VéloSoleX is a
moped
A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle eng ...
, or
motorised bicycle, usually just referred to as 'Solex', which was originally produced by the French manufacturer
Solex, based in
Courbevoie
Courbevoie () is a Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is a suburb of Paris, from the Kilometre zero, center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated from the ci ...
near
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France. The company manufactured
centrifugal radiators,
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter)
is a device used by a gasoline 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 Ventu ...
s, and
micrometers, before branching into assist motors and
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
s. The moped originally created during World War II and mass-produced between 1946 and 1988 came in various iterations, whilst keeping the same concept of a motor with roller resting on the front wheel of a bicycle.
Referred to the company's advertisement as the 'bicycle which drives itself' (« la bicyclette qui roule toute seule »), it became extremely popular with school children, students or plant workers because it was light and extremely economical.
Ownership
Owned successively by
Dassault
Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS (; also GIM Dassault or Dassault Group) is a French corporate group established in 1929 with the creation of Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (now Dassault Aviation) by Marcel Dassault, later led by his so ...
,
Renault
Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
,
Motobécane/
MBK, VéloSoleX sold more than 7 million units worldwide before ceasing production in France in 1988. Production of the VéloSoleX restarted in both China and Hungary after 1988, but production ceased in Hungary in 2002. VéloSoleX is now manufactured in France.
File:Tricycle VéloSolex - Mons 161112.JPG, Black tricyclized 1967 VéloSolex.
History
The Solex motorized bicycle was conceived during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and marketed in 1946, with 8 million being sold between 1946 and 1988 in France and internationally, having been marketed in some 70 countries. The French design ceased production in 1988.
It lived on for almost two decades as a licensed design produced in China and Hungary. Production returned to France in 2005, and the S4800 model was being marketed by VeloSolex America in
North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 63,361, an increase of 2,588 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 60,773, ...
.
Models and modifications
* 1941: Prototype created of which only a few remain, based on a bicycle
* 1946: A 45 cc model, of which many evolutions were made, with a engine developing and no clutch, the engine has to be restarted every time the rider comes to a stop
* 1953: Model 330 with a engine and using the same frame as the 45 but boosting power
* 1955: Model 660 with a new dedicated bicycle frame, but an unchanged engine
* 1957: Model 1010 updates the engine
* 1958: Model 1400
* 1959: Model 1700 uses the same frame as the previous version but introduce an automatic clutch and air cooling of the engine
* 1961: Model S2200 with an engine which power is boosted to over the next three years to version will be produced V1 and V2
* 1964: Model S3300 with a new square tube frame which will remain the same until end of production, adds a
drum brake
A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of Brake shoe, shoes or Brake pad, pads that press outward against a rotating bowl-shaped part called a brake drum.
The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press o ...
on the rear wheel
* 1966: Model S3800, which is the most common and most sold version of the brand over the years, later a Luxure or 'Luxe' version "S3800 luxe" and "S3800 super luxe" introduce color to the frame which was always black (including the motor) until then, as well as having large wheels with blackwall tires. In 1968, the twist grip appear allowing to reduce throttle at stops
* A smaller (children's) version is produced, the F4 with a replica plastic motor emitting clicking sounds to replicate the adult version
* 1968: the Micron, which has very small wheels and no pedals. A three-wheel version would be produced in small numbers for children
* 1971: Model 5000, which has an upgraded
kickstand, a white motor instead of a black one, smaller wheels than the 3800 with
whitewall tires instead of blackwall tires, and is available in only four colors (yellow, blue, orange and white)
* 1973: The Plisolex arrives, it is a folding version of the Model 5000 and was only produced at about 2,000 units
* 1974: Model 4600 destined only to be produced and exported outside France and produced until 1978 it uses the frame of the 3800 and was produced in 4 colors (yellow, blue, orange and white); many made their ways to the USA
;Moped not using a roller transmission
* 1969: The 'Flash' (later renamed the 6000) is a moped with disc brakes, an axle transmission instead of the roller and with a fan cooled engine
* 1972: The 'Tenor', with a chain transmission. It will be the only moped produced with an engine made by another maker. L and S series are equipped with
Franco Morini gyromat engines, then GL and GS series with an
Anker Laura engine. There are a few S4 version with a Franco Morini engine and a 4 speed gearbox
* 2005: Model Black'n Roll S4800, a modernized version of the S3800. It is not produced under the Solex brand but rather
Mopex
* 2011: Model 'e-Solex', an electric motor powered bicycle which can be folded; Model 'Solexity', an electric motor powered bicycle with an axle transmission
Electric
, the French company offered three products:
*Velosolex — an electric folding bike which can reach speeds of up to and has a range of up to .
