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£1,450
1958 DKW RT200VS, 197 cc. Registration number 229 UYM. Frame number 4559080. Engine number 47074752.
DKW was founded in Zschopau in 1919 by Danish engineer Jorgen Rasmussen and built its first motorcycle power unit, a single-cylinder, clip-on engine for bicycle attachment, in 1921. Designed by Hugo Ruppe, this 122cc motor was a two-stroke, and DKW would remain faithful to this engine type from then on, becoming world leaders in two-stroke design in the 1930's thanks to the prescient adoption of the Schnuerle loop-scavenge system. The latter used flat-topped pistons rather than the then-conventional deflector-crown type, relying on carefully angled transfer ports to direct the incoming charge around the cylinder. DKW was Continental Europe's largest motorcycle maker at this time, manufacturing a huge and diverse range of road bikes throughout the 1930's. One of its last introductions immediately prior to WW2 was the immensely influential RT 125, which was manufactured after the war by Harley-Davidson as the Model 'S' and BSA as the Bantam. DKW themselves recommenced production of the RT 125 in 1949 and in February 1951 introduced an enlarged, derivative: the RT 200.
The RT 200 S offered from October 1955 has the so-called spiked ribbed cylinder with improved cooling, 18-inch wheels and a rear swing arm with 95 mm travel. Like the larger RT 250, the RT 200 was also available from 1955/56 as RT 200 VS with front swingarm and a handlebar with integrated speedometer and headlight. The VS has as a special feature, a headlight adjuster between solo and pillion operation (known in modern cars as "headlamp leveling").
UYM has unknown early history but appears on the DVLA data base from February 1988, in March 1990 John Robinson of Hull owned it, before selling it on to motorcycle dealer, Don Law of Hull, in the October. In May 2015 our vendor bought it as a project and restored it. He has used used it sparely since and is now passing it on. When the cataloguer view the DKW it started with ease and soon settled down once the engine had warmed through.
Sold with the V5C, V5, various paperwork, photographs as purchased, a photocopy parts manual and a rare original manual.
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Room and Absentee Bids:
20% inc VAT*
Online and Autobids:
23.6% inc VAT*
