SEPTEMBER 27, 2008 VISIT WITH JOSEF KAST BMW COLLECTOR, MECHANIC, RESTORER & PARTS MANUFACTURER

DANKE HER KAST FUER EIN SCHOENES ERLEBNIS!

Today I had the great opportunity to meet with Josef Kast who has been restoring and collecting BMW motorcycles since 1972. How we connected was really kind of serquitus. My daughter Maria went to see my sister Angie this August. Maria went to a painting clinic with Angie and her husband Fritz in Pasalmonte, Italy. The wife of the artist was Josef's daughter. She and her husband in turn had two daughters who really wanted some wheely shoes from the US. So we brougth them some on our trip this September and October. Well it just so happens the, Traul, the artist's (Reiner) wife was Mr. Kast's daugter. So we met them in Voehringen where Josef lives. I know long story but kind of fun, at least for me.

Josef with a part of his collection. They live in an old farmhouse with numerous out buildings, most of which are used for storge or shop space

Here is a 1944 military side care bike. Josef has two of these, the other one is presently on display elsewhere, it is painted in military colors and ensignias. This one is in perfect shape as well but he uses it as a daily rider, or should I say stump jumper. The rig will carry 400 kilos. The sidecar wheel is also shaft driven by the way. The main shaft goes from the transmission to the rear differetial where another shaft feeds the sidecar wheel. It also has a reverse gear believe it or not.

Naturally I got a ride on the beast. In this photo we are just comming back from the back fourty where we negotiated about a 30 degree bank down and up, by the way with the side car wheel not even engaged. You can tell that Josef really loves these machines and does his work be in order to carry on a tradition of quality.....oh ya there would also be the fun!

Oh naturally the huge shop is not to be forgotten. It housed stock metals and milling equipment that have been gathered and used for over fourty years. Joseph used to sell his manufactured part all over the world. He had two crates stacked in front of the shop with restored bikes going to Bazil.

Here is a resoration of an R32 in progress, the second one he is working on. Notice that the springs for example are no longer available so he manufactures them himself, tempers them, and has them nickel plated. Josef also manufactures old nuts and bolts where the pitch and sizes are no longer in use. He does them by batch and saves them for a rainy day. Max Friz's created the R32, in 1923, by improving the earlier M2B15 engine designed with MartinStolle that leads BMW to its first serious motorcycle. Using otherdesigns like Rudolph Schleicher's aluminum cylinders,Friz engineers a motorcycle with a 486-cc engine that reaches a top speed of about 60 mph. Then the R 32 became the foundation for all future machine designsby BMW until the introduction of the K-Series in 1983.

The above photo is of an R32 that Josef had restored. As it turned out we had to take a drive to a town, close by, call Bellengergen where it was on display at the twenty fifth aniverasy event of the Bellenbergen MC Club. Pretty cool huh!!