1957 DKW Hummel/Bumblebee 50cc Motorcycle

Description

The DKW Hummel is a moped built by DKW and Auto Union GmbH in Ingolstadt (Germany) from 1956 to 1958, before production of the model was continued by Zweirad-Union in the 1960s. The DKW Hummel – which is German for “Bumblebee” – was one of the first mopeds with a three-speed transmission. Also described as the first German pillion moped, the Hummel had a pressed steel frame with an integrated 5.5 litre fuel tank. The engine was an air-cooled DKW single-cylinder two-stroke good for 1.35hp, while as with most mopeds, the gearbox was shifted with a twist grip on the handlebars. Drive was via a fully encapsulated chain to the rear wheel. The front wheel used a short swing fork with rubber band suspension, while the rear wheel had a long swing arm with spring struts in which, in addition to the steel spring, there was a rubber damper rod. The DKW Hummel was available in “standard” or “luxury” versions, the latter only differentiated externally by chrome trim, a mudguard covering the lower part of the front wheel up to the swing arm, and a standard speedometer. In total 117,617 DKW Hummel were built by 1958.