PONY

Pony mopeds - Swiss cultural heritage on two wheels

header-image-pony-2259× 1040

The mopeds from Feuerthalen with the emblem of the lively little horse have been part of the typical Swiss street scene since the 1960s. Even if the two-wheelers have become somewhat rarer in recent years, Pony mopeds are still being built today, while Puch, Piaggio and other renowned manufacturers have long since ceased production. Let us take a closer look at this somewhat different and unusual manufacturer.

Seat
flag_swissSwitzerland, Feuerthalen
Status
Active
Foundation1961
logo_pony-mk1

Swissness at its best

Swiss knives, Swiss watches and Swiss tools are synonymous worldwide with unique quality, maximum precision and indestructible durability. The last point in particular also applies to the Swiss moped manufacturer Amsler & Co. From 1961 to the present day, mopeds have been built at the company headquarters in Feuerthalen using genuine craftsmanship. A specific calmness and impressive continuity are also reflected in the model range. The mopeds sold under the Pony Motos brand have only been available in two model variants since the start of production: the Pony Cross moped and the Pony GTX moped. These models have been built in almost unchanged form since the start of production. But for all its tranquillity, the moped manufacturer Amsler & Co has a long and rather eventful company history, which tells a lot about iron willpower, Swiss engineering skills and the little guy standing up to the big guy.

Inox
swiing® revival front fender Inox | Pony GTX, GTA (P1586)
undefined

For: Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18277

swiing® revival front fender Inox | Pony GTX, GTA (P1586)

Manufacturer: swiing® revival parts · Material: Chrome steel (colloquially known as stainless steel) · Surface: polished · Color: Chrome · Wheel size: 17 " · Folding the ends: closed folded · Shape of the mudguard: partly round · Total length over ends: 560 mm · Scope: 705 mm · Wide mudguard profile: 88 mm · Height of mudguard profile: 32 mm · Total height from support surface to top edge: 180 mm · Mounting type: Nuts & bolts · Pony OEM number: P1586

EUR 67.30

Michelin 80/90 x 16" Pilot Street Semi-Slick tires
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Piaggio · Tomos · Alpa Chopper / Turbo · Cilo

18287

Michelin 80/90 x 16" Pilot Street Semi-Slick tires

Inventory-managed: No · Manufacturer: Michelin · Tire width [mm]: 80 · Color: black · Wheel size: 16 " · Tire height [%]: 90 · Old designation: 20 x 3 " · Speed index: S = 180 km/h · Load capacity index: 48 = 180 kg · Profile type: Pilot Street · Tire type: Semi-slick · White wall: No · Tubeless (yes/no): Tubeless TL (tubeless insert) · Tubeless (yes/no): Tubetype TT (requires hose)

EUR 73.40

EBC brake shoes Ø 95 x 20 | Cilo 514
undefined

For: Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18171

EBC brake shoes Ø 95 x 20 | Cilo 514

Manufacturer: EBC · Ø drum: 95 mm · Number of springs: 2 pcs · Springs included: Yes · Width: 20 mm

EUR 36.70

Nos
Magura grip tube old version NOS
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Zündapp Belmondo

18195

Magura grip tube old version NOS

Manufacturer: Magura · Material: Plastic · Color: black · Color: gray

EUR 41.60

Front fender black | Pony Cross Beta 521 (P8130S)
undefined

For: Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18295

Front fender black | Pony Cross Beta 521 (P8130S)

Manufacturer: Pony · Material: Plastic · Color: black

EUR 26.60

Bellows Ø 26/36 x 205 | Pony (P8212) /
undefined

For: Universal · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18378

Bellows Ø 26/36 x 205 | Pony (P8212) /

Manufacturer: Pony · Material: Rubber · Color: black · Ø inside: 26 mm · Ø inside 2: 36 mm · Total length: 205 mm

EUR 12.10

Nos
Magura grip Old School 22 mm gray NOS
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18572

Magura grip Old School 22 mm gray NOS

Manufacturer: Magura · Material: Rubber · Color: gray · Ø inside: 22 mm

EUR 28.10

Saddle "PONY" lettering low black
undefined

For: Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18225

Saddle "PONY" lettering low black

Manufacturer: Made in Portugal · Color: black · Spring-loaded: Yes · Lettering: Yes · Total length: 300 mm · Width: 250 mm · Height: 80 mm

EUR 73.40

Continental 2.50 x 17" tires KKS
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Piaggio · Zündapp Belmondo · Bye Bike

