This is ALWAYS the problem with DC motors. They look like a short circuit when you bang them on line.
I have a 6 HP 440 volt DC motor which runs a pump. The controller uses a rectifier bridge with diodes in one half and thyristors in the other half. The timing arrangement uses a uni junction transistor to produce the drive pulses. Attached to the timing circuit of the unijunction is a transistor collector, the base circuit of which is controlled by a current sensing resistor in the motor leads.
The arrangement is very simple; one only needs to limit the start up current and when the motor is moving, the shunt transistor does nothing. I had a ASEA drive and cut it down to something simpler and added the current control. In your case you need to buy something I guess.
If you rectify a 230 volt AC waveform, it's average value will be 180 volt DC. Thats where the 180 volt comes from.
It sounds like you should probably buy something from say RS and adapt it if necessary.