Alfred Kreidler comes into play, whose two-wheelers didn't fit into this scheme. Due to their weight exceeding 33 kg, they were neither mopeds nor, with footrests and a kickstarter, motorized bicycles. With this, Kreidler created the class of light motorcycles, which was subsequently enshrined in the "Lex Kreidler" when the legislature amended the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVZO) again on August 24, 1953.

As a result, small motorcycles flooded the German market, with foreign manufacturers, some selling via mail order companies, also trying to spoil the party for the established German manufacturers, until the market for small motorcycles completely collapsed in the mid-1980s due to the newly introduced light motorcycles.
Our motorcycles on display
Cecatto
Ceccato was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1947 by former pharmacist Pietro Ceccato. 
During its 14-year history as a motorcycle company, Ceccato offered a wide range of two-stroke models, producing machines with engine displacements from 50 to 175 cc.

The 75 cc and 100 cc single-cylinder block engine versions were particularly well-known, later supplemented by a 125 cc version.

For the Giro d'Italia and other motorcycle races, Ceccato built the first engine designed by Fabio Taglioni: a 75 cc OHC single-cylinder engine developed with the help of Taglioni's students at the Technical Institute.

The company remained active in the motorcycle sector until the 1960s, but continued to successfully produce compressors and grew over the years. Today, Ceccato is a major player in the global compressed air market.
Guazzoni
Moto Guazzoni was founded in Milan in 1935 by Aldo Guazzoni, an experienced mechanic, engineer and motorcycle dealer, and operated as a manufacturer of mopeds and motorcycles until the late 1970s
The company initially began by manufacturing mopeds, but then focused on producing practical three-wheelers.

In the mid-1950s, Guazzoni introduced a 200cc four-stroke engine with an overhead camshaft. However, Guazzoni returned to oil-burning engines and developed a variety of powerful small-displacement racing engines, including a particularly fast 1/10-liter two-stroke racing engine that completely dominated the competition at Monza in 1955 and 1956, reportedly setting between 20 and 30 world records.

In 1960, the motorcycle market crisis hit many Italian companies such as Bianchi, Parilla, and Rumi. Guazzoni, however, remained unaffected. The small Milan-based company saved itself by drastically reducing motorcycle production and instead turning to the go-kart and outboard motor markets.

Production came to a standstill in 1976 when Aldo Guazzoni was struck by a serious illness that would lead to his death two years later.
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