In 1922, when the Zschopauer Motorenwerke built their first motorcycle, the DKW brand was best known as a toy or auxiliary bicycle engine maker. The two-stroke engine had a very bad reputation as it was considered to be unreliable and, due to its high fuel consumption, very uneconomical. For this reason, there were only a few two-stroke motorcycle manufacturers in Germany. Given the two-stroke’s reputation, it would appear unwise to start production of DKW two-stroke machines, and yet Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen and his employees managed to improve the efficiency of the two-stroke engine so comprehensively as to eliminate former prejudices! But not only that, he also managed to make DKW the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer with his two-stroke motorcycles in only six years! I would like to show here how he accomplished this incredible feat.
The "Zschopauer Maschinenfabrik", forerunner of the "Zschopauer Motorenwerke", was founded in 1907 by Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen. The company initially dealt with the manufacture of steam boiler fittings. When the First World War broke out in 1914, this company also converted to armaments production, mainly manufacturing Garnet detonators. In addition, they experimented with a steam-powered car, from which the origin of the brand name D.K.W can be traced.
After the war ended, a small two-stroke engine was manufactured. Because of its use as a toy engine, the initials D.K.W were reinterpreted as "The Boy's Wish".
The production of this engine was only a small step for Rasmussen in his search of a lucrative product for his company. Encouraged by the enormous performance and robustness of this small 30 cc toy two-stroke engine, it was realized that a slightly larger two-stroke engine with about 100 cc would have to be suitable for enabling the cyclists to motorize their bikes. In the difficult post-war period, the motorization of an existing bicycle was the cheapest and only way for most people to be motorized.
This strategy would prove to be correct, because despite great prejudices against the two-stroke engine, such as high fuel consumption and poor reliability, the small DKW engine sold extremely well. By early 1922, 20,000 engines had been produced. The auxiliary bicycle motor of 118 ccm and 1 HP output had some special technical features, such as flywheel magneto, external breakers and a gear reduction in the crankcase for a favorable drive belt ratio. These design elements, which significantly increased the reliability of DKWs two-stroke engine, provided convincing arguments and strengthened the confidence of the buyers. Since the auxiliary bicycle motor frequently caused frame breaks on conventional bicycles, from 1922 Rasmussen began manufacturing his own bicycles with a reinforced frame. That was the first step towards motorcycle production!
Spurred on by good sales, the Zschopau DKW works soon started to produce their own motorcycle chassis. The engine was enlarged to 142 cc, which increased its output to 1.5 hp. The engine also received fan cooling.
In 1922 Rasmussen caused a sensation with an extremely unusual vehicle that displayed a variety of highly interesting technical innovations. The Lomos chair bike was far ahead of its time in many details: it had a rear swing arm with telescopic suspension, a front wheel suspension with a short swing arm with telescopic suspension, and a continuously variable transmission ratio through adjustable pulley halves, patented as the ‘Lomos coupling.’
Pipe frames manufactured from of welded sheet metal tubes of electron cast iron were used. The backrest of the sheet steel armchair also served as a fuel tank. The auxiliary motor, enlarged to 142ccm and cooled by a fan and placed under the seat, served as the drive. All in all, the Lomos chair bike was a sensation and a forerunner of the scooter that was so popular in later years. But the time was not yet ripe for this revolutionary vehicle and as the manufacturing effort was very high, only about 2500 Lomos chair bikes were built. Nevertheless, an important corporate goal was achieved with this vehicle: attention was drawn to the Zschopau engine works!
The first DKW motorcycle also appeared in 1922. The design came from the talented engineer Hermann Weber, who had come to Zschopau as head of the design department the same year. Again, the fan-cooled engine with 142 ccm and 1.5 HP was used. It was located in the front triangle of the bike-like frame. The vehicle had no clutch and a manual transmission was not available. Two-speed rear wheel hubs were sometimes installed. The bike had auxiliary pedal drive. After a sensational victory on the ADAC four-day Reichsfahrt from Berlin to Heidelberg, this first DKW motorcycle was given the name "Reichsfahrtmodell". It was a huge sales success; approx. 20,000 vehicles were produced. With the Reichsfahrtmodell the step to motorcycle production was finally made. In the following years, with the significant participation of the chief designer Hermann Weber, new and improved motorcycle types were constantly developed, some of which stood out from the competition thanks to interesting design details.
For example, fan cooling offered a clear advantage over most of the competitors and the ability of DKW two-stroke engines to remain cool under all operating conditions was an important contributor to the company’s success. DKW motorcycles were the first with low-pressure balloon tires, front and rear wheel inner brake, shock absorbers, hot-dip galvanized tank, intake air filter, kick starter, center tilt stand and elastic spring saddle. All of this had a positive impact on sales and DKW grew bigger every day.
