Just The Essentials: the Kreidler RMC

There’s a beauty in the stripped-down aesthetics of a pure racing motorcycle. Especially one hewn from metal, and unadorned with dayglo sponsor logos. This circa-1980 Kreidler RMC belongs to Dutchman Edwin Sweers, who bought it when he turned 16 years old in 1985. It now puts out an extraordinary 19 hp at 13,500 rpm: the equivalent of a liter-bike putting out almost 400 hp. Sweers used his German-made Kreidler on the road for a couple of years before preparing it for the Dutch 50cc road racing class. By 2010, the bike was scoring class wins. “Two stroke tuning turned out...