18252

Continental 2.50 x 17" tires KKS

Inventory-managed: No · Manufacturer: Continental · Tire width: 2.5 " · Tire width [mm]: 63.5 · Width: 2 1/2 " · Wheel size: 17 " · Old designation: 21 x 2.5 " · Speed index: B = 50 km/h · Load capacity index: 43 = 155 kg · Profile type: KKS 10 · Tire type: Allround · Color: black · White wall: No · Tubeless (yes/no): Tubetype TT (requires hose)

EUR 76.60

Continental 2.75 x 17" tires KKS
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Piaggio · Bye Bike

18253

Continental 2.75 x 17" tires KKS

Inventory-managed: No · Manufacturer: Continental · Tire width: 2.75 " · Tire width [mm]: 69.85 · Color: black · Width: 2 3/4 " · Wheel size: 17 " · Old designation: 21 x 2.75 " · Speed index: J = 100 km/h · Load capacity index: 47 = 175 kg · Profile type: KKS 10 · Tire type: Allround · White wall: No · Tubeless (yes/no): Tubetype TT (requires hose)

EUR 91.80

HPI flywheel (Bosch / Ducati)
undefined

For: Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Zündapp Belmondo · DKW · Hercules · Kreidler · Zündapp · KTM · Rixe

18358

HPI flywheel (Bosch / Ducati)

Manufacturer: HPI · Material: Steel · Direction of rotation: left · Direction of rotation: right · Weight: 337 g · Ø cone small inside: 10.9 mm · Ø cone large inside: 15.8 mm · Cone length: 28 mm · Cone ratio: 1:5 · Ø Flywheel outside: 71.5 mm · Thread type: MF27x1 LH (fine/left-hand thread)

EUR 117.50

Carburetor revision set Dell'Orto SHA Type 3 carburetor (reproduction)

For: Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Piaggio

18496

Carburetor revision set Dell'Orto SHA Type 3 carburetor (reproduction)

Component group Carburetor: Sealing, revising · Carburetor type: SHA (Piaggio)

EUR 14.60

Saddle "PONY" lettering black
undefined

For: Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18226

Saddle "PONY" lettering black

Manufacturer: Made in Portugal · Color: black · Spring-loaded: Yes · Lettering: Yes · Total length: 300 mm · Width: 250 mm · Height: 110 mm

EUR 73.40

Michelin 80/90 x 17" Pilot Street Semi-Slick tires
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Piaggio · Zündapp Belmondo · Bye Bike

18228

Michelin 80/90 x 17" Pilot Street Semi-Slick tires

Inventory-managed: No · Manufacturer: Michelin · Tire width [mm]: 80 · Tire height [%]: 90 · Wheel size: 17 " · Old designation: 21 x 3 " · Speed index: S = 180 km/h · Load capacity index: 50 = 190 kg · Profile type: Pilot Street · Tire type: Semi-slick · Color: black · White wall: No · Tubeless (yes/no): Tubeless TL (tubeless insert) · Tubeless (yes/no): Tubetype TT (requires hose)

EUR 73.40

Continental 2.75 x 16" tires KKS
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512) · Piaggio · Tomos · Alpa Chopper / Turbo · Cilo

18342

Continental 2.75 x 16" tires KKS

Inventory-managed: No · Manufacturer: Continental · Tire width: 2.75 " · Tire width [mm]: 69.85 · Width: 2 3/4 " · Color: black · Wheel size: 16 " · Old designation: 20 x 2.75 " · Speed index: J = 100 km/h · Load capacity index: 46 = 170 kg · Profile type: KKS 10 · Tire type: Allround · White wall: No · Tubeless (yes/no): Tubetype TT (requires hose)

EUR 85.70

Nos
Magura grip Old School 22 mm ivory
undefined

For: Universal · Puch · Sachs · Pony / Cilo (Beta 521 & 512)

18588

Magura grip Old School 22 mm ivory

Manufacturer: Magura · Material: Rubber · Color: beige · Color: cream · Color: ivory · Ø inside: 22 mm

