The father, born in 1927, owned a Victoria, 250 cc.

By the standards of the time, in the helmet-free fifties, it was a big motorcycle, a snappy thing to be proud of.

One day, still quite newly married, he drove with the Victoria and his young wife, an even faster thing than the Victoria and another reason to be proud, from North Hesse to the Nürburgring.

It is not known what the reason for this was, there was never any mention of any motorsport enthusiasm in the family later, it is now too late to ask.

What has been handed down, however, is that on the return journey to North Hesse in the evening, the young woman in the back seat kept threatening to fall asleep and had to be kept awake with a gentle nudge with her elbow.

It was a long day.

Walter Will

“Technology and Engine” editorial team

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What does that have to do with the pedelec that we are talking about here?

Well, it doesn't have a rear seat, but it bears the name of the once glorious two-wheeler brand Victoria, founded in Nuremberg in 1886, which was merged into Zweirad Union in 1958, ended up with Hercules in 1966 and finally disappeared.

And it's a snappy thing, not one of those staid e-bikes that make you yawn to look at them.

nevertheless, long-distance commuters will consider purchasing a spring-loaded saddle as a replacement for the rigid standard part of the 4,200-euro Victoria SUV.

It is available in two frame shapes: as a men's version with a classic top tube on the one hand (see image), and on the other hand in the wave shape with a comfortable step-through frame.

You don't sit eminently upright, but rather actively and sportily, to a certain extent like a mountain bike with your hands on the wide handlebars, your upper body in a forward position, but still suitable for long distances and without getting tired. Everything is perfectly at hand, the clear Intuvia display of the Bosch drive system is clearly visible. Spikes on the pedals interlock with the soles of the shoes, which is especially helpful in winter. The rear mudguard counteracts the dirt effectively, the front one should be longer.

Because the eAdventure 11.9 is equipped with a Gates carbon drive belt, there is no need to worry about chain maintenance. However, a belt is not compatible with derailleur gears, so Victoria uses a hub gear with a rotary switch on the handlebars, which only has five gears. It works perfectly, but has the disadvantage of a relatively wide spread between the individual stages. There is a gap in particular between gears three and four, which is noticeable at around 25 km/h, where sometimes, especially on slight inclines, neither one nor the other fits properly, resulting in switching back and forth. The same applies to gears four and five at about 30 km/h, i.e. beyond the electrical support, which ends at 25 km/h according to regulations.Fifth gear is only suitable for speeds of almost 30 km/h and more, which can be easily reached on downhill roads or with a tailwind on the level.

The gentle transition from electrical assistance to free pedaling beyond 25 km/h is one of the advantages of the Bosch Performance Line CX motor, which can deliver an extraordinarily powerful boost of up to 85 Nm torque and offers four riding modes. No jerking, no juddering - a finely tuned, cultivated drive that we have already encountered in other e-bikes. A 625 Wh battery supplies the required energy. Charging is done via a socket in the aluminum frame, whose unfortunately flimsy rubber cover is unworthy of the bike that appears valuable. Alternatively, the "Powertube" battery can be removed for charging. However, removal and installation are unsympathetic fumbling and, strictly speaking, an impertinence. It's better not to have to take it out, but to have a socket the length of the charging cable away from the parking space.

Otherwise, enjoy driving the Victoria.

Light-footed acceleration, agile handling, superior Shimano disc brakes, lighting system with 80 lux headlights and last but not least: a beautiful name with tradition.