DKW RT 125 2 - Specifications & Review

Company History

DKW—Dampf-Kraft-Wagen—was once the world’s largest motorcycle maker and a pillar of Auto Union (the ancestor of Audi). Founded by J. S. Rasmussen, the brand specialized in light, affordable two-strokes that mobilized interwar and postwar Europe. Its most influential design, the RT 125, became a template copied or licensed globally after WWII: BSA Bantam in Britain, Harley-Davidson Hummer in the U.S., and M1A in the USSR. Simple, rugged, and inexpensive to run, the RT 125 democratized riding and seeded mechanical know-how in garages everywhere. DKW also pushed racing two-strokes, experimenting with supercharging and advanced porting before war and politics reshaped the industry. After the war, East and West German successors carried parts of the lineage, while Auto Union focused increasingly on automobiles. Historically, DKW’s imprint is outsized: it proved that intelligent simplicity at scale can change how nations move, and that a well-drawn 125 can be worth more to society than the fastest exotic. Enthusiasts treasure surviving models for their mechanical transparency—piston-port thrum, hand-shift charm—and for the way they connect to a century-old design conversation that still echoes in every modern small two-stroke.