Decline
As well as suffering from production delays, the Dragonfly was bigger and heavier than its predecessors its raw power was too difficult to handle for most riders. It was also noisy and acceleration was rather unpredictable. Douglas decided to concentrate on importing Vespa scooters which were increasing in popularity, and only 1500 Dragonfly motorcycles were ever built. The Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company Ltd bought Douglas out in 1956, and production of Douglas Motorcycles ended in 1957 with the final Dragonflys being sold at discount by London dealer Pride & Clarke.
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