1951 DKW RT125 - With DKW to the Zugspitz

With DKW to the Zugspitze: The DKW RT125 is the first motorcycle to conquer Germany's Hochstenberg – a masterpiece like never before.

DKW RT125 Dutch Brochure

French Brochure: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2026/03/1951-dkw-rt125-200-french-brochure.html
English Brochure: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2026/03/1951-dkw-rt125-200-english-brochure.html
German Brochure: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2026/02/1951-dkw-rt125-and-200.html

1951 DKW RT125 and 200

1968 Wartburg Knight Estate - English Brochure

East Germany attempted to break into western automobile markets as early as 1948 with export versions of the former DKW F8 car. Initially this was successful as Auto-Union-DKW was struggling to establish itself in West Germany and did not have the resources to restart their own automobile production. However, once DKW was re-established in the 1950s, it initiated legal action against the East Germans for patent violation. Ultimately, this led VEB-IFA to withdraw from the major western markets. Once newer vehicles entered the East German market, such as the Wartburg and Trabant, the East Germans tried again. Both the Wartburg and Trabant managed to gain a toe-hold in Britain due to their very low price, but were never a significant competitor to English or continental brands.

It was only after DKW was replaced by Audi in 1965, that a new crack opened up for the East Germans in Britain. As in Germany, there was a hard-core remnant of customers who were steadfast in their enthusiasm for two-strokes. VEB-Wartburg had continued the development of DKW's two-stroke motor heritage and their new 353 Wartburg Knight was powered by a 1000cc triple cylinder two stroke, with an output of 50 horsepower. These cars were not primitive in the manner of the post-war predecessors; they were modern, with excellent fittings, and for sale at an extremely reasonable price. The Knight Estate was particularly popular due to its utility. I know of former owners who fondly remember this car as 'the best car they ever owned' - in the 1980s.


British DKW Club reviews:
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-july-1971.html
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-sept-nov-1971.html
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-april-june-1971.html
https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2019/08/two-stroke-june-1973.html

1938 DKW SB350 Restoration Update - February 2026

It's been a while since I wrote about my DKW SB350 restoration. In March 2025, after I got the bike back from Kim's, I took it on a couple of short rides, including taking it to Arthur Grady Day in Fremantle on 17 March. The bikes performance was quite mediocre. First gear was nearly useless and speed was slow. I decoked the exhausts, which reduced smoke but that did not improve riding performance. When I first rode it, it would fire up after only a few kicks, but now it became increasingly difficult to start. Consulting with other owners online, I was advised that the gearbox oil/grease mixture described in the original owners manual was too thin and would cause the cork and steel plates to slip. This also explained the poor traction in first and second gear, so I obtained the recommended lubricant - semi-solid grease from Penrite - drained the gearbox and refilled it.

My bike looks pretty shabby, but the engine cases are polished up.

Semi-solid grease is exactly like it says on the tin - think and goopy. The immediate effect was that kick starting improved, so it seems there is more traction on the cork and steel plates. However, gear changing became impossible. One of the problems that Kim and Wayne had highlighted early on was the replacement clutch cable I had purchased at the start of the project did not fit the bike, being almost a foot too short. Why are so many replacement parts crap?!! We reused the original clutch cable, which fortunately had tension adjusters at the top and bottom. that allowed me to get the right tension, but being old and stretched, it would slip and loosen very quickly. This exacerbated another problem - the worn out clutch spindle. Here is a video showing how worn out it was.

When the clutch cable is tight, the spindle is held in place, but as the cable stretches, the spindle wobbles all over the place. The problem is that there are almost NO spares for this part. I was searching for a NOS part for almost six months before I managed to get my hands on one. It was very expensive but.... what can you do?

An engineering company in Germany has subsequently begun manufacturing this part. They can now be purchased through ebay.de.

Link to the shop: https://www.ebay.de/itm/127467977064

I also bought another clutch cable, which turned out to fit correctly this time. I've put the bike back in Kim's hands to put it all back together. Hopefully this will sort it out - crossed fingers!

Previous update: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2025/05/1938-dkw-sb350-restoration-update-coal.html

Update 28 February 2026
Kim sorted out the clutch - one of the discs needed re-corking as the height of the corks on one disc was insufficient. The spindle and the new cable made a big difference but then the kick start spring snapped. Kim found that drive sprocket was worn and loose. There was also play in the crankshaft, so we agreed that we'll pull the engine out, strip it down and rebuild it. I had assumed the engine had been rebuilt when I bought it but it seems it was only recommissioned. There you go! More update to follow.

Automobiles of Eisenach