Over on my auction site we’ve got a bike I’ve been waiting years to feature – if you can actually call it a “bike.” Meet the Krauser Domani! I’m in love…
Though the Krauser name is most often associated with luggage, its founder (Mike Krauser) was also a highly successful sidecar racer for the works BMW team. In fact, he won the German championship four consecutive times starting in 1955. Armed with this experience, Krauser built two motorcycles. One was the MKM 1000, the other was a sidecar called the Domani that utilized a inline four engine.
The MKM 1000 (left) is not included in this auction.
We say “sidecar” but really this was more of a trike as the “sidecar” was structurally integrated and could not be separated. The rigid steel frame was much stiffer than a typical sidecar setup and allowed for more efficient use of space (like placing the radiator in front of the sidecar for better airflow):
The Domani features independent suspension with double wishbones on the 15″ rear wheels and a hub-center steering setup for the 14″ front wheel.
Krauser used different BMW inline four engines throughout the production run, final bikes (like the one offered here) were equipped with the ~130 horsepower motor from a BMW K1200 (124EA).
275 Domanis were built in total, most of which were sold in Europe and Japan.
This example (VIN: 4990262) is on offer from a dealer in Holland who acquired it from the original owner in Japan earlier this year. It has just 3,264 miles and was recently given a comprehensive service (including a ~60 mile test ride).
Find this Domani for sale in Watering, Holland with bidding up to $21,000 here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions.
Disclosure: Bike-urious is a partner in Iconic Motorbikes.