A Classic Returns
By Jim Langley

Back in the early '70s, I worked in a bike shop in Keene, New Hampshire that got waylaid by the moped revolution. Maybe you remember those motorized bikes with fat tires and pedals. I didn't much like the things, nor did the other mechanics or the owner of the shop. Too much noise and stink for a bike shop. You couldn't begin to get them up on our repair stands for work. We had to roll them up a ramp onto a table to fix them. Regardless, they became popular for a while and we sold a bunch until the fad died.

During that era, we started seeing another bike, a more elegant example of motorized cycling called the Solex. This bike was simpler than a moped and more closely resembled the clean lines and maneuverability of a basic two wheeler. The motor was mounted over the front wheel so that most of the parts of the bike were as easily accessed as on conventional bikes. But these weren't at the time as common as mopeds and we didn't see many. I assumed they were a limited-production machine and figured they'd disappeared when I stopped seeing them in the late '70s.

So, I was taken aback to see the Solex again at the '98 Los Angeles Consumer Bike Show. Especially surprising is that the new machine looks almost exactly like the old one. Same paint, same frame, same motor, same seat, same center stand, same tires, same rims, and on and on.

Turns out a company in Hungary purchased the rights to the formerly French-made bike and has started producing them again using the complete original plans ensuring that the bike is authentic and maintaining its retro charm. The bike uses a one-cylinder two-stroke gasoline-powered motor that runs the front wheel via a roller. It'll run about 50 miles on a tank of gas or 200 miles on a gallon. Weight is pretty good at 62 pounds and the Solex is classified in the U.S. as a bicycle so no license or insurance is needed to ride it. Oh, maximum speed is 20 to 25 mph. We haven't had a chance to try one yet but we're eagerly awaiting the chance. Cost is $1,295.

Contact: Matthews & Associates, 800/393-7101 (UT); email: solexusa@AOL.com