CMK Off-road Motorcycles

A Brief History of the Italian Marque

Costruzioni Meccaniche Kohler was founded by Otto Kohler in 1966 with headquarters in Rivoltella del Garda in the province of Brescia.

The German engineer, who had worked at Kreidler and Zündapp, had also designed a five-speed engine for Maico.

The construction of CMK off-road motorcycles began in 1967 with the valuable collaboration of the rider-journalist Walter Arosio who was testing the new motorcycles participating in off-road races.

It is difficult to determine how many CMK machines were made because the motorcycles were built subject to continuous changes and updates.

In 1976 the CMK was purchased by industrialist Guido Vicenza Borghin who produced off-road motorcycles using the brand "Gabor" until 1980.

One Italian source indicates that production did not go beyond the prototype stage, but others including WOI demonstrate that several machines were offered between 1972 and 1976, and suggest the firm may have remained in business until 1985.

Sources: WOI, Moto di Lombardia

CMK Models listed by a defunct valuations site (all unverified) include:

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