• Johann Puch began manufacturing motorcycles in Austria in 1889. He officially launched a company in 1903 that also produced bicycles and automobiles. The company released its first scooter -- the Puch 500 -- in 1957. Puch's enterprise underwent a number of mergers, including one in 1928 when it merged with Austro-Daimler. In 1934, Austro-Daimler-Puchwerkwe merged again with Steyr AG forming the Steyr-Daimler-Puch company. Puch closed in 1987 when it was acquired by Piaggio.
  
  

E50 Engine Specifications

• The Puch Maxi series was outfitted with either a two-speed ZA50 engine or a one-speed E50 engine; both used automatic transmissions. The E50 engines were able to produce varying power, depending on the version. These engines produced less than two horsepower, but by de-restricting the exhaust pipe and the engine airbox, the 1.5-horsepower E50 could be converted into a 2-horsepower engine.
  
  

Puch Maxi Series

• The Puch Maxi moped series replaced the old Puch MV50 series. These mopeds were equipped with the first engine to use a centrifugal clutch mechanism. All models from the Maxi series used the E50 engine. Maxi was released in a number of variants such as Maxi N, Maxi S, Maxi E, Maxi P, Maxi K, Maxi GS and Maxi S. The Maxi N was designed with a rigid frame and lacked a speedometer. The Maxi S was the more common commuter version and it was equipped with a full suspension. The Maxi Sport was released in 1977; it generated 1.50 horsepower at 4,500 rpm and 1.5 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm.
  
  

Puch VZ50 3P Models

• Puch released the VZ50 3P models in 1973 and 1975. Both used the early E50 engine and had very similar specifications. The 1975 model was slightly more powerful, generating 3.25 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, compared to the 1973, which put out 3.20 horsepower at 4,800 rpm. The 1973 VZ50 achieved a maximum of 5,000 rpm, while, the 1975 model achieved 5,500 rpm. The compression ratio was 9.0-to-1 on the 1975 model and 9.5-to-1 on the 1973 model. Both used a carburetor and a magneto ignition system.