Der oder die Dürkopp Diana

This might be rarer than I first thought! It's for sure a German Dürkopp Diana. The maker presented their first scooter in 1953 and production started in 1954 for the Dürkopp Diana Standard. In 1959 it was replaced by Dürkopp Diana TS and Diana Sport, 175 cc and 10,8 hp and 198 cc and 12 hp. The headlamp had been moved from the handlebar to the horncast section up front. The singles saddles were also replaced by a bench saddle for two. Otherwise it retained the 12-volt electric system, kickstart and electric self-starter and 12 litres fuel tank.
All production of scooters, motorcycles and mopeds ended in 1961, the firm of Dürkopp then devoting their attention to the production of sewing machines and bearings. Far more lucrative I guess.
So the very nice Dürkopp Diana Info page claims that only 888 of the TS and Sport range was built!
So, the scruffy looking example here turned up recently in a collectors warehouse. No, I don't know if it's for sale, probably not, even if he isn't a scooter nut! Yes, there is a couple of Vespa there too, one faro basso and one Touring, the export model, VGL or VGLA.
If I want the Diana? I'm not particually fond of German scooters like Heinkel, Zündapp, Goggo et al and so on. Certainly nice in their own way, if I have to choose I stick to the Italians two big ones. And two Swedes...
But you never know!

The headline? It's a bad joke with alliteration and my weak knowledge of the German language.

Never mind the Vespas! This is a Dürkopp Diana TS, or Sport.

The first Dürkopp Diana, started in 1954.

 

Found this, hope it's ok to show it: a Diana TS!

Never sold as Vespa at home

 

A friend at the Vespa Resources told me that the Cosa never was sold as a "Vespa" in Italy. The Vespa badge was for the German market. If I understand the italian language correctly...

Thing is - I've got a Cosa!

From the very moment when I bought my Vespa (?) Cosa 1989.

Okay, I've bought another Vespa. Or is it? It was launched as the "Cosa" (italian for "thing") in 1988. No sign of the Vespa brand and its glorious history. Solo una cosa, just a thing...
Well, mine from 1989 has a Vespa-badge above the front fender, so Piaggio changed their mind. Mine is also branded "LX200", so is that the full name? Piaggio Vespa Cosa LX200?
They were never sold in Sweden, this one was imported from Germany in 2004. Well, I like it, now. I remember disliking them immensely at the time, as I bought my first Vespa, the 1961 Gran Sport, in 1989.
LX200 that means 200 cc (197,97) and 12 hp. 125 and 150 versions were also available. Hydraulic brakes working simultaneously on both wheels and self-starter.
Yeah, and it's a nice ride!

Loaded!

18 495 km's from my start.

The Eighties are back! My PK 50 XL from '87 and the Cosa from '89.

Cosa on the streets of Stockholm - excellent for commuting.

Indian and Swedish scooters

This is my friend Kay who fetched the Biet saddle.

My newly acquired Apollo Biet, the Swedish crap scooter from 1954, is still with the vendor. 1 000 km's from my home (950 km's to be accurate but a thousand sounds cooler). From the pictures sent to me it seemed like the saddle cover was missing. I checked with a friend in southern Sweden, and he had some NOS Biet saddles. Once rescued from a sale from the Husqvarna factory (?). Two different makers of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles. All the Biet saddles hade small, small holes in them. A bit like cut-out vinyl records if anyone remembers them. Anyhow, my good friend Kay (a Vauxhall-freak) fetched the saddle and delivered it to me at an veteran fair.
Even stranger; the Lamby Polo 150 from 1991 for sale att evil bay! It can be derived from the Indian SIL Lambretta. Read more on the Lambrettista blog! And this Lamby looks better!

Well, lots of colours anyway!

Strange sidecar for Vespa

Some Argentinian Vespa friends alerted me to this!

It's a 1958 Vespa 150 mounted to a Super Pluma sidecar. I'm only guessing here, but I think that Super Pluma is an Argentinian sidecar brand. The couple above is for sale at www.arcar.org for approx 4 900 euros. But then you that super tall wind screen is included!

A beauty? Not really! Rare? I guess so...

New: 1954 Apollo Biet!

Yes, the collection has grown. Now the Swedish part is complete, I have just bought an Apollo Biet, a Swedish-built scooter from 1954. A joint venture with another Swedish manufacturer, Svalan. I bought their version, the Svalan Scooter, in 2009 and has been looking for the Apollo Biet since. They share the very spartan engine, 128 cc "big" and with only two gears. Actually a big failure, just over 40 Apollo Biet were built and maybe 100-150 Svalan Scooter.

Rare but pretty useless, this one was for sale at an reasonable price. The drawback is that it's situated 940 km's from my home...

Two head lamps is a trade mark, but one should be yellow.

Biet means "bee" or "ape". They avoided "wasp"...

Scooter rideout (not really...)

"Scooterfika" in Stockholm today. "Fika" means coffee and cake. Just a gathering with small talk, no one was keen for a rideout.
I rode my Lambretta TV 175, and was happy to see a Vespa 180 SS, with a P200 engine.
In the end six scooters participated, not a great turnout. Better next week?