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Moped love: How the Bautzen two-wheeler enthusiasts continue to grow with Simson and MZ

The company AKF in Bautzen has long been more than just Europe's largest shipping logistics provider for spare parts for GDR cult two-wheelers. The company is now showing what else it can do at the barbecue.

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Man sieht AKF-Geschäftsführer Alexander Kalkbrenner und Prokurist André Koch
The Simson-Albatros was originally used by the post office. Now it has found a home at AKF-Fahrzeugteile in Bautzen - much to the delight of Managing Director Alexander Kalkbrenner (left) and authorized signatory André Koch. © Steffen Unger

From Miriam Schönbach

Bautzen. All 80 employees of the Bautzen-based company probably have a bit of two-stroke mixture. AKF vehicle parts in the blood. "It's not a prerequisite for employment, but there are a large number of two-wheeler enthusiasts," says Managing Director Alexander Kalkbrenner. He founded the company in his parents' garage more than 20 years ago. Since then, the signs have been pointing to growth. His specialty: traditional brands such as Simson, MZ and exotic vintage vehicles. All fans of these motorized GDR classics can take a look behind the scenes at the barbecue on 21 September 2024.

Alexander Kalkbrenner's passion for slightly older two-wheeler models began with a Simson Sperber SR 4-3, which was built a total of 80,000 times between 1966 and 1972 at the renowned VEB Fahrzeug- und Jagdwaffenwerk "Ernst Thälmann" in Suhl. With a top speed of 75 km/h and a displacement of 50 cubic meters, the motorcycle is a piece of two-wheeler and family history. After all, Kalkbrenner's mother rode that Sperber to training in her youth - and then the bike ended up in the shed or barn, like so many former Simson enthusiasts, until it was rediscovered by the next generation.

2010 Relocation to the Bautzen site

The Sparrowhawk brings freedom for the 16-year-old, a feeling he shares with many children from the village. But the flashback also takes us back to around 2000: "Back then, apprenticeships were in short supply. I completed an apprenticeship as an assistant for business informatics in Dresden, which combined two interests: computers and their programming and business," recalls the now 38-year-old. And this is where his mother comes into play again. She urged her offspring to look for a job after work and not sit around in front of the computer so much.

Designers Klemens Kretschmer (l.) and Sebastian Tittelbach sit over new designs.
Steffen Unger

Pressure is the mother of invention. A third passion is added to these two interests - Kalkbrenner's self-taught knowledge of mopeds. So the idea grew to buy a cheap Simson on eBay, dismantle it into individual parts and then sell it again. The initial investment was 200 euros, and the founder and his father were eventually able to sell the manifold, the cable and the like for twice that amount. The money is reinvested. Now two mopeds can be purchased and dismantled, and soon the first employee has to be hired. The move to the Bautzen site takes place in 2010.

Mother's Sparrowhawk as start-up capital for the company

Incidentally, the starting capital for Kalkbrenner's company is his mother's restored and rebuilt Sperber. It is a time when GDR two-wheelers are being brought out of their slumber. The demand for new spare parts increases, wholesalers in Germany have to be found and online trading has to be professionalized. The rest is history and a lot of work.

Authorized signatory André Koch smiles. "From today's perspective, this beginning is astonishing," says the 45-year-old. Incidentally, his first model as a teenager in Meißner Land was an MZ. He has now been looking after the company's figures for four years and knows his way around the market.

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With almost six million motorcycles produced, Simson was the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in Germany. Its advantage: the maximum permissible speed of 60 kilometers per hour in the 50cc class. According to today's regulations, these mopeds are only allowed to travel at 45 kilometers per hour. However, the oldies still speed along the roads at 60 km/h.

"And you create mobility for young people in rural areas," says André Koch. But not only trainees ride mopeds. Customer analysis shows that Simson is a father-son/daughter or often even three-generation project. Even people in their mid-forties are discovering old passions with the help of from the Bautzen paradise for Simson mechanics new.

In April 2023, AKF opened a new logistics hall in Bautzen.
SZ/Uwe Soeder

AKF has long been more than just a shipping logistics company for spare parts ranging from engines and speedometers to tuning elements. In the design department, parts are designed, reproduced and produced in small series. The designs are created with the help of 3D simulations and partly on the 3D printer. "In recent years, we have built up a great deal of expertise in software development, production and logistics. We can react quickly to requests and trends. Our success stands and falls with customer satisfaction," says Alexander Kalkbrenner. Deliveries are mainly made to the DACH region - i.e. Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

2022 AKF becomes company of the year in Saxony

In 2022, the company AKF Fahrzeugteile from Bautzen will be awarded by the Ostdeutscher Sparkassenverband (OSV) was named Company of the Year in Saxony. A milestone two years later is the implementation of the new online store. Interested parties can now immerse themselves in the world of AKF in ten languages, including Polish, Danish and Norwegian, and the AKF app is also being updated. In addition, the visionaries are already thinking about another new building. Production is now bursting at the seams. Initial talks are currently being held with the construction company.

But that is still a long way off. On September 21, the two-wheeler season comes to an end with another "barbecue". Weather permitting, up to 1,500 cult two-wheelers and up to 5,000 enthusiasts with two-stroke mixture in their blood are expected. "Our idea is to get into conversation with the community and also present ourselves as a local employer," says Alexander Kalkbrenner. The Sperber enthusiast is now riding a Sperber again. It's a father-daughter project.

Barbecue on September 21, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at AKF in Dresdener Straße 70A in Bautzen

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