BernardBeeston's blog

Bernard Beeston's KR175 ignition switch

purchased my KR175 second-hand in 1958 and as it is now 55 years old it is not surprising that from time to time something fails and a few months ago the HELLA combined ignition and lighting switch ceased to control the lights; in rotation the ignition key was not limited to its three positions but just kept turning, with the lights doing silly things. So out it had to come and hopefully be repaired.

ne problem that troubled two-strokes (and Messerschmitts were no exception) when I bought my KR175 (in 1959), and for many years after, was plug whiskering due to the large quantity of lead then being added to the petrol and with no unleaded available to the motorist at the time there seemed little one could do about it.

etrol has been hitting the headlines of late, what with the lead free campaign and the Chancellor pricing 2-star off the market in the last budget, so this would seem to be an opportune moment to discuss the fuel requirements of the Messerschmitt.

The information we have available comes from two sources. First the KR175 Owner's Manual, which has the following to say on the subject: _

ooking back over my previous articles I see that I have missed a few of the 175's features, so now to tie up those loose ends.

There is a stop light (identical to the flasher units) mounted centrally between the two rear lamps. Inside the nose section is a foot board set at 45° to which the clutch pedal is fixed, while the brake pedal attached to the brake mechanism under this foot board protrudes up through it, and also to be found on the left-hand side, within the nose section, is the fuse box.

ur tour of the KR175 will be completed by a look under the rear lifting section and even a quick glance reveals many differences here. First impression being that this space is somewhat fuller than in the 200 and this is not without justification for the engine is surrounded by a more substantial load bearing frame, which also carries the fuel tank and spare wheel, between them almost hiding the engine.

aving reviewed the development of our engine. from its inception as the Sachs 150 to its final version as the 200, all that is left now is a resume of the Messerschmitt's history — of necessity short, for I have little information on this.

It all started shortly after the war with the need For cheap, economic transport_ and the German aircraft industry looking for an outlet for its skills, and work For its production lines, as at the time the allies had put an embargo on the manufacture of aircraft in Germany.

aving run my KR175 for 28 years now and covered some 176,000 miles in that time I felt that I may have something of interest to say to any other 175 owner in the MEC so I offered to write a 175 column for Take Off, to which the editor readily agreed — he also assures me that I am not the only 175 owner in the MEC. However, as I have little spare time I can't promise a column for every issue, we will just have to wait and see how things work out.