Back in the 1950s, some American automakers were trying to compete on Buck Rogers-inspired high-tech features and aerodynamic styling. For example, my dad had a big 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, part of the Big M line. Mercury called it a “dream-car design” that featured self-adjusting memory seats and the Merc-0-Matic push-button automatic transmission.

Similar efforts to innovate were underway in the motorcycle industry, including the 1955 Victoria KR 21 Swing, designed by German engineer Norbert Riedel. At first glance, it resembles many motorcycle models of its time; it had deeply valanced fenders, a pressed-steel frame, cantilevered spring-loaded girder front suspension, internal expanding drum brakes, and so on. In general, it is relatively conventional overall appearance.

But the Swing had some advanced features for its day. The most unusual was its four-speed electromagnetic push-button gear change Getrag transmission, which Victoria also employed on its Peggy scooter. The Swing’s optional electric starter was uncommon in the 1950s, even on large-displacement motorcycles, let alone on a 197cc single-cylinder two-stroke.

Gear shifting was done with a small panel mounted on the left handlebar adjacent to the clutch lever. Four buttons controlled gear changes, while pushing the first- and second-gear buttons simultaneously put the transmission into neutral. Each gear was engaged by one of four ring-shaped electromagnets when energized by the corresponding push-button switch on the handlebar. Though advanced in concept, the system could be a little tricky to use, according to period road tests.

The 65mm x 60mm piston-port motor was an advanced design, riding nearly horizontal in the frame. It had a cast-iron barrel and an alloy head, with a 7.2:1 compression ratio. Premixed oil/fuel made its way to the combustion chamber via a Bing carburetor operated with a conventional twist-grip throttle. Claimed output was 11 hp at 5300 rpm. Ignition was a 6-volt battery-and-coil system with a 60-watt generator.

The chassis is another area where the Swing departed from standard practice. The unit construction, drivetrain, and swingarm were integrated into a single assembly that pivoted together. It was this feature that inspired the name of the Swing model. The enclosed final drive chain had an automatic tensioner, ran in an oil bath, and was housed in a cast-alloy housing that doubled as part of the rear swingarm.

The remainder of the chassis was a more traditional duplex steel tube frame. The front suspension was a pressed-steel girder with a cantilevered, hydraulically damped spring unit ahead of the steering head. Seven-inch mechanical single-leading-shoe internal expanding drum brakes handled stopping duties on both wheels. Dual hydraulically damped, coil-spring shocks provided the rear suspension with spring-preload adjustment. The Swing rode on 16-inch wheels with 3.25-inch-wide tires, had a compact 50.5-inch wheelbase, and weighed 288 pounds, so it was nimble.

The 1955 Victoria KR 21 Spring earned praise for its handling from The Motor Cycle road tester Alan Baker in his August 1958 review:

Thanks to its short wheelbase and good handling characteristics, the Swing was an entertaining machine to ride on twisty roads. It could be banked over or picked up very quickly and considerable enthusiasm was needed on corners before anything grounded. Steering could be criticized only in respect of slight low-speed heaviness. 

Baker also made observations about the Swing’s push-button transmission:

And what of the gear-box operation? First, let me doff my helmet to the Getrag organization for having produced a box which is dead quiet in all ratios and can give virtually instantaneous, clean changes in either direction.   

So far, so good. However, there was a fly in the transmission ointment:

In the earlier stages, I was caught out once or twice because, although neutral can be obtained from any gear, it must be selected while the machine is still rolling. If not, one is left at rest in gear—usually third or top in the case of an emergency stop—with no response to button pushing.

Well, nothing is perfect; push-button shifting would still be pretty keen.

The fiberglass panels below the seat evoke the Triumph “bathtub” designs of the late 1950s. The panels, which protect the air filter, electrics, and other essentials,  are easily removed for maintenance. Matching fiberglass leg shields and a fairing could be added as options.

All this accurately suggests that the Victoria brand was not run by rookies. Indeed, the German company was launched in 1886 as a bicycle manufacturer. The company switched to building motorcycles in 1899. By 1926, one of Victoria’s supercharged 498cc flat-twin four-stroke motorcycles set the German land speed record.

Despite adroit engineering and manufacturing, economic headwinds depressed sales, and in 1958, Victoria merged with DKW and Express. Production of the Victoria Swing ended in 1962, and the Victoria brand disappeared after the formation of the Zweirad Union in 1966.