NSU

Today in Motorcycle History

NSU Special Max


From: Tub Maxson [maxson-h at tmrisk dot com
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 12:56 PM
To: 'Sheldon Aubut'
Subject: RE: NSU
 

I stumbled on my 56 Special Max in the garage of a SCCA racer friend of my brother. My brother races Triumph Spitfires. This guy has a mechanic shop in Akron, OH. 10-12 years prior he took in the Sp. Max for a customer. He spent $100 labor determining what was wrong with the bike and the owner refused to pay him. He kept the bike on a Mechanic's lien until I showed up. He offered to sell it to me at the mechanic's lien price, $100, plus $50 for lost title paperwork. I had it for 7 years getting pieces here and there and rechromed, cad plated, etc. Finally got it done in 2002. I refuse to add up all the receipts! Runs real good.

Here is a photo I took of an angle I really liked. My wife took this and did a watercolor batik, similar to the tee shirt batik process we used in our hippie days. She took a quarter sheet of thin rice paper, did the water color. Alternating painting and wax layers in specific areas. When it was done, she put a thin coat of wax over the painting, then, to my horror, crinkled it all up into a tight ball several times. This cracked the wax layers. Then a coat of India ink, in this case dark blue. After that dried, she used layers of newspaper, with an iron to remove all the wax, and this is the result. I am very happy with it and plan to use in as the back of business cards at some time.

The bike is restored with all OEM parts where possible or with NSU Motzke repro where the originals could not be had, such as the muffler. The pipe is original. A long process but the end result is very nice. I hope to put it in the Vintage Days this year. I wanted to do it last year also, but something came up where I could not attend.

I hope you like this.

Tub

-----Original Message-----
From: Sheldon Aubut [mail-to:biker at cwizard dot com ]
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 12:49 PM
To: 'Tub Maxson'
Subject: RE: NSU
 

I used to run several motorcycle clubs and some years ago I tried to get an International NSU club going. Owners are so few are far between that there just didn't seem to be much interest. At the time I was looking at a SuperMax but the guy wouldn't come down on price and he was stratospheric. I had still planned on getting one so I kept trying to get the club going. Finally shut it down about two years ago. I also owned the "European Motorcycle Universe" web site which I sold a few month ago and had an NSU section there. Some of the NSU club files still exists at that site:
https://cybermotorcycle.com/euro/brands/nsu.htm
If you want to contribute to that site there is a contact form at:
https://cybermotorcycle.com/euro/contact.htm

I'd love to see your the watercolor. My e-mail will take up to about a 3meg file and I do have broadband. Great looking bikes.

Sheldon Aubut
Houlton Wisconsin USA
http://www.sheldonaubut.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Tub Maxson [mail-to:maxson-h at tmrisk.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 4:52 AM
To: biker at cwizard dot com
Subject: NSU
 

Sheldon

I read on the SCT site about your interest in German bikes, specifically the Zundapp. I just finished my NSU last year. Here is a photo of it and of my R27/Steib LS200. If you are interested my wife did a watercolor batik of the NSU that quite unusual. I scanned the painting and it is large so a HiSpeed connection would be required, if you are interested in seeing it.

The NSU has been in two shows and took best in class both time. Last May it was best in class at the Cincinnati Concours d'Elegance, a quite large regional show with national participation.

Tub

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