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My Imme
Refurbishment of my Imme (note: lots of pictures, download can take a while)
2016 meeting of the Imme Freundeskreis in Immenstadt
Imme company pictures
Imme company drawings

Immetreffen Immenstadt 2016

In June 2016 the Imme Freundeskreis (Circle of Imme-friends) organized its biennial meeting (in Germen: Treffen) in Immenstadt im Allgäu (Germany), the town where the Imme motorcycles have been built. Off course I wanted to join this meeting, with my Imme!
I finished my Imme and had it registered about 2 months before the meeting. But unfortunately the (overhauled) engine was not running well. Because this could not be solved on time, Heinrich and Werner from the Freundeskreis were so friendly to make that I could join the meeting, by building one of their spare engines in my motorcycle. A good example of friendship.

End of May I put the Imme on the trailer and drove to Immenstadt - 850 km from my hometown in the northern part of the Netherlands. Due to the long trip we had decided to combine the meeting with an early summer holiday, but the wheather was not really summer-like. We arrived in pouring rain at our hotel in Immenstadt. Fortunately we were allowed to put the Imme and the trailer safely in the hotels garage.

Motorpaul met Imme in Immenstadt im Allgäu
The evidence, we have been there

The next day we explored Immenstadt. We discovered that there is even a (small) road called after our beloved motorcycle:

Immeweg in Immenstadt im Allgäu
"Imme" motorcycle produced in Immenstadt

Off course I had to get a picture of myself on this road:

Motorpaul with Imme at the Immeweg in Immenstadt im Allgäu

The Imme road is opposite to the place where the Imme works were located, as the aerial picture shows:

Location of the Imme factory and Immeweg in Immenstadt im Allgäu
the big red rectangle indicates where the Imme factory was located

Unfortunately not much has been left of the Imme factory. Only one factory building, now in use by the "Beulendoktor Allgäu" (dent-doctor Allgäu, a car damage repair center), has survived.
On the front part of the the factory ground, which is now in use by the company Hauf, the original wraught iron gate of the Imme factory has been rebuilt by the Imme Freundeskreis (in the blue rectangle on the picture). Next to it is a commemorative column with a plaquette and a picture of the designer of the Imme, Norbert Riedel:

The original gate of the Imme factory

The Riedel memorial next to the gate of the Imme factory

Unfortunately the factory gate does not match with expansion plans of Hauf, and therefore it will be removed in the near future.

On Friday the Imme meeting started. The meeting was held at the historical ground of the Imme factory, possible due to the friendly co-operation of the firm Hauf. Due to the rain only a few enthusiasts came with their Imme, but it was a good occassion to meet and start our discussions about Imme, Imme and Imme.....

Freundeskreis members unloading an Imme
With joined forces the first Immes arriving were unloaded

Freundeskreis members unloading an Imme

Freundeskreis members working on an Imme
Within an hour some Imme enthusiasts started to work on one of the motorcycles....

The complete engine was removed from the bike
and they did not rest before the complete engine was removed from the bike

On Saturday the main event was held, fortunately with good wheather. More than 20 Immes gathered at the Hauf premises, in all original colors. Off course most in the first available colour, oxide red:

There were Immes in red

But also several in black:

There were Immes in black

And a few in green:

And tThere were a few Immes in green

Although 2-cilinder Immes are very rare, not less than 3 were at the meeting:

3 2-cilinder Immes

There was a lot of public at the Imme meeting. Off course the club members, but also ex-employees of the factory, people living in the neighbourhood who had an Imme in the past and people who just passed-by and who's attention was drawn by all these strange motorcycles.

A lot of interested people on the Imme treffen 2016
A lot of interested public

All this fuzz makes tired
A tired club member, resting before the start of the main event

Around 11:00 the main event of the meeting started: a ride together. Off course we took the opportunity to ride for the last time through the factory gate.

Start of the Imme ride on the Imme Treffen 2016
Smoking allowed! Start of the ride

The Imme swarming off through the original factory gate
The Immes swarming off through the original factory gate

Halfway the ride we had a lunchbreak in restaurant Gasthof Rössle in Ottacker.

Arrival of the Imme riders at the restaurant
The Imme riders arriving at the restaurant

The Immes parked before the restaurant
The Immes parked before the restaurant

Special lunch menu card for the Imme Freundeskreis
The restaurant had even a special Imme menu card!

Short before we reached the restaurant another interesting motorcycle joined: a Patria with Imme engine. Patria WKC was originally a bicycle manufacturer in Solingen. In the period 1925-1927 they built motorcycles with Roconova 250 and 350 cc 4-stroke engines. After that they only produced bicycles and mopeds, but from 1949-1952 they resumed building light motorcycles, this time with the 125 cc JLO and the 98 cc Imme engine.
In contrary to the Imme R100, the frame was of conventional construction. To mount the Imme motor a special cast aluminum engine carrier was used, that was mounted on the lower frame tubes.

Patria motorcycle with 98cc Imme engine
The Patria with Imme engine

Patria motorcycle with 98cc Imme engine
The Patria had a conventional exhaust system

The Imme engine built in the conventional Patria frame
The Imme engine mounting in the Patria frame

The special enigen carrier to mount the Imme engine in the Patria frame
The cast aluminum engine carrier

After the lunch we drove a few kilometers further to the Burgruine Sulzberg, the remains of an old castle. We were allowed to park the Immes at the foot of the castle, a privilege that other visitors don't have. Also the participants of the Imme meeting that followed by car had to park at the parking, and walk up the hill were the castle is located.

The Burgruine Sulzberg
The Burgruine Sulzberg

Immes arriving at the castle
Immes arriving at the castle - a tough ride over the gravel road

The Immes parked at the foot of the castle
The Immes parked at the foot of the castle

In the ruins we got an extensive tour with nice stories from our tour guide. After that there was coffee and tea with cake.
Unfortunately the weather had changed and it had started to rain when we visited the castle. Therefore the ride back to Immenstadt was through the rain. But all Immes bravely survived and reached Immenstadt riding.
In the evening there was a pleasant evening in Gasthof Engel, off course with a lot of talking about motorcycles, especially the Immes.

One of the club members made a nice video of the ride (total length around 12 minutes):

Obviously the Imme Freundeskreis meeting had also drawn the attention of the local press. In the "Allgäur Anzeigeblatt", located in Immenstadt, a short article about the meeting was published:

Article about the Imme Freundeskreis meeting in the Allgäuer Anzeigeblatt

Later in our holiday we visited the local museum in Immenstadt. And off course you can find something about the Imme there!
As advertisement stunt the factory let a few of its works-riders ride up the highest mountain near Immenstadt, the 1738 m high Grünten. This is nicely represented in the museum, with an exhibition of 2 Immes driving up a hill over a gravel road:

The Imme exhibition in the Immenstadt Museum

The Imme exhibition in the Immenstadt Museum
Some explanation about the Imme history,
the middle picture shows an Imme arriving at the top of the Grünten

The Imme exhibition in the Immenstadt Museum

 

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