Victoria Swing

The seriously bizarre Swing from German manufacturers Victoria was introduced in 1955 and, I believe, produced up to their merger with DKW in 1958. Very few were made and sold. Having already brought the somewhat strange Bergmeister transverse v twin 350 to the market Victoria were no strangers to the idea of presenting odd motorcycles to the general public. There was nothing wrong with the Bergmeister except that it was very complex and pricey for a 350. The Bergmeister was later copied by Japanese company Marusho.

The 197cc Swing was designed by Norbert Riedel who had previously penned the Imme R100 (yes, another weird machine). Like the Imme the Swing's engine pivoted with the swinging arm - I guess conceptually the idea was to neutralise the unsprung weight of the rear wheel and swinging arm with the engine as a counter weight. Not only this but the swing also had an electrically operated four speed gearbox - there's a nice explanation of this on the Yesterday's site.

Victoria Swing brochure front cover.

Victoria Swing brochure inside pages.

Victoria Swing brochure rear cover.