Konig Sidecar Outfit

[kitkatjeff]

I have chatted with Howard a few times regards a solo 500 konig that we used to see regularly at croft in the mid 1970's. We both remember it being there but cannot remember who rode/owned it. I remember it being very low but other than that cannot remember anything else about it. Was it a then very rare ex factory konig solo or was it some one's home built special?

[RP]

That would be Kim Newcombe, surely?
http://www.ozebook.com/konig.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bob B]

There was of course the Seeley Konig which I remember at the Hutch at Hands Bratch ... Have a pic of it somewhere

[ianw]

Jack Wood's ( who sadly passed on a couple of years ago) son John is building a solo rep of the Konig that Kim Newcombe campaigned.
John inherited from Jack all the Konig bits Jack collected over the years.
I sold Jack a 500 & a 680 engine in the late 90's, I think Jack also owned 2 Renwick wobbly wheel outfits with Konig's in. I'm in touch with John so if anybody is interested I can get some more info off him.

[ACER]

Can you still buy an engine or spares .The engine looks to be just out of the box?

[Ronald]

Can you still buy an engine or spares .The engine looks to be just out of the box?

Look at http://www.konny.cz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kitkatjeff]

That would be Kim Newcombe, surely?
http://www.ozebook.com/konig.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No this wasn't Kim Newcombe, he only came across to ride in the gp at silverstone where he was killed in an accident after crashing. We used to see this solo quite often at croft. The konig factory built a number of replicas of the bike that kim rode but after his death dieter konig decided not to carry on building them. There doesn't seem to be an accurate number of the actual number of replica solos that the factory built.

[Kensei]

Would love to see this outfit racing, I was brought up on stories of how amazing Konigs were to watch and listen to.

It's a really tidy looking chassis, top class.

[Ronald]

..

[Wal]

There are two or three of them race regularly at the Belgian Classic meetings, they sound fantastic and a couple of them are beautiful, sorry Noud (but it is loud) ! Marc Alexandre has superb little bike which I believe is the original outfit that he raced in the 70’s including the TT 77 - 79 ??

[Bill Lymburn]

The guy who raced a Konig solo at Croft was Bobby Steel(sadly now gone). It was home built but I can't remember now who it was that built it. The best Konig outfit I came up against up here in the North was Ray Bell. He, or possibly his brother Mattie seemed to get it reliable and it seldom broke down. They were quick but not as quick as a good TZ. Another I remember up here in, God's Own Country, was a Renwick that John Bottomley had. But he went miles farther than the rest of us because of it's weaving, I think he covered the distance of a lap and a half to our lap. The biggest reliability problem was porousity of the very poor castings. The factory machines like Stienhausens were totally different to the over the counter engines, having Nicosyl barrells and crankcases treated for porousity. Painting inside the cases with araldyte was the poor racers attempt at a cure. They were designed for cooling by a continuous through flow of sea water at zero pressure. Sidecars introduced pressure by the use of a closed system with a pump, this discovered the weekness. Many hydrauliced and that was them finished. Like Terry Windle, after that, you used them for a doorstop.

[sidecarracer51]

Does anyone on here remember a guy from Knottingley, West Yorkshire called John Masters, he bought a brand new 750 Konig and had a chassis built for it, it wouldn't run right so he sent the engine back, it was returned to him with a letter, saying the pistons had been fitted back to front, sadly John died before he had chance to race it, does anyone know what happened to it.

[Dave Hutchens]

The konig solo that Bob Steele raced in the at croft etc was known as the Rutherford konig was origanally built in 74/75 by Dave Hutchens and Allen Blasdell riden by Allen and called a Daval konig two were built at this time a 500cc & a 680 version both were campaigned successfully in early 75 till Allen retired from racing there was a further version made in about 78 a full 750cc. The 500cc version was sold to Rod Quiafe to put a british copy of a konig in it which was never completed, the 680cc version was sold to Bob Steele who raced it successfully, Allen also campaigned a 500cc a Seeley Konig very successfully in 74. Both the 750cc Daval konig and the origanal Seeley Konig are owned by myself the seeley just having finished an extensive restoration which one it best race bike at the recent classic show at Stafford its first outing is planed for spa in July,with some additonal outings at C.R.M.C events later this year, I will post some photos of the finished Seeley konig asap Dave Hutchens

[PaulGibsonPhoto]

The first konig i remember seeing was owned by Dave Egington and chaired by Tim Samways in the early 70's he used to race a norton outfit at the north glos meetings and staverton then bought the konig always kept both immaculate and both orange they were built by Terry Windle Dave also raced at the brands hatch internationals at the time and used to finish top six if i remember right anyone know where he is now?.

David Edgington is in good health and living in Banbury. He owns and runs a car parts store in Brackley and doesn't ride a bike anymore. The reason I know this? I married his daughter two years ago and we are soon to make David a grandfather for the first time.
Being quite a modest chap David doesn't often talk about his racing successes, so if anybody has any memories or photographs of him and 'Sammy' back in the day I'd love to hear / see them! Also, if any of David's old rivals and colleagues are reading this it'd be lovely to hear from you.

Many thanks and best wishes,
Paul