Dkw

[wheelinround]

Anyone here heard or seen of DKW? These are pre-Audi as known today. Last year at a garbage/diseased sale i got the pleasure of viewing 3 of these vehicles much in need of full restoration. The gent had emassed a vast hoard of additional parts, motors, gear boxes, panels etc etc. By the end of that viewing I'd been offered to buy them, sadly I had to decline not able to store or an area large enough to work on them. Oh yeh and health.
I found out latter they had been sold.
Yesterday i discovered it was the grandson who had purchased them and due to constraints he now is selling them. I'll post some photos latter and a link.

Ray

[joolstacho]

DKW made some very handy motorbikes, including some very successful racing machines.

[wheelinround]

DKW made some very handy motorbikes, including some very successful racing machines.The 3 units are 1 a ute, 2 a 2 seater sports type 3 is a sedan if i recall.

[franco]

I remember the cars well. Early in WW2 the small sedans were not uncommon on Sydney streets, but disappeared quite quickly, presumably because of a lack of available spare parts. They had some unconventional features including a twin cylinder two stroke engine which gave them a very distinctive sound. For some reason I seem to remember them in a light yellow and black two tone colour scheme - I don't know whether this was a standard finish for the model, or whether I only happened to see this colour combination more frequently. The model I am referring to is in the first photo here:

Heinkel Scooter Project: Surviving Auto-Union Cars in Australia (http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2012/05/dkws-in-perth.html)

About 1948 I considered buying one to restore because they were very cheap, but my father strongly advised against it on the grounds that spare parts would be absolutely unavailable for the foreseeable future. I suspect that his opinion might have been influenced also by the fact that he had recently spent two years fighting the Germans in Africa! I eventually settled for an early Austin 7, in retrospect a much more sensible choice.

Frank.

[Abratool]

I remember the cars well. Early in WW2 the small sedans were not uncommon on Sydney streets, but disappeared quite quickly, presumably because of a lack of available spare parts. They had some unconventional features including a twin cylinder two stroke engine which gave them a very distinctive sound. For some reason I seem to remember them in a light yellow and black two tone colour scheme - I don't know whether this was a standard finish for the model, or whether I only happened to see this colour combination more frequently. The model I am referring to is in the first photo here:

Heinkel Scooter Project: Surviving Auto-Union Cars in Australia (http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2012/05/dkws-in-perth.html)

About 1948 I considered buying one to restore because they were very cheap, but my father strongly advised against it on the grounds that spare parts would be absolutely unavailable for the foreseeable future. I suspect that his opinion might have been influenced also by the fact that he had recently spent two years fighting the Germans in Africa! I eventually settled for an early Austin 7, in retrospect a much more sensible choice.

Frank.
Just interested in the model & year of the Austin 7 car that you had.
My first car was a 1938 big 7 & I often wish I still had it, learnt I lot about engines & repairs from that car.
Bruce

[franco]

Just interested in the model & year of the Austin 7 car that you had.
My first car was a 1938 big 7 & I often wish I still had it, learnt I lot about engines & repairs from that car.
Bruce

Hi Bruce,

I had two.The first, a very rough one, was probably 1924 or early 1925 - never could date it accurately. It had been driven into the ground, and required a complete body-off three year restoration. It was definitely a non-runner due to a broken torque tube and stripped crown wheel. It had a speedo driven by a round leather belt from a pulley behind the gearbox, deeply dished steering wheel and small, low radiator, all of which had disappeared by about 1926 if I remember correctly. It also lacked the chassis extensions fitted about 1925 to stop the back seat from sagging down when used loaded in harsh road conditions. (It had)! Like you, I learned a lot from this one.

The second one was a well cared for 1929 roadster, which had collapsed a back wheel and rolled on top of the owner, breaking his arm. After straightening out the bodywork this proved to be an excellent vehicle - wish I still had it - probably would have trouble getting in and out of it now though! About ten years after I sold it in 1953 I saw it driving around in Sydney while I was there on holidays. By then they were becoming collectable. I often wonder if it survived?

Frank.

Apologies for wandering off topic.

F.

[wheelinround]

I thought I had taken photos myself :B:doh: here is the link to the FB sale


(https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/667267774177796)

[Hunch]

DKW made some very handy motorbikes, including some very successful racing machines.

They also made some pretty poorly engineered ones. A mate had the misfortune to buy an MX bike with Sachs/DKW 125 2 stroke installed back in the day....less said the better!

