DKW...or, Dampf Kraft Wagen. A German crafted motorcycle with quite a history.
DKW started out as a factory that produced steam fittings. It's owner, Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, started the factory in Saxony Germany back in 1916. In that same year, Rasmussen tried to make a steam driven car engine. He was unsuccessful in the endeavor, but by 1917 Rasmussen had made a two stroke toy engine which he called, called Des Knaben Wunsch — "a boy's desire".
Rasmussen played around with this engine, and decided to put it into a bicycle frame, calling this newly designed bicycle: Das Kleine Wunder — "a little marvel".
The automotive world considers this move to be the true start of the DKW brand. DKW and it's motorcycle engine had become the world's most popular motorcycle, thrusting DKW into the leadership in motorcycle manufacturing.
By 1932, DKW became known as Auto Union, having joined forces with Audi, Horch and Wanderer. By 1957 Daimler-Benz bought the Auto Union brand continuing building motorycles until they sold the rights to the Volkswagon Group in 1964.
During the war years, DKW produced very famous models such as the RT 125 pre- and post World War II. After the end of World War II, it was decided that the design drawings for their two stroke engine would be doled out to Harley Davidson and BSA, this was a punishment to Germany, and was to be used as reparations. I guess it's true, "to the victor go the spoils." The HD version of the engine was known as the Hummer, and BSA called theirs the Bantam. Both of these engines are known to me, so I would guess they did pretty good off the engine designs from DKW.
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