German Motorrad

Today in Motorcycle History

Meister Motorcycles

A Brief History of the Marque

Manufactured from 1921 in Bielefeld by August Plöger

Initially made bicycles, and repaired automobiles. During the 20s and 30s the firm built mopeds and motorcycles fitted mostly with Fichtel & Sachs engines, and sometimes Ilo. A machine built in 1924 had a single cylinder 300cc 2-stroke engine. A 60cc Saxonette-powered autocycle was introduced in the late 1930s.

Postwar

Alfred Ostertag became head of design, and in 1950 one of their models was a JLO-powered sports model with twin carburetors and dual exhausts. In the 1950s and early 60s Zundapp 49cc engines were employed in their mopeds,

A German marque specialist writes:
Around 1950 the Meister company in Bielefeld acquired the rights of use of the Phanomen and Mammut names and formed sales companies which sold essentially identical machines under all three brand names.

Legally, the machines were all Meister, and the other two brands were effectively denoting types. Similar situations had existed in other countries, for instance with AJS & Matchless in the UK, and Magnat-Debon & Terrot in France.

The company owner, Doppelt, became ill in 1957 and subsequently sold the firm to Goebel

Meister Models include:
1939 - Model K17 98cc Sachs (w/pedals), Model K21 98cc Sachs, Model K33 Saxonette 60cc, Model K34 Saxonette 60cc Damen.
1949 - M 47 S and 48 S, Sachs engines
1951 - M59J 175cc JLO, (also sold under the Mammut brand with different paintwork and badges.)
1953 - M61J JLO type M200 engine
1955 - several mopeds which were the same as those issued under the Phanomen and Mammut names with different trim. These were fitted with 50cc Sachs, ILO and Zundapp engines.
1955 - 150cc and 175cc Sachs models.

Sources: Tragatsch, forumromanum.com

N.B. Hans Meister of Graz built microcars in the 1960s and 70s.


Wed Oct 12 2011
rob.molendijk<at>planet.nl
information required
meister M61J 1953
can somebody help me with electrical installation manual and JLO type M200 engine manual
Rotterdam


Thu Nov 03 2011
mlopezg<at>shadesign.com.mx (bounced)

Meister 1951
Hi, I wonder how much would be the value of this motorcycle I have. I'm in México City and somebody wants to buy it from me.
Mexico


Sat Oct 27 2007
ldameron at lambdatechs dot com
Alfred Ostertag

Is the designer the same Alfred Ostertag who runs Ecoroll AG in Celle Germany today?
Cincinnati, Ohio


Thu May 18 2006
buickray at yahoo dot com
1951 MEISTER M55J (JLO MG125E)

I found out that your forums are missing a German postwar brand and wanted to show you my 1951 MEISTER M55J with JLO MG125E two stroke 5.4hp engine.
Anyone interested into this bike or brand is welcome to get in contact with me !
Best Regs - Rainer from Germany.
Solingen, Germany