[jhovel]

They were very common in Germany in my childhood and youth. I've driven quite a few of them that were "student cars". They were 3-cylinder 2 strokes - the last one about 90Hp and they went very well. Their sound at high revs were the most objectionable issue about them. They were quite god cars and very comfortable for the time. I'm talking 1950s and 60s here, not 30s or 40s.
By the way, the transition from DKW ("Deutsche Kraftwagen Werke") to "Auto Union" in the 60s and then "Audi" in the 70s is quite a good story to read.

[wheelinround]

Thats intetresting info and history.
The day I saw these (last year) I was impressed, Sue must have felt my heart beating faster as she stood behind me. Putting her hand on my shoulder as I was told all could be mine if I wished by the son & daughter who was selling them.
Oh to have the room shed and physical ability the bank account to bring them back to life.

[joolstacho]

At one stage DKW made a 'Split-Single' from memory (I should have guggled it!), it was a 'nominally' single cylinder 2-stroke, but with another cylinder in tandem that effectively Supercharged the main pot.

[wheelinround]

To think these peasant worker vehicles have become what they are today. DiL has an A3

[jhovel]

At one stage DKW made a 'Split-Single' from memory (I should have guggled it!), it was a 'nominally' single cylinder 2-stroke, but with another cylinder in tandem that effectively Supercharged the main pot.

They certainly did. As did many 2-stroke manufacturers in the early 50s: Tornax, Puch, German Triumph, Victoria, NSU and others. I had and rode a Puch 250 2-cylinder single combustion chamber and a 125 Victoria of similar design from the 40s...

[shedhappens]

They also made some pretty poorly engineered ones. A mate had the misfortune to buy an MX bike with Sachs/DKW 125 2 stroke installed back in the day....less said the better!

G/day Hunch, I have a 1972 Sachs/DKW dirt squirter, I bought it in about 1974, 6 speed g/box, radial head cooling fins, Earles type f/end.
It was a g8 bike in its day in the bush and on the track, the ONLY problem it had was the motoplat magneto ignition (made in spain).
I used to ride this bike against Bultaco, ossa, DT1 yam's, Honda elsinors ect and it was very often at the front of the pack on the bush tracks and particularly in the very steep and rough terrain, for a 125 it was well respected by the other blokes who were often dodging the rocks that it spat at them.

I am assuming that your mate didn't mix his fuel correctly and nipped it up? I say this as I knew 2 other young blokes that had these bikes and the only complaints were the dodgy spanish ignition.....

[Hunch]

G/day Hunch, I have a 1972 Sachs/DKW dirt squirter, I bought it in about 1974, 6 speed g/box, radial head cooling fins, Earles type f/end.
It was a g8 bike in its day in the bush and on the track, the ONLY problem it had was the motoplat magneto ignition (made in spain).
I used to ride this bike against Bultaco, ossa, DT1 yam's, Honda elsinors ect and it was very often at the front of the pack on the bush tracks and particularly in the very steep and rough terrain, for a 125 it was well respected by the other blokes who were often dodging the rocks that it spat at them.

I am assuming that your mate didn't mix his fuel correctly and nipped it up? I say this as I knew 2 other young blokes that had these bikes and the only complaints were the dodgy spanish ignition.....


Biggest problem I think was it tended to have a box full of neutrals - normally encountered at the worst possible time too. Seem to remember a shift drum modification or an undercutting operation was the cure? About the only comparable gearbox I can remember that was on a similar plane, was on a montessa - but you could half expect that from the spanish! I will say I did have lust in my heart and would have overlooked any issues, after I saw a picture of a monarch 125 in one of the mags in the mid 70s with that engine installed. Just as well there was no distributor in Oz to tempt me!

I don't ever remember the Motoplats ever being more troublesome than the Jap bike equivalents I had back in the day either. Between a pursang, a converted CZ and I think the last 1980 maico I had, which all must have been that brand CDI, I don't recall doing anything beyond swapping in a plug occasionally.

[nadroj]

DKW RT125 of the 1940s was copied as the BSA Bantam.
To have gear foot lever on the conventional British side, it was made a mirror-image from the original German layout.

No royalties were paid as it was done under war reparation rules.
The Volkswagen Beetle design was also on offer, but turned down by allied nations.

I'm currently trying to get a friend's 1954 DKW RT250 to start and idle reliably, an elusive challenge.
It goes nicely once on the road though.

[shedhappens]

Biggest problem I think was it tended to have a box full of neutrals - normally encountered at the worst possible time too. Seem to remember a shift drum modification or an undercutting operation was the cure?

Yeah I have to agree the g/box was a bit hit and miss, although once you got used to it then it was not often that it would miss a gear, you had to push or lift the lever and hold it for a split second if dawdling around, clutchless gear changes when flogging it always got your gear. :D