This 1965 Express Kavalier 115 was manufactured by Zweirad Union in Nürnberg, Germany and was sold in-country under the Express nameplate. The motorbike is classified as a moped and features a styled pressed-steel body that gave rise to the nickname Blechbanane or “Tin Banana.” This example—which was refurbished under previous ownership—is finished in white with brown, gold, and chrome accents and is equipped with a 48cc two-stroke single mated to a three-speed transmission. Features include a two-up seat, a leading-link fork, a headlight, a taillight, a parcel rack, a tire pump, an enclosed chain, and a center stand. It was acquired by the seller in 1990 and has spent the past four years on display in the seller’s vintage motorcycle café. This Kavalier 115 is now offered in Florida with a manufacturer’s sales brochure, its original German operating permit, a signed photo of Jay Leno aboard an Express Kavalier, and a bill of sale.
The bike is finished in pearl white and features a valanced front fender and a pressed steel body with integrated pannier-like rear side panels adorned with gold “Kavalier” scripts. The one-piece fuel tank and headlamp nacelle is finished in brown and white with gold and chrome accents, and the two-up Denfeld seat is red with white piping and a grab strap. Additional equipment includes a rear parcel rack, passenger foot pegs, a center stand, and a tire pump stored beneath a removable panel atop the fuel tank. The Type 115 was also produced and sold with manufacturer-unique color schemes by DKW and Victoria under the Zweirad Union umbrella.
Chrome 16″ rims are wrapped in IRC whitewall tires and laced to polished light-alloy hubs with drum brakes. Suspension is provided by a leading-link fork up front and a swingarm at the rear, with oil-damped shocks at both ends.
A body-colored handlebar shroud with a chrome Zweirad Union badge and lighting controls sits ahead of a VDO 60-km/h speedometer integrated atop the headlamp/fuel tank nacelle. The five-digit odometer shows 8k kilometers (~5k miles). True mileage is unknown.
The Zweirad Union 48cc two-stroke single is kick-started, fan-cooled, and enclosed in a slotted chrome shroud. It breathes through a 12mm Bing carburetor and a low-mounted chrome exhaust and was rated at two horsepower when new. The motorbike has not been ridden under current ownership, and has been displayed sans fluids since the seller’s acquisition.
Power is sent to the rear wheel through a three-speed transmission and an enclosed drive chain.
The original operating permit from June 1966 lists 1965 as the year of production and shows chassis #1151005002, which matches the number on the motorbike’s data plate and the frame stamp pictured in the gallery. A Zweirad Union sales brochure for Express-branded mopeds also accompanies the bike.
The motorbike won best in class at the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance in February 2020.
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