# Vintage KTM 3 Speed



## West is the Best (May 8, 2019)

Hi all,
I bought this bike on Ebay the other day; shipping from Wichita,  Kansas to LA California. I hope it gets here in good shape.

Does anyone know about these bikes?  KTM has been making beautiful, high quality dirt bikes, and other  types of motorcycles for many years.
Their bicycles were very popular in Europe. They still make bikes but seem to not be very popular in the US.
I am thinking this bike must have been shipped over here somehow.
Anyways it intrigued me to the point of buying it. I want to keep it original but upgrading with new wheels with a new 
















SA 3 speed and shift lever.
Maybe change the bar and seat.. Keep the seat for show. Give'r a total TLC treatment.

It should make a fun and interesting rider that would be quite at home on bike trails and quite roads.

If anyone has some info on KTMs ; what year it might be, it would be fun to know.

Thanks


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## juvela (May 8, 2019)

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wrt origin -

there appears to be a retailer transfer being worn by the machine at the bottom of the seat tube

one possible origin might be a U.S. military person stationed in Europe who brought it home when their tour ended

have never heard of organised importation of KTM bicycles to the U.S.  does not mean that such has not happened of course!

is the Torpedo shift trigger broken/incomplete?

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frame -

constructed with NERVEX lug pattern Nr. 45/162

fork crown is Agrati pattern "SPORT" Nr. 026.8058

chainstay and seatstay bridges are ESGE plate style

threading for headset and bottom bracket is BSC/ISO ("english")

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fittings -

caliper brake and lever are Weinmann

pedals are either WECO or Union - cannot see clearly enough to be sure which, they resemble Union model 685, the endcaps will be marked with a name or logo

chainset may be THUN or Agrati - several makers did this pattern

front hub appears it may be Union, likely unmarked

if cycle produced for export to the anglophone world would expect wheels to be 26 X 1 3/8 size

if made for domestic market they may be 650 size

rack is of course ESGE Pletscher

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dating -

the Torpedo hub should have some markings
http://www.torpedo-coasterbrake.com/hub-date.htm

the backside of the Weinmann brake caliper may have a marking as well
it is sometimes in the form of a clockface







dating guess - ~1965-67

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links -

web site - https://www.ktm-bikes.at

history - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KTM

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/KTM_Fahrrad
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## West is the Best (May 8, 2019)

Wow thanks very much for the information! I do not have the bike yet,  It is being prepped to ship. 
I will give a full report and take some pics when I get it. These are the  Ebay pics.
Yes it will be interesting to see the dealer tag on the frame.


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## juvela (May 8, 2019)

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Am not far away, in the Heights of Ladera, so you are welcome to bring it by for a look see...

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## wheelbender6 (May 11, 2019)

I bet some KTM motorcycle racer would love to train on that bicycle.


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## West is the Best (May 23, 2019)

I finally got the bike.


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## juvela (May 23, 2019)

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thank you for the additional imagery.

tyres look to be Semperit.

is wheel size 26 X 1 3/8"?

were you able to read marking on pedal end caps?

if you can post photo of bottom bracket shell may be able to identify it.

have you discovered a serial number?

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## West is the Best (May 23, 2019)

Yes the tires are 26x 1 3/8, the petals have a "U" on them,  Front brake is Universal. There is a number on the BB.

3 speed hub is a Sachs, early 70's . Looks like this bike was rode very little. Looks like it crashed and parked. There is a scuff on the right corner of the seat and the Magura shift grip is broken.

The frame is really nice, very few scratches and the paint looks good under the dust and grease. The spokes are not SS and are kinda rusty but very solid and true. 
the fenders are metal; they are in fair shape. The fenders are made of some type of aluminum  metal but they have some rust.
Its gonna be a cool ride!


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## juvela (May 24, 2019)

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Thanks very much for the updates and  additional information.

Shall be curious to learn if bottom bracket fittings or backside of crank arms exhibit any markings.

Look forward to following along as you work with the bicycle.  

The bullet seat stay treatment is not commonly seen on an Austrian machine.  Perhaps the frame tubing was supplied by Italy.

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## West is the Best (May 24, 2019)

Thanks for the comments. I will continue to keep adding to this thread and learning from you guys. 

Any idea where I might get some new crank cotter pins? I beat these up a little getting them out.

Are these pins the same as the English ones? 

I will post some more pics soon.

Thanks


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## West is the Best (May 24, 2019)

wheelbender6 said:


> I bet some KTM motorcycle racer would love to train on that bicycle.



Those KTM riders are bruts. Just watch some Hard Enduro vids on Youtube.


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## juvela (May 24, 2019)

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Wedgebolts -

hope you did not pound on them as this can brinnel the bottom bracket's bearing races

Styria/Steyr/Puch employs 9.5mm pins

most common German size is 9.5mm

would expect KTM to employ 9.5mm as well but have no hard information, simple eno' to measure

(and yes, 9.5 is also the "English size")

suggest beginning with a medium cut

source -

https://www.thebikeshopstore.com/ca...MI1YSyrbi14gIVzCCtBh1iVQGrEAQYASABEgLdIvD_BwE
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## 3-speeder (May 24, 2019)

West is the Best said:


> Thanks for the comments. I will continue to keep adding to this thread and learning from you guys.
> 
> Any idea where I might get some new crank cotter pins? I beat these up a little getting them out.
> 
> ...



The cotter pins available here are real nice:
http://bikesmithdesign.com/CotterPress/cotters.html
Not sure if they will be the Raleigh cut or not, maybe order a pair of each. They also sell a great pin extractor. 
I like that rocking lock on the grip shifter. It really helps keep it in gear. A rider naturally applies torque on the grip while riding and that lock is helpful. I enjoy that on my Sears 3-speed.


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## West is the Best (Jun 5, 2019)

Thanks for the link to Bikesmith Design. I bought the press and some pins. No more hammers!! Very nice tool and pins!

I found another KTM 3-speeder on Ebay. My bike has a bracket for one of these doohickeys. What is this thing?

I will post some more pics soon. I have been working a lot so not much time or energy but making some progress.

It also has a bracket on the right fork leg that I am assuming is for a generator light .


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## juvela (Jun 6, 2019)

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doohickey is a wheel lock - item commonly encountered on cycles produced in Germanic countries.

yes, fork blade bracket for lighting system.

thank you for the update.  

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## 3-speeder (Jun 6, 2019)

I'm sure you'll like that cotter pin tool. What I usually do is remove the nut from the cotter pin and put oil in the void and let it soak overnight. I then remove the pin and repeat the process on the other side. This takes a few days but that is when I do my wheel hubs.  The oil makes those stuck pins loosen up easier. 
Wondering if that do-hickey is a locking device that keeps the wheel from spinning so that no one can ride away on your bike. I've not seen them in that fashion but maybe? 
Hah! I see that Juvela has beat me to it.


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## West is the Best (Jun 10, 2019)

Some updates: I bought a new wheel set with a Shimano 3 speed hub, and shiftier assembly. The originals were in decent shape but the spokes were too rusty for me. They are not SS.
I will keep them though to practice on someday.

The wheels are for 26" mid-weight bikes. They did not drop right in but they do fit well with a little coaxing and have enough clearance.

Does anyone know where to get fender mounting hardware bits like the ones in the picture below?

I have most but one is broken off at the threads.

The frame is a good size is for me. I do think I will end up getting a different stem and handle bar setup to be a little more efficient and make it kinda unique.

I did have to get a new front brake with longer reach. I thought 26" was 26" but its not when it comes to bike wheels....I'm learning..

Coming along!


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