NSU 1905 2½ PS 331cc 1 cyl IOE 3512

NSU 1905 “ 2 ½ PS” 331 cc IOE single frame # 103701 engine # 3437

The company started as a knitting machine manufacturer ( Neckarsulmer Strickmaschinen Union) and went into the bicycle trade in 1886. It was a logic step to move into motorcycle production and in 1901 the first motorised NSU bicycle with Zédel clip on engine was produced. Soon the development and production of the company’s own engines were taken up and within a few years NSU was making its own power units and was one of the first manufacturers to fit two-speed transmission. Designed by its late founder’s son, Karl Schmidt, the first all-NSU model was presented in the Fall of 1903 and was powered by a 329cc engine rated at 2½hp. This model would turn out to be a huge success by the standards of the day; more than 2,000 were sold up to 1905. The make established a strong presence in foreign markets, being exported widely throughout Europe and other continents. Around 1906 NSU was already well-known in the United States and prior to WW1, it ranked second only to Indian among imported makes in the UK.
The 1905 machines had a longer wheelbase than the 1904 models and were fitted with 24-inch wheels, so their general appearance was longer and lower. In 1905 no less than five single cylinder models were available and two v-twins.
This 2 ½ HP model with bore x stroke of 75 x 75 mm has the typical NSU overhead valve operation system in which the inlet valve is forced open by a rod actuated by the exhaust valve cam. The carburettor is NSU’s own device with its characteristic tank-top control. For easier starting the magneto ignition has been cleverly converted to battery-and-coil.

This rare early NSU was once part of the collection of the Batavus Bicycle Factory Museum in Heerenveen, The Netherlands. This collection was dispersed in the early 1980s and the machine was subsequently bought by a Dutch enthusiast who carried out a high-quality restoration. According to the Batavus Museum information the machine had been sold new in The Netherlands in 1905 and had been owned by the manager of a diary factory in the village of Sneek. Some contemporary photographs of this person with his NSU have survived.

For a number of years the motorcycle was regularly rallied at Dutch VMC events and she proved to be an excellent and reliable runner. She’s up for sale now due to the advancing age of the former owner. She comes with contracting-band front brake, bulb horn, “Ideal Motorrad Pumpe” tyre inflator, acetylene front lamp, period oil squirt and current Dutch registration.