*Solexity — an electric assisted bicycle which can reach speeds of up to
edelec normand has a range of up to .
*e-Solex — an electric bike which can reach speeds of and has a range of up to .
In popular culture
In the 1958 French comedy ''
Mon Oncle
''Mon Oncle'' (; ) is a 1958 comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. The first of Tati's films to be released in colour, ''Mon Oncle'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, a Special Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, and th ...
'', the main character
Monsieur Hulot
Monsieur Hulot () is a character created and played by French comic Jacques Tati for a series of films in the 1950s through the early '70s, namely ''Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot'' (1953), ''Mon Oncle'' (1958), ''Playtime'' (1967) and ''Trafic'' ...
(
Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted 46th (a list of the top 50 was ...
) is a day-dreaming and impractical uncle who, while perplexed by the cutting-edge lifestyle of his sister and brother-in-law, still maintains a VéloSoleX motorized bicycle as his main transportation.
Primo Levi
Primo Michele Levi (; 31 July 1919 – 11 April 1987) was a Jewish Italian chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor and writer. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works i ...
, in one of the autobiographic short stories in his collection ''
The Periodic Table'', mentions that he would be able switch from a
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
to a VéloSoleX if he managed to conclude a business deal with a cosmetics manufacturer.
In the 1978 film ''
The Boys from Brazil'' a German postman (played by
Richard Marner) is seen riding a Velosolex.
In the 1983 film ''
So Long, Stooge
''So Long, Stooge'' (French title: ''Tchao Pantin'') is a 1983 film directed by Claude Berri. It is based on a novel by Alain Page.
Coluche, the lead, won the César Award for Best Actor. The film was selected as the French entry for the Bes ...
'' main character Bensoussan (played by
Richard Anconina) rides a Velosolex around
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
In the 2007 film ''
Mr. Bean's Holiday'', the titular character attempts to
hitchhike on an elderly man's VéloSoleX to get to
Cannes
Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, only to weigh the back of it down, and when the latter gets off to fix the problem, Mr Bean uses this as an opportunity to hijack the bike, but fails.
In the 1975 Sydney Pollack thriller ''
Three Days of the Condor
''Three Days of the Condor'' is a 1975 American spy thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. The screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel was based on the ...
'', Robert Redford rides a Solex to work in New York which sets his character as an unassuming intellectual. He thwarts two youths who try to steal it.
See also
*
List of electric bicycle brands and manufacturers
This article lists notable electric bicycle brands and manufacturers including self-balancing unicycle, electric unicycles.
Many bicycle brands do not manufacture their own product, but rather import and re-brand bikes manufactured by others, so ...
*
Outline of cycling
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding bicycles or other Human-powered transport, human-powered vehicles with Wheel, wheels, for transportation, recreation, exercise, sport, and other purposes.
People who engage i ...
*
Mobylette
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velosolex
Motorcycle manufacturers of France
Moped manufacturers
Mopeds
Cycle manufacturers of France
French brands
Motorcycles of France
Companies based in Île-de-France
Cycle manufacturers of the United States
Cycle types
Bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
Electric cycle manufacturers
History of cycling
Micromobility
*Electric
Road cycles