Friedel Münch

Friedel Münch, born on 6th of February 1927 in Dorn Assenheim, was well-known for the development of motorbikes, especially the famous MÜNCH Mammoth. After successfully graduating, he completed an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic and won the professional job competition twice, where the talented technician received a scholarship.

A year before the war ended in 1944, the now seventeen year-old got the entry command to the army, in which he performed his service with the technical staff of the Air Force. But nothing could dissuade Münch, to live his dream of the motorcycle. After his Army time, he founded a small workshop in the operating rooms of his father's where he mainly repaired motorcycles. Furthermore, Friedel Münch studied mechanical engineering and electronics at the correspondence school Christiani in Constance where he graduated with the mark "very good".

1948, Friedel Münch actively participated in motorcycle racing with a revised single cylinder Horex. However, he resigned from starting after a crash, and devoted himself entirely to the design and construction of high-performance two-wheelers.

Through his "special MUNCH" he caused excitement not only as a designer of racing motorbikes but also the company Horex became aware of Friedel Münch. So in 1955 he accepted the offer to work six months in the testing and racing division of the motorcycle manufacturer. A year later, the Horex discontinued the motorbike production, so that Munch could buy the manufacturing equipment for engines and spare parts of the twin 400-Imperator.

From 1964 Friedel Münch caused a sensation when he started to sell a self-developped, high-performance and light front wheel drum brake for racing and street motorbikes. This "MUNCH racing brake" was the measure of all things until the introduction of standard disc brakes in 1968.

In 1966, Friedel Münch presented the first prototype of its MÜNCH-Mammut: He had designed an enormous motorbike around the motor of the NSU Prinz. Unfortunately, as enthusiastic engineer and designer, Friedel Münch paid little attention to the profitability of his company. Financial problems regularly accompanied the production of its motorcycles, but with the support of the different partners production could be maintained at all times. In 1973, the Frankfurt MUNCH-driver and a businessman Heinz W. Henke joined the company by buying the bankrupt estate for 1.2 million German marks. From then on, Friedel Münch continued working as a technical manager at the plant.

In 1977, Münch left the Henke company and founded the Horex-Motorrad GmbH in Nidderau-Erbstadt with his long-time colleague Roland Witzel. From then on, he developed kits for larger displacement engines in its former NSU motorbikes under the Horex brand as well as new stand-alone machines under the name Titan. He also kept his own workshop where he maintained the machines of his long-time customers.

After a stroke in 1991, Friedel Münch once again used all of his power and created the prototype for the later MÜNCH Mammut 2000 along with the businessman Thomas Petsch. From 2000 to 2002 Petsch allowed the factory to build a total of fifteen copies in manufactory work and thus established the most powerful serial production motorcycle in the world.

Together with his wife Lotti, Friedel Münch today lives in Altenstadt-Rodenbach, very close to his old work places.

The whole story and many more photos you can find in the great Friedel Münch Story of Winnie Scheibe.