Thread: Konig History

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    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    Hi Wolfgang. The author is Tim Hanna, but I don't know the name of the book. Ray Battersby had a copy picked up by a motorcycle friend of his who was traveling in New Zealand. As of the past summer the book was not available in the U.S. or Europe. I suspect it is the same for South Africa. The original title was supposed to be Kiwi on the Konig, but that is apparently not the name at publication. Ray sent me a PDF with the cover and some acknowledgements, but I can't find it. I haven't corresponded with Tim in awhile. I will see if I can find out all the info you ask.



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    Quote Originally Posted by Master Oil Racing Team View Post
    Hi Wolfgang. The author is Tim Hanna, but I don't know the name of the book. Ray Battersby had a copy picked up by a motorcycle friend of his who was traveling in New Zealand. As of the past summer the book was not available in the U.S. or Europe. I suspect it is the same for South Africa. The original title was supposed to be Kiwi on the Konig, but that is apparently not the name at publication. Ray sent me a PDF with the cover and some acknowledgements, but I can't find it. I haven't corresponded with Tim in awhile. I will see if I can find out all the info you ask.


    Hi Wayne:

    Re corresponding with Tim Hannah:

    I just ran across this thread a couple of weeks ago and realized that I had not seen anything about the book either, so I looked Tim up on the BRF members list and sent him a PM asking if the book had been published yet, and if so how to go about getting a copy. (have not looked for it on the net or Amazon as I do not remember the name either) As of this time I have not heard back from him, but don't know whether he is notified about PM's like I am if I get one. Mine show up on my e-mail that I have one. If you hear from him let me know as I would like to have a copy also.


    ADDED LATER:

    Looked Hannah up on Amazon as two other books he wrote are for sale there, but they only show the two, one published in 2003 about Burt Munro and the other about John Britten in 2006, so possibly it has not been published yet. The others were published by Penquin Publishing so he may use them again, or not.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TheNatek View Post
    Attachment 52227Attachment 52228Attachment 52229Attachment 52230Attachment 52231
    Hello everybody.
    Here we have a Konig from 1954, as from the serial number.
    Can somebody help me identify the type, h.p, cubic cm, etc....
    Nobody recognize this engine? Not any clue? Dis i post in the wrong topic?
    Please,.... some advices...

  4. #414
    Team Member A/B Speedliner's Avatar
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    Wolfgang,
    Your pictures did not come through so we can not see what you have. Try posting them again?
    David
    Old Race Boats Still Flip You Out

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    The book has been published Bill Van. It is 500 plus pages. I haven't e mailed Tim yet. Maybe I will have time at the computer tonight..



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    Default Kim - The Kiwi on the König

    Wayne is correct, my pal's cousin hauled two copies of this weighty tome back from New Zealand, one for himself and one for me. I will not provide a review although I will comment on the book's physical attributes.

    This softback book is 7.5" wide x 10" high x 1.5" thick and weighs 1.6kg (3.5lbs) It was published in 2010 by a company called Finish Line Productions and its ISBN is 9780473177461. In January 2012 the book cost NZ$35.

    The book contains numerous half-tone photographs and a few colour photographs too. Sadly there is no Illustration list though Tim has listed the name of his illustration sources on the Title page. Neither is there a Contents listing the book's 43 Chapters but there is a brief Foreword by Janeen Newcombe followed by a lengthy Prologue by Tim Hanna and then you're right into Chapter 1- Opatija. Opatija? What does that taste like? I can hear some readers mouthing. Well to European motorcycle racing fans, Opatija was for some time the location of the Yugoslavian Grand Prix, a small town on the Adriatic coast in roughly the same area of the world as Venice. It is the circuit where Kim Newcombe took the König Grand Prix racer to its first and only Grand Prix victory in June 1973.

    Whilst the inside of the rear cover provides the book's Acknowledgements, the book does not contain an Index of its contents. Those wanting fast access to learn what Tim has to say about specific people, events or topics will be devastated. The lack of such 'signposts' as a Contents list and Index, are not helped by the book's length which I accurately estimate to be over 400,000 words whereas most marque histories are in the 80,000 to 100,000 word range. So KIM is a L-o-o-o-o-o-n-g read and would have probably benefitted from editing. All you can do to find out what it says is to read it...

    The first thing I noticed was the density of the text on each page (around 800 - around double the typical words per page). This provides another way of illustrating the sheer size of this volume (ha ha). A typical book may have 250 pages, this book is around four to five times more wordier and on that scale would have consisted of between 1,000 to 1,250 pages. The word density has a knock-on effect; each line contains almost double the industry standard words. What this means in practice (and why publishers have such guidelines) is that when the reader's eye reaches the end of a line and flicks backs to the start of the next line, it will often select the wrong line. This is very annoying.

    I have to admit to not having read this book. I started and I gave up. My friend read it from cover to cover noting things that may be of specific interest to me in my own researches. Then we exchanged copies so that he has a pristine copy on his bookshelves and I have the copy that he read so diligently.

    For those wishing to buy a copy for themselves, Google... "The Kiwi on the Konig" book ....using the quotation marks where shown and you will find plenty of returns. Here is one such link to a New Zealand bookshop selling this title for NZ$45.

    http://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9780...-on-the-konig/

    Finally, I'd appreciate a PM from anyone has an email address for anybody involved with König in Berlin during the 1950s.

    Happy reading!

  7. #417
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sergio View Post
    Finally, I'd appreciate a PM from anyone has an email address for anybody involved with König in Berlin during the 1950s.
    Please ignore this request. I now have contact with Peter and his sister Margrit.

  8. #418
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    Default Koenig BMW motorcycle and 8 cylinder motor

    I suppose this is a good place to post this. On my recent visit to Berlin, Peer Krage asked me to see if there might be any interest in the bike or motor over here. I don't know all of the background of either, so I suggested he take emails from anyone interested and he can answer them as needed.
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    Ralph:

    Do you know any history on the motor, i.e. what class it was designed for, if it was ever run or raced, on what type boat, speed, etc.

  10. #420
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    All I know is that the motor belongs to Hans Gessner, who was, along with Hans Krage and others who started MRC, an OMC dealer in Berlin. Peer is trying to sell it for him. I assume it is an 850cc.
    Peer inherited the bike from Hans and restored it to it's present condition. I don't know the ccs, but it would have to be 350 or 500. For prices and more information you must email Peer.

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