Difference between revisions of "DKW RT125"

The '''RT 125''' was a model of [[Two-stroke cycle|two-stroke]] [[motorcycle]] made by [[DKW]] in Zschopau in the 1930s, Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau and [[MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk GmbH|MZ]] in the 1950s and early 1960s, and [[DKW]] in Ingolstadt in the 1950s and 1960s. "RT" stands for "Reichstyp" or "National Model".

In the 1930s DKW pioneered the Schnurle [[Two-stroke cycle|two-stroke]] loop [[scavenging]] process to dispense with the use of a [[deflector piston]] and improve efficiency of the [[combustion chamber]]. DKW also developed a highly efficient arrangement of [[transfer port]]s. These two features were included in the RT 125 to great commercial advantage. Competitor companies such as [[Adler]] and [[TWN]] copied the adoption of flat-topped pistons and strove to develop equally transfer port arrangements without infringing DKW's patent.

The RT 125 is probably the most copied motorcycle of all time. After World War II the Soviet Union took plans, tooling and even several dozen personnel as war reparations to [[MMZ (motorcycle)|MMZ]] in Moscow (later transferred to [[Minsk (motorcycle)|MMVZ]] and SMZ) and to a factory in Kovrov, and produced copies of the RT125 as the M1A Moskva and K-125 respectively. [[Warszawska Fabryka Motocykli|WFM]] of Poland made a modified version of the RT125 (under [[SHL (motorcycle)|SHL]] 125 and Sokół 125 brands), developed into 125/175 ccm family motorcycles, produced until 1985. RT 125 plans were also taken to the United Kingdom where they became the basis of the [[BSA Bantam]], and to the USA where they formed the basis of the [[Harley-Davidson]] "[[Harley-Davidson_Hummer|Hummer]]". Later [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] in Japan copied the RT 125 as the basis of their first motorcycle, the [[Yamaha YA-1]].