The Adler works were
founded by Herr Heinrich Kleyer in Frankfurt a.M. (on Maine) on
March 1st. 1880, making it one of the oldest industrial
enterprises in the world. Adler manufactured bicycle –
3-wheelers of very advanced design when bicycles were the new
transportation system, office machines, automobiles, trucks and
motorcycles without interruption until its demise in 1957.
In 1944 during the
disastrous air attack on Frankfurt a.M., the entire Adler
factory was wiped out, leaving only the shell of a few
buildings. It was there, that in 1948 a new beginning was made.
Adler factory, Frankfurt, Germany
The factory had been
practically destroyed and was thusly spared the plundering
hordes of American specialist teams scouring the country side on
the lookout for booty. Initially a new, modern automobile was
contemplated but due to financial considerations this Adler
automobile, promising as it was, never saw production; in fact,
the prototype was inexplicably scrapped at the orders of the
company´s top brass.
Instead, Adler started
building small motorcycles, first a 100-cc 2-stroke
every-day-usage machine, followed by a 125-cc and subsequently a
150-cc machine. Other than most first-run models in Germany (in
1948) which were build based on re-war designs, Adler built
theirs according to the latest technological parameters and
earned an enviable reputation for reliability. Their frames
invariably featured dual-tube technology and telescopic front
and rear suspension systems when such things were a rarity;
these frames were especially lithe in their racing models;
2-stroke technology was also de rigueur. As mentioned a
prototype automobile, a lovely 2-door sedan with a 1.2 liter
4-stroke 4-cylinder engines was scrapped because management
thought it to be too expensive. This was probably a giant
mistake, for Adler had a stellar reputation for designing and
building leading edge technology automobiles of uncommon grace
and reliability. Surely the newly designed car would have been a
hit on the market. The motor cycle market on the other hand
offered such a plethora of outstanding machinery that the
competition for market shares can only be describes as having
been brutal.
When the new 200-cc
two-stroke Twin hit the showrooms they were a sensation,
justifiably so since they represented cutting edge technology on
all levels as well as having been absolutely gorgeous. This
machine was followed by the ultimate Adler, the SB-250 another
gorgeous bike incorporating every technical trick in the book
together with beautiful styling and available in an assortment
of colors unequalled by anyone else. One of the overlooked
features of the original was the plunger-type suspension of the
saddle, an extremely clean and efficient system bettering the
very best the world had to offer. The absolute smoothness of the
engine design, what with in-the-engine-block carburetors etc has
not been equaled by any product to this day (excepting of course
some other German motor bikes such as DKW, Dürrkopp MD-200,
Horex Imperator, Maico Taifun etc - the list is quite
impressive.