The Sachs story began in Schweinfurt in 1895, when Ernst Sachs and Karl Fichtel founded a precision company that made ball bearings and, soon afterwards, the clutches fitted to countless early motorcycles. Fichtel and Sachs grew into one of Germany's great component suppliers, and its engines and drivetrain parts appeared under many different marque names across Europe.

After the Second World War the company's small two-stroke engines became among the most widely used moped power units on the continent, fitted to machines from dozens of makers. Its own complete motorcycles, built under the Hercules name acquired in the 1960s, gave the group a full vehicle range, and in the modern era Sachs Bikes produced distinctive machines such as the MadAss.

A Sachs manual is equally useful for servicing a complete machine or an engine installed in another manufacturer's frame. Coverage includes two-stroke top-end and bottom-end work, clutch and gearbox service, carburettor and ignition settings, and, where the manual covers a full motorcycle or moped, the electrics with wiring diagrams. Torque specifications, wear limits and lubrication requirements are given throughout.

Moped restorers, owners of Sachs-powered machines and workshops handling mixed European stock find this documentation essential. Precise specifications and clear assembly instructions keep classic German engineering working exactly as it was built to, and help identify exactly which engine variant is fitted before any work begins.