Welcome to Victoria Motorcycle Information Page!

No longer in business.

Founded in 1886, Victoria built bicycles and began motorcycle manufacture in Nürnberg (Germany) in 1901. During the very early part of the 20th. century they even produced automobiles, though without success. During WWI they produced mostly small bikes and bicycles, but the business blossomed in the 1920s. The first Victoria model that became popular was presented in 1921 and had a BMW 494cc 2-cyl. sv-flat engine with 6.5 HP, later 8.5 HP. In 1923 Victoria switched to self-designed 2-cyl. ohv flat engines with 497cc, later597cc. 1925 was the year when Victoria added a Rootes blower to the engine (see picture) and won a couple of races. Some models with Sturmey-Archer engines (built by Horex-Columbus) were added in 1928. The thirties brought a lot of new models with Sachs, ILO and own twostroke engines from 98cc to 248cc. The 346cc 1-cyl. model with the Horex-Columbus became the bestseller. In the early 1930s they presented a unique machine which was quite advanced for the day, featuring a totally enclosed body which afforded protection to the rider in inclement weather and protected the mechanicals of the bike from damage from road debris, a common problem in those days. It was powered by a 500-cc 4-stroke twin. There is evidence to suggest that the bike was inspired by a much earlier Mars motorcycle the futuristic "White Mars" of 1921, a behemoth with a 1000-cc Maybach engine of boxer configuration and a frame of pressed steel. In April 1945 the Victoria works were almost totally destroyed. In 1947 work was started by rebuilding the bombed out factory and soon the production lines were again humming. The initial production consisted of upgraded pre-war models. After Worldwar II the first model was a 38cc bicycle engine which was a great success. Its fuel tank was situated underneath the luggage carrier. Then came the KR 25 model in 1950, which had a 247cc 1-cyl. twostroke engine. In 1951 Victoria had these models: a 99cc twostroker, the 248cc KR 25 AERO and the 38cc bicycle engine. 1952 another model was added to the production line: the 123cc Bi-Fix. The KR 25 came with a HM (high-output) engine option with 12,6 HP. In 1954 the 346cc "Bergmeister" with a V-2 ohv fourstroke engine (designed by Richard Küchen) was released after three years of designing and testing. This machine gained considerable success in hill-climb trials and was regarded as a suitable side-car machine. The Bergmeister in many ways represents the pinnacle of post-war Victoria success, even though they had a lot more up their sleeve. They produced the futuristic Riedel designed 200-cc Swing as well as the lovely scooter 'Peggy', with electric start and an electric push button transmission, both firsts in those days. In 1956 Victoria introduced a fourstroke model with a 174cc ohc Parilla engine (10 and 15 HP). The end of the fifties also brought the end of Victoria: it joined the ZWEIRAD-UNION group and was swallowed by Fichtel and Sachs. Some mopeds and 50cc motorcycles were the last Victoria models in the sixties. The brand vanished in 1968.

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