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Simson

East Germany's moped

A 1980 Simson S51
A 1980 Simson S51. Photo: Max schwalbe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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.

Simson models

Simson SR1

SR1

1955–1957 · 152,000 built

Simson's first moped. The R is for Rheinmetall, who built the engine.

Photo: Wolfgang030640, CC BY-SA 4.0

Simson SR2

SR2

From 1957 · Two-stroke

Over 900,000 built with the SR2E, and some were even exported to the US.

Photo: Mario Rothenberg, CC BY-SA 3.0

Simson Schwalbe KR51

Schwalbe KR51

From 1964 · 50cc two-stroke

The little scooter of East Germany. More than a million were built.

Photo: Metal-star at German Wikipedia, Public domain

Simson Habicht SR4-4

Habicht SR4-4

Bird series · 50cc two-stroke

The last of Simson's bird-named models.

Photo: Martin Jorgel (de:Benutzer:Manatwork90), Public domain

Simson Star (SR4-2)

Star (SR4-2)

1964–1975

A two-seat bird-series bike.

Photo: Singlespeedfahrer, CC0

Simson SL1

SL1

One-speed · 30 km/h

Built like a mofa, but its 30 km/h top speed put it in a different class.

Photo: ubahnverleih, CC0

Simson S50

S50

1975–1980 · 50cc two-stroke

A clean-sheet design that replaced the bird series.

Photo: Max schwalbe, CC BY-SA 4.0

Simson S51

S51

1980–1990 · 50cc two-stroke

Together with the S50, over 1.6 million built, the most-produced small motorbike in Germany.

Photo: Max schwalbe, CC BY-SA 4.0

Simson S53

S53

From 1990

The last Simson designed in the GDR, replacing the S51.

Photo: Xaver X. Dreißig, CC BY 3.0

Simson S83

S83

From 1990 · 70cc

The 70cc light-motorcycle version, built on the S53.

Photo: Max schwalbe, CC BY-SA 4.0

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