Solex is a French manufacturer of

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

s and the powered bicycle

VéloSoleX VéloSoleX is a moped, or motorised bicycle, usually just referred to as 'Solex', which was originally produced by the French manufacturer Solex, based in Courbevoie near Paris, France. The company manufactured centrifugal radiators, carbureto ...

. Solex carburetors were used by many European automobile companies and were licensed to Japanese maker Mikuni.

History

The Solex company was founded by Marcel Mennesson and Maurice Goudard to manufacture vehicle

radiators Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

. These were fitted to several makes of early cars including

Delaunay-Belleville Automobiles Delaunay-Belleville was a French luxury automobile manufacturer at Saint-Denis, France, north of Paris. At the beginning of the 20th century they were among the most prestigious cars produced in the world, and perhaps the most de ...

and buses of the Paris General Omnibus company. After World War I, the radiator business went into decline and the company bought the rights to the carburetor patents of Jouffret and Renée and named them Solex after their business. The Solex brand is now owned by

Magneti Marelli Magneti Marelli S.p.A. () is an Italian developer and manufacturer of components for the automotive industry. The firm is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and includes 86 manufacturing plants, 12 R&D centres, and 26 application centers in 19 c ...

. The original Solex company changed its name in 1994 to Magneti Marelli France and on May 31, 2001, Magneti Marelli France partially bought its assets (including the trademark SOLEX) from Magneti Marelli Motopropulsion France S.A.S.

Carburetors

Solex carburetors were widely used by many European makers and under license to Mikuni in Asia until the mid-1980s when

fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All comp ...

was widely adopted. Among the European companies who used Solex carburetors were:

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Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

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Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, BMW, Citroën,

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, Lada,

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and

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. Solex carburetors have been made under licence by a number of companies including Mikuni of Japan which entered into a licensed manufacturing agreement with Solex in 1960 and further developed many of Solex's original designs. Japanese automakers and motorcycle manufacturers using Mikuni carburetors included:

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, and

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Powered bicycles

The VéloSoleX has a motor mounted above the front wheel. Power is delivered via a small ceramic roller that rotates directly on the front wheel by friction to the tire. The first prototype of a VéloSoleX was created in 1941 and used regular bicycle frames such as those under the Alcyon brand and were powered by a engine developed by Solex. VéloSoleX were produced commercially and sold starting in 1946 with a 45 cc engine without

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

, then later with a 49 cc engine. The solex, although not varying much from one version to the next, was sold in these models: * 1946–53: 45 cc * 1953–55: 330 (first 49 cc engine; no clutch) * 1955–57: 660 * 1957–58: 1010 * 1958–59: 1400 * 1959–61: 1700 (first version equipped with a clutch) * 1961–64: 2200 * 1964–66: 3300 (first frame with a square section) * 1966–88: 3800 * 1971–88: 5000 Export versions were also created (sold outside France) * 3800 Export * 4600 (V3 Sold only in the US) * 5000 Current version (made in France) * 2007–2011: VéloSoleX 4800 More than eight million were eventually sold, mostly in Europe. It was also constructed under licence in many countries. Today, the VéloSoleX is again manufactured in France. The trademark "VELOSOLEX" is the property of Velosolex America, LLC which markets the VéloSoleX motorized bicycle worldwide.

Company timeline

* 1905: The company was created by

Maurice Goudard Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

and Marcel Mennesson, both graduates of the

École Centrale Paris École Centrale Paris (ECP; also known as École Centrale or Centrale) was a French grande école in engineering and science. It was also known by its official name ''École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures''. In 2015, École Centrale Paris mer ...

. * 1973: the carburetor division is taken over by

Matra Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a French industrial conglomerate. During its years of operation, it was engaged in a wide range of business activities, primarily focused around automobiles, bicycles, aeronautics and w ...

, and later by

, then by

and

Motobécane Motobécane was a French manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, and other small vehicles, established in 1923. "Motobécane" is a compound of "moto", short for motorcycle; "bécane" is slang for "bike." Motobécane is a different c ...

in 1974. * 1983: Motobécane is bought by

and becomes MBK. * 1988: production in France, at Saint-Quentin, ends. * Circa 2001 production ceased in China and restarted in France. * In June 2004, the mark "Solex" was bought by the French group CIBIÉ * In October 2005 CIBIÉ launches the e-Solex, designed by

Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian mu ...

and produced in China (400 W brushless electric motor, 35 km/h, autonomy of 30 km) * In 2009, CIBIÉ launches the e-Solex 2.0, a new version with a

lithium polymer battery A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyt ...

References

External links

MikuniVelosolex America official web siteSoleXin - a list of SoleX resources
{{French bicycle manufacturers Carburetor manufacturers Motorcycle manufacturers of France Manufacturing companies established in 1905 Moped manufacturers French brands Engine fuel system technology Fiat Cycle manufacturers of France French companies established in 1905