By Tom White via : www.motocrossactionmag.com
The German-built Sachs/DKW 125 was one of the first popular purpose-built 125 motocross bikes in America. When motocross exploded in the U.S. in the late 1960s, the choice of good, entry-level machines was limited to Hodaka Ace 90s, Kawasaki Green Streaks and a potpourri of oddball brands.
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European brands were the first choice of aspiring 125 class motocross racers, and for a brief window, the $748 DKW was at the top of the list with its rugged, motocross-inspired styling. The Sachs five-speed engine had huge cylinder fins and excellent power. When combined with DKW’s dual-cradle frame, leading-link Bode forks and Boge shocks, the DKW was right on the mark for the U.S. market. Further helping DKW sales was U.S. distributor Ted Lapadakis.
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DKWs were nearly bulletproof (with the exception of the Sachs engine’s many false neutrals). The shifting problems were mitigated by the Koba shift kit, proper adjustment and replacing worn-out transmission parts. DKW, or Dampf-Kraft Wagen (German for steam-powered vehicle), goes back to 1916 when Danish engineer Jorgen Rasmussen founded a factory in Saxony, Germany, to build a steam-driven car. By the 1930s, DKW was the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. For motocross, the machines were originally called Sachs 125s.
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Sachs, who also supplied engines to Penton, Monark, Hercules and KTM, merged with DKW in the ’60s, and by 1970 the Sachs 125s were rebadged as DKWs. The mid-’70s saw DKW fall behind. The leading-link forks were dropped for telescopic forks, and the Sachs transmissions were improved, but they were no longer relevant and fell from the scene... Read more
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