DEMM mopeds, including the Ping Pong (1950s to 1983)

DEMM takes its name from the Daldi and Matteucci families and from Milan, where the business began as an engineering firm after the First World War. Its main trade was precision mechanical work such as gears, machine tools and measuring instruments, much of it carried out at a large factory at Porretta Terme in the Apennines south-west of Bologna. Motorcycle work began in the early 1950s, at first with small two-stroke engines supplied to other makers, and DEMM went on to build its own mopeds and light motorcycles. In 1956 a streamlined 50cc machine set 24 world speed records at Monza, and DOHC racing singles brought national championship success in the early 1960s.

Most of DEMM's two-wheeled output was 50cc two-stroke mopeds, with engines also sold to other manufacturers. Model names included the Dick-Dick, Smily, Toxy, Koala and Ping Pong. Motorcycle and engine production ended in 1983, and the industrial business continues under other ownership.

English-language sources on individual DEMM models are thin. The Ping Pong is confirmed as a model name, with photographic references to PP25 and PP40 versions and to a 1973 "Series 3", but no reliable specification, production dates or production numbers were found. This file therefore covers DEMM as a maker and gives generic checks for a restored, imported Italian moped of the period, with particular attention to UK registration.

• Name: DEMM, from Daldi e Matteucci, Milano. The firm traded as Officine Meccaniche F.lli Daldi e Matteucci.
• Founding: sources give 1919, 1920 or 1928 depending on whether they date the first workshop, the partnership or the company that took the DEMM name.
• Factory: Porretta Terme (now part of Alto Reno Terme), opened in 1939, bombed in 1944 and rebuilt by 1947.
• Motorcycle work: began around 1952 to 1953; the first DEMM moped, the Dick-Dick, is dated to 1956 by one source.
• Records: 24 world records in the 50cc class at Monza in 1956.
• Output: one museum account puts 50cc two-stroke production at over 800,000 engines.
• End: motorcycle and engine production stopped in 1983, according to most sources; a Milan museum catalogue record gives DEMM's years of activity as 1952 to 1982.
• US exports: DEMM mopeds such as the Smily and Scout were imported into the United States from about 1976 to 1978.

• DEMM built single-speed automatic mopeds and earlier three-speed machines. A specialist parts supplier notes that a 1970s single-speed engine shares its piston with a Minarelli design but not its rings, and that its flywheel rotation and starter cable arrangement differ. Assume nothing interchanges until it has been checked.
• Carburettors, magnetos and flywheels changed over the years and were sourced from Italian suppliers such as Dellorto and CEV.
• The Ping Pong is described in one museum feature as having distinctive angular engine casings. Beyond that, treat any claimed specification for a particular Ping Pong variant with caution unless it is supported by factory literature.

Identity and paperwork

• Find the frame number and engine number. Photograph both, and check that they look original, not re-stamped or ground. A small museum record of a 1963 DEMM shows the engine casing cast with the company name and Milan, and a separate engine plate, which gives an idea of what to expect.
• Ask what Italian paperwork came with the moped. Older Italian mopeds often carried a moped certificate rather than a full registration document; a buyer should ask for whatever original Italian document exists.
• Check engine capacity. GOV.UK says vehicles with an engine of 48cc or less can be registered without telling HMRC first. A 49 or 50cc moped will need a NOVA notification within 14 days of arrival, and DVLA will not register it until that is done.
• To register a used import, DVLA wants the original foreign registration document. If that is not available, it may accept a dating letter from the manufacturer or an enthusiast club. The VMCC notes that a European registration document is usable if it shows the make, the date and the frame number.
• An age-related UK number is issued where the machine can be dated. The VMCC's guidance for restored originals expects original frame, engine, gearbox, wheels and forks, although an engine change is allowed. A machine built up from mixed new and used parts is likely to receive a Q number and require an MSVA test.
• Note that DVLA's historic tax guidance says club dating certificates are not accepted to change an age already on the DVLA record; a manufacturer record or Glass's extract is required in that case.
• In UK law a two-wheeled moped has a maximum design speed of 45 km/h (28 mph). Riders need a moped licence or CBT unless they passed a car test before 1 February 2001.

Engine and transmission

• With permission, turn the engine over by the pedals or kick lever and feel for compression. Look for oil weeping at the crankcase joint and cylinder base, and check the condition of the clutch and drive belt or chain.
• Ask whether the engine has been rebuilt and with which piston and rings, given the interchange points above.

Frame, cycle parts and electrics

• Look at the frame around the headstock and the engine mounts for cracks and repairs. Check fork movement, wheel bearings, spoke tension and rim corrosion.
• Check the lights, horn and wiring, and ask whether the magneto and switchgear are original or later replacements.
• On a restored machine, ask what paint and plating work was done and whether decals are reproductions.

Brakes

• Small drum brakes need correct adjustment and clean linings. Squeeze the levers and check the cables run freely.

There is no dedicated UK DEMM club that could be verified. The Museo delle Moto e dei Ciclomotori DEMM at Alto Reno Terme, near Bologna, holds more than 100 DEMM models and prototypes and a photographic archive, and is open by appointment. In the UK, the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (https://vmcc.net) runs a dating service and DVLA liaison for historic motorcycles. The National Autocycle and Cyclemotor Club (https://thebuzzingclub.net) and the Iceni CAM magazine (https://www.icenicam.org.uk) cover autocycles, cyclemotors and mopeds; the NACC's own website could not be opened for this guide, so its eligibility rules for 1970s mopeds have not been checked. Parts supply relies on generic Italian moped components and specialist suppliers, many of them outside the UK.

• Which DEMM model is this, and what evidence (factory literature, plates or documents) supports the model name and year?
• What original Italian paperwork is there, and does it record the same frame number?
• Has a NOVA notification been made, and is there a NOVA reference?
• Which parts were replaced during restoration, and were they original DEMM parts or substitutes?
• Has the moped been run since restoration, and does it meet the UK 28 mph moped definition?