Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - June 2008 - (Page 48) SPECIAL FEATURE STORIES BIKER OF THE MONTH accessories, the Krauser MKM 1000 is a 1982 R100 BMW featuring a special trellis frame and 4-valve head. Also very special is his Munch, a limited production 4-cylinder monster not designed for the faint of heart and years ahead of its time. “The bike came out in 1966,” Klaus said. “There was no Honda 4-cylinder yet.” Featuring a 4-cylinder transverse engine with 1l00 and later 1200 cc displacement unheard of in European cycles and originally designed for a car, the Munch catered to the sports rider who wanted the fastest conveyance on wheels and didn’t mind paying for it. “It’s heavy,” Klaus said. “But once you know its little quirks then you can manage it.” Klaus recognizes the Munch’s limitations . “You can’t throw it into a corner; it’s way too heavy for that.” This does not mean, however, that Klaus doesn’t ride the Munch. In fact, he spent two weeks touring on it, first at the Isle of Man and then up into the Scottish Highlands. He recalled the two-week journey and Isle of Man races among his favorite motorcycle trips, saying that he prefers the September Grand Prix for vintage bikes over modern, much wilder Isle of Man events like “Mad Sunday” because the latter is just too reckless for his tastes. “It’s always accompanied by a couple of dead people on the track,” he explained. Business History “I started out with nothing,” Klaus said of beginning EPM Performance Imports. Initially, Klaus said he approached the German shock manufacturing company Wilbers, because he knew that Wilbers had an excellent product still unknown in this country. Seeing a good opportunity, Klaus secured an agreement and began importing Wilbers shocks to the U.S. He then learned that an engineer he knew, who developed the shocks later manufactured by Modern Triumph is equipped with Y.S.S. shocks Installing a modern shock like this Y.S.S. unit won’t break the bank and can greatly improve the ride and handling of your motorcycle. the company made three prototypes, one for Germany, one for the U.S., and one for Japan. Produced by a company most known for cycle 48 JUNE 2008 I WALNECK’S CLASSIC CYCLE TRADER® I WALNECKS.COM http://WALNECKS.COM
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