A Brief History of the Marque
Joseph Delin had established the bicycle firm Usines Delin at Vismarkt 7, Leuve in 1890 before producing his first motorcycles in 1898, by which time the factory employed some 250 workers. In 1901 motorcycles with a cardan drive from a longitudinal engine appeared, designed by Eugène Matthieu who took over the firm when Joseph died that same year. The motorcycles were marketed in Belgium under the name Derby, and were also sold in France, the Netherlands, the UK, and the Belgian colonies. See also Derby UK.
An 1898 poster advertises cycles, automobiles and moteurs, giving their location as LouVain Belgique, a Flemish region also known as Leuven.
The firm closed in 1902 and was purchased by Automoteurs.
Sources: A-Z der Belgische Motoren, Wikipedia NL, Tragatsch p113.
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