A Brief History of the Marque
Manufactured 1923-1932
The firm was established by Mr. L. Seidel of Franzani Motorenwerk GmbH, Schwabenstrasse 51, Nuremberg in 1923.
Early machines were powered by their own 283cc two-stroke engine, and by 1925 the capacity had been increased to 350cc, drum brakes were fitted, and some had 3-speed gearboxes. 1926 saw the introduction of JAP engines of 198cc to 500cc in sidevalve and OHV configuration.
Küchen 497cc OHC engines were used in 1928 on their FK59 model which, due to the dire economic circumstance in Germany, was their only model that year. Few of these were produced.
As a result of this downturn the company was sold to Mr. Gottlieb Düll of 8 Schoppershofstrasse, Nürnberg. Production continued under the Franzani banner, and while the FK59 remained in the catalogue, the range now included four additional models - a 200cc model, two with 300cc engines, and one 500. The economy did not improve, sales were poor, and production ended in 1931.
Sources: meisterdinger.de, Tragatsch p139, Classic Motorcycles Austria
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