Monday, July 20, 2009

Ernst Hoske

There are always those that want to make what the manufacture offers to the public a little better. They either wanted the original to look better, sound different, or go faster. Often this drive for change is in the pursuit of speed. I believe that this has been going on since the beginning of time.

For motorcycles there has always been those that took the original and went racing. These are usually individuals that made the improvements to their stock bikes to help them be competitive. By definition these privateers didn't have factory backing. With the exception of a few, these individuals have always filled out the start list, never finishing at the top of the finishing list. Those that do, often soon find themselves with factory support.

One such racer turned aftermarket supplier was Ernst Hoske. While searching for aftermarket parts offered under his name you find a few race results. He shows up in national races, never seeming to hit the podium on the international stage.

Hoske gas tanks are a highly sought after for BMW motorcycles. They appear to be offered for other makers, but those manufactures have not had the exposure or appear to have the volume of bikes remaining in use today. Hoske mufflers are an item that are offered in a reproduction today and there use is debated by Vintage BMW rider. Those that equate the BMW to smooth running and quiet tour wonder why someone would want these louder then stock pipes on the their bike. With removable baffles, and a reverse cone shape seen on many period racers, you can see that they were offered for those that might want the benefits of a better breathing exhaust offer, without concern for the decibels it created.


Other items offered were tachometers, handlebars, cams and valve springs. This image of the catalog courtesy of earlesfork.com. You can see the complete catalog in the media section, and some great pictures at this site dedicated to some great old BMW motorcycles.

Hoske offered a oil pan extension piece with tubes cast through the middle to add to cooling. Wheels were also offered, and are high up on my wish list.



It has been debated how much was manufactured by Ernst Hoske in house and how much were sourced from other vendors. Like many vintage aftermarket part, the name has been give value weather earned or not.

A place to find pictures of the many different Hoske tanks beemergarage.com. The page found on a open source encyclopedia says that Ernst retired after and accident and the business has transformed into "BMW Fuchs"
While searching for parts to make my bike unique, the name Hoske kept showing up. The tanks were huge, and expensive. Everyone wanted one. Those offered on ebay went to those willing to pay. I went searching internationally and did get one from ebay.de, but it ended up being for a pre 1955 plunger frame R51/3 and would not fit (I would later get an R51/3 with a Hoske tank, wish I would have kept the tank, as it was in better condition.) Other ones offered in the states outside of auctions had asking prices for about half what I paid for the bike.
I did find a nice set of original mufflers, and after getting the jetting right, I have grown accustomed to their sound, and would side with those that believe in louder mufflers for these quiet tourers. When searching for something, you get to learn a lot about the person that created those items.

1 comment:

  1. Excellent view!Great Article.This is possible only when we have a good quality in Mufflers

    Mufflers

    ReplyDelete