
SR1
Simson's first moped. The R is for Rheinmetall, who built the engine.
Photo: Wolfgang030640, CC BY-SA 4.0
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East Germany's moped

// The story
Simson built mopeds in Suhl, in East Germany, until 2002. For a lot of Eastern Bloc kids, a Simson was the first set of wheels.
The SR4 series had bird names: Spatz, Star, Sperber and Habicht. The Schwalbe scooter became a cult bike, and the S50, from 1975 to 1980, made Simson a hit with young riders.
Engines include the M53, a 50cc three-speed, and the later M530 in 50cc and 70cc. The SR2E alone was exported to more than 40 countries.
// The models

Simson's first moped. The R is for Rheinmetall, who built the engine.
Photo: Wolfgang030640, CC BY-SA 4.0

Over 900,000 built with the SR2E, and some were even exported to the US.
Photo: Mario Rothenberg, CC BY-SA 3.0

The little scooter of East Germany. More than a million were built.
Photo: Metal-star at German Wikipedia, Public domain

The last of Simson's bird-named models.
Photo: Martin Jorgel (de:Benutzer:Manatwork90), Public domain






Together with the S50, over 1.6 million built, the most-produced small motorbike in Germany.
Photo: Max schwalbe, CC BY-SA 4.0


// Made from real bikes
Every Moped Motel design starts as a photo of a real bike. Send us a shot of yours and it could be the next one.