In 1938, DKW released the NZ 350, and it was instantly a popular motorcycle. Almost immediately, the German Wehrmacht asked DKW to start prototyping a military version, which came to be known as the NZ 350-1 when it was released in the early 40s. 12,000 units were built between 1943 and 1945 – here’s one of the few examples that made its way to the US.
There are obviously a few differences between the civilian and military versions of the NZ. The most significant is probably the motor, which utilized a cast iron block and cylinder heads as aluminum was in short supply due to the war. There were also cosmetic changes, such as a smaller front fender that could trap less mud, new gas tank, new headlight, and a mud/snow scraper attached to the rear fender that would scrape the edge of the tire before debris could interfere with the chain and potentially make its way into the crankcase. There were three color options – Luftwaffe grey, Wehrmacht grey, and this color, which was called “Sahara.” The 346cc 2-stroke single produced 11.5 horsepower, which was enough to take the 385 pound bike up to about 65 miles per hour.
For more information, check out this site dedicated to the model, and click here for more details on the color options.
Per the seller, this example “runs like a champ” as it was restored approximately a decade ago. Everything is said to work and the seller implies that it is “mostly all original”. Find this DKW for sale here on Craigslist for $16,900 somewhere “in California” even though the post is in the Chicago area.
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Tim S!