EUR 18.30

Page 1 of 71

Wayward company foundation

The former company founder Carl Theodor Amsler was born in 1825 as the son of a doctor in the Swiss town of Schinznach. After finishing school, the young Carl Theodor emigrated to America and founded his first company there, which manufactured optical and mathematical instruments. His company is successful and expands, and it seems as if Carl Theodor Amsler is experiencing the proverbial American Dream. But fate had a different plan in store for him and struck mercilessly. His factory in Philadelphia is completely destroyed in a devastating fire, Carl Theodor Amsler loses almost his entire fortune trying to rebuild it and returns to his old home almost penniless. But even though his first factory was destroyed in the flames, his entrepreneurial spirit and proverbial Swiss tenacity remained unbroken.

story-image-1-pony-1500 ×1000

New start and entry into the bicycle business

In 1865, he embarked on a new endeavour and founded a factory for fire extinguishers on the site of today's moped forge in Feuerthalen. Business was good again. Amsler & Co therefore begins to look for new business areas and expands its product range. As a result, Amsler was already travelling on two wheels by 1890, when the company entered the bicycle component business. Around 1900, the first contact was made with a German entrepreneur whose name is certainly recognised by every moped enthusiast: Ernst Sachs. The connection between Sachs and Amsler & Co, which began here, lasted for many years. It was not for nothing that the Pony-Cross mopeds and Pony-GTX mopeds were fitted with Sachs 503 engines at the factory in the 1960s. But more on that later. The company negotiated skilfully in 1903 and secured exclusive distribution for the ‘Torpedo freewheel hub’, a Sachs patent, for Switzerland. This rear wheel hub was a real bestseller and a veritable goldmine for the company from Feuerthalen. As a result of this first co-operation with Sachs, Amsler focused exclusively on the production and sale of bicycle components. However, business success did not always favour the company in the difficult 1930s and 1940s. In the period up to the end of the Second World War, Swiss bicycle manufacturers also had to overcome hard times. However, it is clear from the company's history that consistency, perseverance and tenacity were part of the DNA of the later moped manufacturer. This is how the company survived even these economically difficult decades.

story-image-2-pony-1500 ×1000

Mopeds are finally being built

From the 1950s onwards, the manufacturer returned to calmer waters and prospered. When the moped was about to start its triumphal march on Swiss roads, the future moped manufacturer reacted with lightning speed. In 1961, as soon as the motorbike class was officially approved in Swiss road traffic law, Feuerthalen was also at the starting line with pony mopeds. This early launch of the Pony mopeds proved to be a decisive advantage over the tough and actually overpowering competition from foreign moped manufacturers such as Piaggio, Puch and Tomos. The Swiss market was highly competitive during the onset of the moped boom in the 1960s, but as the Pony mopeds were there right from the start, a regular clientele quickly formed. The Pony-Cross and Pony-GTX mopeds, which were somewhat more simply equipped than the competitor models, also won over customers with their robustness and favourable price.

story-image-3-pony-1500 ×1000

What's under the Pony saddle?

The technical specifications of the two models have only changed marginally over the years; even the first Pony mopeds were powered by a fan-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke engine with 49 cm3 and an output of 1.2 hp or 0.88 kW. Initially, Sachs engines were used for Pony mopeds. Since the end of small engine production in Schweinfurt, the mopeds have been fitted as standard with an engine from the Italian company Betamotor. Then, as now, a Dell'Orto SHA 13.11 carburettor provided the ignitable mixture. Both models have identical engines and differ technically only in a few minor details such as the chain sprocket or tyres. Although the small but powerful steeds are no longer quite as affordable as they were when they were launched in 1961, they are still just as robust, frugal and endearing.

story-image-4-pony-1500 ×1000
footer-image-1-pony-2259 × 1040

The Ponys are still there!

Although a small moped manufacturer like Amsler could not and cannot completely do without suppliers from abroad when building its mopeds, Amsler mopeds still stand for the proverbial Swiss quality. To this day, no cheap parts from the Far East are used. As already mentioned, the 503 engine of the mopeds came from Sachs in Schweinfurt and numerous add-on parts and speedometers came from the Austrian vehicle manufacturer KTM. For a while, the Cross and GTX motorbikes were even completely assembled in the KTM factories in Austria. However, the assembly of the two-wheelers now takes place entirely in Feuerthalen again and many of the former co-operation partners are long gone or have given up the moped division. Only in Feuerthalen are mopeds still assembled. The supposedly small Swiss moped manufacturer obviously has the staying power and is keeping a wonderful piece of Swiss history alive.

story-image-5-pony-1500 ×1000

Popular PONY themes

#MOFAKULT #LIVINGICON

Freedom has never felt greater, joy never stronger — than at 30 km/h with the breeze as your companion.

  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn