A Brief History of the Marque
Made in Germany 1922-1962
UT was established in UnterTürkheim, Stuttgart by motorcycle racer and craftsman Hermann Scheihing.
Later at Möhringen an der Filder they produced motorcycles using engines from JAP, Blackburne, and after 1933 fitted Küchen and Bark engines of 246 to 548cc.
During the war years they produced components for the motorcycle corps.
In the lean years following World War II the partners in the firm were Hugo Schwenk and Johann Schnürle. They used 125 and 175cc ILO two-stroke engines for their quality KTN 125 and KTN 175 machines with sturdy tubular cradle frames, and these were followed by the KTV 175 with a foot-operated four-speed gearbox.
Of particular note was their TS-252 250cc twin.
The TS 250 and the TS 252 had an improved frame, front fork and rear suspension for better comfort and handling.
A bench-style dual seat was available as an option besides the Pagusa saddle.
They also experimented with the ill-fated Opti engine.
The Elfi II moped was produced in the mid-fifties fitted with a two-speed 50cc Sachs engine, and the same machine fitted with a JLO engine was named Heidi.
At this late stage finances were very tight, and the only real UT motorcycle left was the 175cc Sachs model. Apart from the frames, the other machines all used components from external suppliers.
Schwenk died in 1961. Very limited production continued until 1962, with the company maintaining spare parts supply until 1968.
Models*:
* Note: Model information is not definitive and should be used as a guide only.
Addresses
Sources: Hartmut Schouwer, wirtemberg.de, motorrad-oldtimer-photo-archiv.de, et al.
Hermann Scheihing (geb. am 15.06.1890, gest. am 31.05.1934) aus dem Stuttgarter Vorort Untertürkheim war der Gründer der Motorradmarke “UT”.
Nachdem er zuvor beim Automobilhersteller Daimler-Benz in Untertürkheim gearbeitet hatte, führte er ab dem Jahr 1922 seine eigene mechanische Werkstätte, die sich später “UT. Motoren- & Fahrzeugbau “ nannte. Zunächst wurden dort mechanische Teile im Auftrag hergestellt, aber auch kleine Taschenfeuerzeuge und Ähnliches. Hermann Scheihing und seine Frau Elise, geb. Gassmann, waren beide begeisterte Motorradfahrer. Während sie eine COCKERELL fuhr, besass er eine TRIANON.
Es dauerte nicht lange, bis Scheihing anfing Motorräder zu entwickeln und zu bauen; ab 1924 standen die ersten Modelle zum Verkauf bereit. Scheihing hatte gute Kontakte zur Motorradszene, was auch alte Fotos von DMV-Treffen zeigen, wo er Mitgleid war. Damals trug man noch stolz eine “Prinz Heinrich"- Schiffermütze mit entsprechendem Abzeichen. Als technischer Berater stand ihm sein Freund und Ober-Ingenieur bei Daimler Otto Schilling zur Seite. Das erste UT-Modell war auch geprägt von den Erfahrungen mit der Cockerell-Maschine, denn der Zweitaktmotor hatte z.B. einen liegenden Zylinder.
Der Motor hatte äusserlich Ähnlichkeit mit dem BEKAMO-Motor, war aber eine Scheihing-Entwicklung mit 250 ccm und hatte keine Ladepumpe. Eine Besonderheit war die Kühlplatte aus Aluguss, die mit dem Motorblock verschraubt war, gleichzeitig als Trittbrett diente und zwei Kanäle als Ersatz für die Auspuffrohre hatte. Ab 1926 hatte die Maschine bereits eine Ruthardt Schwungrad-Magnet Zündlichtanlage direkt auf der Kurbelwelle. Das stabile Fahrgestell, der tiefe Schwerpunkt und die sorgfältige Verarbeitung der Maschinen waren eine gute Voraussetzung für die zahlreichen Erfolge der UT-Motorräder bei Bergrennen und Zuverlässigkeitsfahrten in den Jahren 1925 und 1926.
Leider ist Teil zwei nicht verfügbar
UT Founding History Part 1
Hermann Scheihing (born on 15.06.1890, died on 31.05.1934) from the Stuttgart suburb of Untertürkheim was the founder of the motorcycle brand "UT".
After working for the car manufacturer Daimler-Benz in Untertürkheim, he started his own mechanical workshop in 1922, which later became "UT. Engine & Vehicle Construction ". First mechanical parts were made there on order, but also small pocket lighters and the like. Hermann Scheihing and his wife Elise, b. Gassmann, both were enthusiastic motorcyclists. While she was driving a COCKERELL, he owned a TRIANON.
It was not long before Scheihing started developing and building motorcycles; from 1924 the first models were ready for sale. Scheihing had good contacts to the motorcycle scene, which also shows old photos of DMV meetings where he was a member. At that time, a "Prinz Heinrich" captain's hat with a corresponding badge was proudly supported by his friend and chief engineer, Daimler Otto Schilling, as technical adviser.
The first UT model was also influenced by the experience with the Cockerell machine because the two-stroke engine had, for example, a horizontal cylinder. The engine was externally similar to the BEKAMO engine, but was a Scheihing development with 250 cc and had no charge pump. A special feature was the cooling plate made of cast aluminum, which was bolted to the engine block, at the same time served as a footboard and had two channels as a replacement for the exhaust pipes. From 1926, the machine already had a Ruthardt flywheel magneto ignition lighting system mounted directly on the crankshaft. The stable chassis, the low center of gravity and the careful processing of the machines were a good prerequisite for the numerous successes of the UT motorcycles in mountain races and reliability rides in the years 1925 and 1926.
Sadly, part two is not available.
From a 2003 Geocities site partially archived on the Wayback Machine.
UT KTN 175
hi my name Dimos from greece
I have in my possession a motorcycle. I can not find any photos and other data to reconstruct
any help accepted
greece athens
Sat Sep 13 2008
rgrpeeters at yahoodot com
technical data
UT ZJ 202 from 1939
Searching for technical data about this UT from 1938.
It has a twin-port two stroke engine.
Engine capacity is 197cc
Belgium
Tue Jan 15 2008
sofjkont at online.no
UT Ca 500cc
UT aboat 1930
I hav this old UT motorcycle.
Do you now annythibg about it??
Richard Grimstad
Norway
...........
The Ut motorcykle is from 1937 and the engine is 583cc.
Regards
Richard Grimstad
Mon Oct 24 2005
czareksz at neostrada.pl
UT ??
What do You think ? This is Ut motorcycld ??
There are few numbers which I was found 822974 or 822754. There were no any other designations. It's very similar to Rixe or UT.
Best regards.
Czarek.