The 50,000th DKW engine was produced in 1924. This success was not only due to technical development and mastery of the two-stroke principle, but also the company’s advanced sales and advertising strategies, which were unusual for the time. The young Dr. Carl Hahn came to Zschopau as Rasmussen’s closest aide to relieve him in the sales and advertising sector. Under Dr Hahn’s leadership, the sales department had built up a very large, close-knit sales and service network in the first few years. Even in small towns there were successful and well-functioning DKW dealers. In the area of the Chemnitz general agency alone there were more than 420 dealers and workshops.
Even then, the dealership was obliged to mark the businesses with clearly visible, uniform signs and flags and to use centralised advertising campaigns. Newspaper advertisements had to be placed regularly, the text and size of which were specified by the sales department. The dealers received advertising subsidies, billboards, brochures and all printed matter. They were also obliged to conduct independent advertising campaigns, demonstration trips and exhibitions.
At congresses, the dealerships were motivated, committed to the products and introduced to innovations and the goals of the company. There was also the opportunity to test drive new models. The mechanics were also thought of. They were trained in Zschopau, received a certificate and a corresponding patch for their work clothes. At the time this was unique only to DKW!
The Zschopauer Motorenwerke itself was one of the first motorcycle manufacturers at that time to be found regularly in daily newspapers and advertising magazines. The ads stood out mainly due to their clear and striking statements about technology, quality and performance.
Dr. Carl Hahn (father of the later VW boss in Wolfsburg) also recognized early on the advertising effectiveness of motorsport success. The head of the construction department Hermann Weber, the master of the racing department, Hans Sprung, the later works driver Walfried Winkler, and many others drew attention to the DKW brand with their numerous racing victories and long-distance journeys.
The racing successes were always disseminated to the press and communicated by the Zschopauer Motorenwerke through striking advertisements in newspapers and specialist magazines. When, from 1924, the first racing machines with charge pump engines achieved their sensational victories, DKW motorcycles became known at home and abroad.
A remarkable idea of the sales department triggered a further increase in DKW motorcycle sales in 1925. As a first for a motorcycle factory, prospective buyers were offered the option of paying in installments! For the E 206 family of models, the weekly rate was 10 RM with a down payment of 175 to 200 RM. To assist the small, mostly craft-oriented dealers filling in the partial payment plan required forms and the calculation of the installments, the sales department published the brochure "Instructions for installment deals." In 1928, when a new law exempted motorcycles up to 200 ccm from tax and driver's license, the Zschopauer Motorenwerke was the only motorcycle factory that reacted immediately. The displacement of the E 206 was reduced to 198 ccm and thus the exemption from tax and driving license requirements was achieved. The owners of the already delivered machines were offered an inexpensive conversion kit Sales were the result.
The factory itself also broke new ground. As early as 1925, production was rationalized by replacing the previous production on assembly stands, in favour of assembly line production with the E 206 - the first German motorcycle manufacturer to do so.
In order to be independent of subcontractors and to save their profits in the interest of the customers, Rasmussen decided to manufacture everything that belongs to the finished motorcycle himself. This resulted in a large number of branches and production facilities in which saddles, carburetors, hubs, clutches, brakes, sheet metal parts and much more were produced. The Rasmussen group even had its own light metal and iron foundries.
Rasmussen had already begun manufacturing stationary motors in 1922, which in the following years were also supplied to 62 German motorcycle manufacturers. Due to the lack of their own engines, so-called ready-made wheels were fitted with these DKW units. The success of Zschopau is also very clear in the growth of the number of employees. While in 1922 Zschopau was still working with around 100 people, three years later there were already 1,000 employees. And another three years later, 6000 people worked in Mr. Rasmussen's group of companies!
In 1927, five years after the start of production, the 100,000th motorcycle was manufactured in Zschopau. A year later, in 1928, about 65 percent of German motorcycles were DKW s or were driven by DKW engines. The annual production of 60,000 motorcycles made DKW the largest motorcycle factory in the world in 1928. This entrepreneurial achievement was unprecedented in Germany. Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, with his chief designer Hermann Weber, understood how to further develop and improve the two-stroke engine, which had been ridiculed by the competition. Their technical breakthroughs firmly established the company on firm ground. Then, with the help of his sales manager, Dr. Carl Hahn, Rasmussen was able to implement completely new sales strategies that motivated and excited the DKW dealership, which contributed significantly to the company’s incredible success. In doing so, Rasmussen proved himself a true pioneer.
Originally published in German in the AUVC Magazine Volume 92 March 1998. The original can be found here: https://auvc-archive.blogspot.com/2020/07/auvc-nachrichten-vol-92-march-1998.html
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