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Thursday, April 6, 2023

Motosacoche vintage motorcycle

Motosacoche vintage motorcycle 
The aluminum cover on the side of the engine covers the drive for the generator.
Electric lights, you know.

Another jigsaw puzzle, another vintage motorcycle. From looking at a bunch of similar bikes, I'm thinking this one is a 1925 model. When I first saw the tag on this puzzle I thought Motosacoche was just some ferrin gibberish for 'motorcycle'. 

Motosacoche factory, Route des Acacias, Geneva

Turns out it is a Swiss company. It was started in 1899 and was a going concern up till the 1930s. Via Thema has a history of the company along with several pictures.

1901 Motosacouche

The company got started making strap-on engines to power bicycles. Motosacouche means 'motor in a bag', more or less.

Current Electric Motosacouche

Someone has revived the name and are selling electric bicycles. They want 16K Euros for one, which I think is ridiculous, but then 20 odd years ago, when I was riding bicycles, I was running into people who were spending five and six thousand dollars for bicycle bicycles. I thought that was ridiculous too. Mind you they were ordinary working folks, not trust fund babies. Well, ordinary except for their obsession with bicycles.

Motosacoche Advertising Poster by Joe Bridge

Search for 'Motosacoche vintage motorcycle' and along with pictures of motorcycles and Google will also return a bunch of advertising posters. Joe Bridge was a prolific artist.

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