Our bolts last a lifetime
Andre Schmidt is firmly attached to KAMAX since his apprenticeship. Even in his spare time, vehicles are a part of him. As a motorcycle fan and real tinkerer, he brought an almost forgotten barn find back to life – and had a special surprise in the process.
When he discovered the completely filthy and rusted vehicle at a collector’s in his hometown a few years ago, he couldn’t resist. “I had never heard of the brand before,” says the current automation engineer at Tools & Equipment. What was important to him was the look and that the bike had two exhaust pipes. However, he didn’t realize for a long time how much work he would have to do on it. “I worked on it off and on, but it took over three years to get it to the current state.”
A converted old pig pen on his parents’ farm serves as the workshop. The passion for manual work originates from this. “I helped my father early on with the maintenance of the various machines at a very early age. I knew how to weld even before I started my apprenticeship” says the father of two. At the age of 17 he began his training as a mechatronics technician at KAMAX in 2004, then attended technical school in Frankfurt before returning to KAMAX Tools & Equipment.
Andre Schmidt’s motorcycle before repair.
Number plate of the occupation zone
Installed KAMAX bolts, which employees of ours made at a time when most KXpress readers were not even born yet.
PAINSTAKING DETAIL WORK
His favorite two-wheeler is a Victoria KR 25 Aero from 1951 [the brand was taken over by Hercules in 1966]. When Andre Schmidt bought it for € 800, it had a capital engine failure and was completely rusted. He painstakingly salvaged all the parts he could and bought only a few additional ones, such as the exhaust. “That’s where the restoration would have cost many times more than a well-used car.” Once he had removed most of the dirt and rust from the engine, a special feature came to light: original KAMAX bolts!
These parts are still in use over 70 years later, proof that our products last a lifetime and, in a way, also a mandate to us to always maintain this level of quality!
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