Münch Mammoth TTS-E 1200

In 1965 Freidl Münch, formerly with the Horex racing department, was approached by wealthy French ex-sidecar racer Jean Murit with a simple brief: build a no-expense-spared 'superbike', though the latter term had yet to be coined. Münch found his ideal engine in the form of the air-cooled overhead-camshaft four powering the recently introduced NSU Prinz car. For Murit's machine he used the 1,000cc TT sports version of this engine which, tuned for 60bhp, proved capable of propelling the bulky Mammoth to a top speed of 120mph. Nothing too remarkable there you might think, but while several contemporary production motorcycles could achieve a similar maximum, it was the Mammoth's ability to accelerate powerfully from 20mph in top gear and cruise all day at 110mph that set it apart from the herd.

The engine was housed in a cradle frame inspired by the Manx Norton, and to keep the weight down Münch made extensive use of Elektron magnesium alloy, which was used for the gearbox shell, rear chain case, fork sliders, and brakes. The result was a commendably low dry weight for the prototype of 433lbs, though production versions would weigh considerably more. Elephant Rally founder and Das Motorrad journalist Ernst Leverkus rode the bike in 1966, and the resulting worldwide publicity provoked a rush of orders. The production Mammoth (the name would later be dropped for copyright reasons) first appeared at the Cologne Show in September 1966, by which time the capacity had risen to 1,085cc, power to 70bhp and the top speed close on 140mph. Hand built to individual customer order, the Mammoth eventually used the 1,177cc version of the NSU four with power outputs of up to 104bhp.

Founder of Cycle magazine and publisher of the eponymous motorcycle manuals, American entrepreneur Floyd Clymer (1895-1970) invested in Münch, marketing the machine in the USA as the 'Clymer-Münch Mammoth' with the slogan: 'Built up to a standard, not down to a price'. And the hand-built Mammoth was certainly very expensive, selling in the USA for $3,995 when the BMW R69S cost only $1,695. It is estimated that some 500 Mammoths had been made when production ceased in 1975.

History

Münch was a German motorcycle manufacturer which, during the 1960s, produced the Mammoth, a four-cylinder motorcycle using an NSU car engine.

 
Hugo Wilson wrote of the founder Friedel Münch:
Münch produced many prototype and racing machines, but the Mammoth is his most famous motorcycle – it was simply the fastest, most powerful, most expensive bike of its time.

Limited production began in 1966. The 'Mammoth' name was later dropped due to copyright reasons.

Early history
Friedel Münch began his career as a mechanic and engine tuner in the late 1940s, working especially with Horex motorcycles.  The Horex factory noted the success of his home-tuned racers, and offered Münch a job in their competition department.
When Horex ceased motorcycle manufacture in 1956, Friedel Münch purchased the remaining stocks of motorcycles and spares, and sold his own race-tuned Horex cafe racers from his workshop in Altenstadt, Germany.

Early Mammoths
Machines were hand-built to order from Münch's workshop in Nieder-Florstadt, Friedberg, West Germany.

 
Friedl Münch was given a commission to build in 1966 a special for Jean Murit, a famous French former sidecar road-racer, who was then-President of the BMW Club of France and organiser of the Chamois Rally, a summertime motorcyclists' gathering at high altitude in the Alps.

 
Münch used a 996 cc air-cooled NSU Motorenwerke engine having a chain-driven single overhead camshaft housed in a specially-built, brazed-up steel tube frame based on Norton Featherbed principles. Customers could choose from one, two or four carburetors, with options for 43 or 52 bhp. A four-speed gearbox connected to a gear primary-drive and enclosed-chain final drive, and the front brake was one of Münch's famous 10 in (250 mm) units.

In 1968, Münch used the new 1177 cc NSU TTS car motor for a revised machine, which he called the Münch4 1200TTS. The new motor gave 88 hp, and the machine was prone to break the heavy-duty spokes on the rear wheel, so Münch developed a unique and much stronger cast magnesium rear wheel, while retaining a spoked wire wheel up front. The fuel tank and side panels were made of hand-hammered aluminum, while the seat, headlamp binnacle, wheels and brakes were magnesium. Despite the extensive use of lightweight materials, the Mammoth weighed 650 lbs. American motorcycle entrepreneur Floyd Clymer invested in the Münch brand from 1968, marketing the bike in US as Clymer-Münch Mammoth IV with the slogan "Built up to a standard, not down to a price". Clymer died before serious production could commence.

The Münch, being a hand-built machine, was always expensive, and in 1969 sold for $3,995, while the BMW R69S sold for $1,695.  Built to order after a $1,000 initial payment, the total price included duty, excise tax and air freight to any location in the United States.

1200 TTS-E Einspritzer showing belt-driven Kugelfischer fuel injection pump with injectors fitted into manifold.

The 1200TTS model was originally fitted with a pair of Weber 40DCOE carburetors, but by 1973 Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection was available (designated Model 1200 TTS-E – Einspritzer – the German word for injection), which gave 100 hp.

 
It is estimated less than 500 machines were produced.