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Uncommon Motors

When ordinary just won't do

1939 DKW NZ500 Two Stroke

September 14, 2016 by Paul Crowe

1939 DKW NZ500 two stroke German motorcycle
1939 DKW NZ500 two stroke German motorcycle

This 1939 DKW NZ500 is a rare bird, in fact the seller says it’s likely the only one in the USA. It’s a two cylinder, two stroke in remarkable condition. It’s the kind of bike you would be proud to display, but one you could take on leisurely rides through back country roads as well.

1939 DKW NZ500
1939 DKW NZ500

The two stroke requires mixing the gasoline and oil and like any two stroke, gives surprising performance for a motorcycle of this vintage. It has a girder front suspension, left side foot shift along with a right side hand shift. Sidecar lugs are present.

Hand shift mounted on the right side of the tank plus a left side foot shift
Hand shift mounted on the right side of the tank plus a left side foot shift

The rear swingarm suspension can be adjusted on the fly by turning handles to stiffen or soften the ride. The current owner replaced a long list of items like tires, tubes, clutch, plugs, hand grips, foot pegs and more. It really looks to be very presentable.

Filed Under: German, Motorcycles Tagged With: 1930s, 2 stroke, DKW, German

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Comments

  1. E. R. Ellquist says

    September 20, 2016 at 2:15 am

    Elegant looking motorcycle, is the 500 designation indicative of the displacement? I’m curious about the original specs for this motor, in order to pull a sidecar and the passenger in it along with the weight of the bike itself, it must have had decent power. E

    • Paul Crowe says

      September 20, 2016 at 8:20 am

      Yes, the 500 is displacement (actually 497cc). A 500 two stroke, even in these early engines, should be plenty powerful enough for a sidecar.

      The seller says:

      The motorcycle is a very fast 500cc machine, it moves rather quick for a 1939 bike.

      Two strokes are pretty capable little engines.

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