distinguishing one mo-
tocross bike brand from
another. Swap out their
many plastic parts, and
it would be nearly impos-
sible. It was a different
story in the 1970s, when
motorcycle manufactur-
ers were designing and
testing from original
ideas. And no machine
looked more like itself than the
DKW Hornet with its springer
front end.
"On rough, cobby stuff," CN
wrote, "…any telescopic [fork] will
transmit the up-and-down jolts to
the hands. The springer front-
end doesn't. The movement of
the springer fork is a fairly slow,
dampened back-and-forth mo
-
tion in the horizontal plane, which
is much easier to hold onto at
speed. Stories that they are not
as precise in tracking are, for 95
percent of all riders, nonsense.
You stick the springer DKW into a
corner and hold it on a line, and it
stays there."
CN refers to the "springer
DKW" because it also tested
the conventionally forked Hor
-
net in the same story. The DKW
springer model sold for $829,
while the Hornet with Betor front
suspensions could be yours for
$859. Aside from the front-wheel
suspension (and a painted stripe
on the fuel tank), the two bikes
were identical. The CN crew
loved the powerplants on the
German bikes. They were one-
kick starters and never fouled a
spark plug. A six-speed transmis
-
sion was well-spaced, helping the
little DKW produce a claimed 24
horsepower. "There is probably
more to be gotten out of it," wrote
CN, before admonishing the
reader to "leave it alone."
Great performance and "han-
dling that cannot be faulted."
The only noted grievances were
the stock paper air filter and the
rubber cover on the gearshift
lever. A rubber-covered gearshift
lever on a motocross bike is
another reminder that, along with
a kickstand and chromed fend-
ers, motocross bikes have come
a long way. Though faster and
stronger, they certainly aren't as
user-friendly as they once were.
DKW (des Knaben Wunsch,
meaning "the boy's wish") was
once the world's largest manufac-
turer of two-stroke motorcycles,
and its three-cylinder engines
were even used to power DKW
automobiles. When World War II
came along, being on the losing
side cost the company one of
its smaller-engine designs, with
both the United States (Harley-
Davidson) and Great Britain (BSA)
awarded the rights to the motor,
which ultimately became the
Hummer (Harley) and the Bantam
(BSA). In the mid-'60s, Sachs ac-
quired DKW, and Sachs engines
began appearing in other brands'
lineups. This same issue of Cycle
News featured a test of a Swed-
ish motorcycle called a Monark,
powered by what appears to be
the very same two-stroke found
in the DKW.
Aprilia, Penton (KTM), and Her-
cules motorcycles all have at least
one root in the Sachs/DKW tree,
and the 125 Hornet earned its
place in MX history, giving young
MX'ers a competitive mount in the
small-bike class. Ooh la la! The
boy's wish, indeed.
CN
The DKW was a decent
motocross bike at the time
but had a short lifespan.
VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P127
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