Kreidler
Illustration — 1950s and '70s examples of the 50 cc Kreidler Florett Kreidler was a German manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. Originally based in Kornwestheim, between Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. It was founded in 1903 as "Kreidlers Metall- und Drahtwerke" (Kreidlers metal and wire factory) by Anton Kreidler and started to build motorcycles in 1951.
Kreidler
Alf van Beem · CC0
- Name
- Kreidler
- Founded
- 1903
- Headquarters
- Kornwestheim
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — 1950s and '70s examples of the 50 cc Kreidler Florett Kreidler was a German manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. Originally based in Kornwestheim, between Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. It was founded in 1903 as "Kreidlers Metall- und Drahtwerke" (Kreidlers metal and wire factory) by Anton Kreidler and started to build motorcycles in 1951.
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Authority files
gnd · 4381004-4 · wikidata · Q832249 · wikipedia · Kreidler
In this article
Overview
Overview
In 1959 one third of all German motorcycles were Kreidler. In the 1970s Kreidler had very great success in motorsport. Especially in the Netherlands the riders Jan de Vries and Henk van Kessel were successful. Kreidler went out of business in 1982 and the rights to the trade mark were sold to the businessman Rudolf Scheidt who had Italian manufacturer Garelli Motorcycles make mopeds under the Kreidler name until 1988. The rights to the Kreidler brand were subsequently acquired by bicycle manufacturer Prophete. Today the brand is used by Prophete's subsidiary Cycle Union GmbH based in Oldenburg, Germany, where bikes are built and distributed to dealers mainly throughout Europe. Kreidler was active in Grand Prix motorcycle with great success in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring seven world champion titles in 50 cc class: • 1971 Jan de Vries • 1973 Jan de Vries • 1974 Henk van Kessel • 1975 Ángel Nieto • 1979 Eugenio Lazzarini • 1980 Eugenio Lazzarini • 1982 Stefan Dörflinger

Zur Eröffnung der WikiCon 2016 in Kornwestheim am 16. September 2016 sprach die Oberbürgermeisterin Ulrike Keck auf der Bühne im Festsaal des Kultur- und Kongresszentrums Das K unter anderem über „Historische Wurzeln Kornwestheims “ während die anwesenden Wikipedianerinnen und Wikipedianer und solche, die es werden wollen, auf der Leinwand Bilder von ehemaligen Kornwestheimer Unternehmen wie Salam
Bernd Schwabe in Hannover

Kreidler bei den Hamburg Harley Days 2016
Frank Schwichtenberg
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Kreidler • Type — Private • Industry — Bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles • Founded — 1903 • Founder — Anton Kreidler • Defunct — 1982 (original company) • Area Served — Europe • Products — Bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles • Owner — Prophete / Cycle Union GmbH (current brand owner) • Hq Location — Kornwestheim, Germany
Gallery
Gallery
• Illustration — Van Veen Racing Kreidler of Jan de Vries (1971) • Illustration — "Kreidler Racing Florett" (1963) • Illustration — "Kreidler Van Veen GP" (1977) • Illustration — "Kreidler Zigarre" (50 cm 3, record: 210.634 km/h 23 October 1965, Utah, USA)
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1903–1982
The full dated record · 5 entries
1903
Kreidler established.
1903
Kreidler is recorded from 1903.
1903
Kreidler was established or created in 1903.
1982
Kreidler ceased.
1982
Kreidler was dissolved or ceased in 1982.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Germany
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 4381004-4, Kreidler.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q832249: Kreidler
Unverified · Wikidata
reference work
- “Kreidler”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 4381004-4, Kreidler.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedauthority record
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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