page_title: Industriewerke Ludwigsfelde
section_title: SR 59 Berlin
hierarchical_section_title: Industriewerke Ludwigsfelde / IWL motor scooters / SR 59 Berlin
caption_attribution_description: IWL scooter
context_page_description: Industriewerke Ludwigsfelde is an automotive factory in Ludwigsfelde in Brandenburg, just south of Berlin in Germany. The factory is part of Daimler-Benz AG and since 1991 it has made Mercedes-Benz vans. It is also the producer of the Multicar line of automobiles.
context_section_description: In 1959 IWL replaced the SR 56 Wiesel with the SR 59 Berlin. This shared the same bodywork as the Wiesel but had well-upholstered separate saddles for the rider and pillion passenger. Also in 1959, MZ introduced the RT 125/3 motorcycle, which had not only a slightly more powerful engine but also a four-speed transmission. IWL specially requested that the version of the RT 125/3 motor made for the scooter be bored out to 143 cc, which increased power output to 7.5 bhp. IWL credibly claimed a top speed of 82 km/h (51 mph) and a cruising speed of 70 km/h (43 mph). The four-speed transmission improved the machine's flexibility, making hill-climbing significantly less strenuous. The Berlin at last gave riders in the DDR a scooter that was good enough for practical use. It was therefore just as well that IWL at last included a steering lock to secure the relatively desirable Berlin against theft.
  The Berlin still had less power than many of its western counterparts. In common with its predecessors, its front suspension was undamped, which on roads as bumpy as the DDR's was a significant weak point. Nevertheless, the Berlin secured IWL's first export orders. IWL produced the Berlin until the end of 1962, by which time a total of 113,943 had been built.
caption: Some IWL enthusiasts keep their scooters' appearance as standard, while others such as the owner of this SR 59 Berlin have adopted highly individual custom colour schemes.
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