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Here, in Part 1, you can follow the development of the new light motorcycle class that was passed by lawmakers at the end of the 1970s and introduced on April 1, 1980 (new driving license regulations) and January 1, 1981 (start of registration). The legal requirements were: acquisition of the new 1b driving license and the technical specifications for the LKRs, which were: 80 cc, top speed 80 km/h, and max. speed 6000 rpm when maximum power is reached. The aim was to keep the number of accidents, noise pollution and, incidentally, foreign suppliers (mainly the Japanese) away from the struggling German manufacturers. For example, the lawmakers were well informed about the technical experience of Honda technicians with regard to small four-stroke engines, which inevitably had to deliver power at speeds higher than 6000 rpm. This was also due to the internationally rather unusual engine capacity of 80 cc (125 cc was the norm internationally). Ultimately, a very large variety of manufacturers flooded the German market with their models, often with stripped-down 125cc models that were designed more as motorcycles from the start. These circumstances and also business errors, as well as the rapidly increasing number of accidents and the resulting rapidly rising insurance premiums sealed the fate of the larger West German manufacturers; only Hercules survived for a few more years. Nevertheless, the Japanese established themselves in this class with technical advantages (separate lubrication, diaphragm intake control, etc.) and the price of their well-equipped mopeds. The boom quickly leveled off by the mid-1980s, only to pick up speed again a few years later with the introduction of the 125cc regulation.