Les Amis du VéloSoleX

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With records smashed by rocket-cars;
    While jet-planes set the pace;
The universal quest for speed
    Becomes an International race.
But we are always foremost
    in this quest for medals
For we have the VéloSoleX:
    The motorbike with pedals.
Its prodigious motor
    Is used exclusively by us,
And will cruise at eighteen m.p.h.
    With a minimum of fuss;
You can coax it up to nineteen
    If you have the skill
(With the wind behind you,
    Going down a great big hill).

Started in 1987 by Eoin Sloan, Les Amis du VéloSoleX is formed of enthusiasts for the most popular cyclomoteur ever: the VéloSoleX.

The VéloSoleX was in continuous production from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s and it is the world's second most popular motor cycle.

When production of the VSX ceased in France, two other versions appeared. One was built by Hongdu in China, the other made in Hungary. The Hungarian manufacturer ran into financial difficulties. However, Impex, the French importer, set up a new company, Impex Hungaria SARL, directed by Georges Sáfár, to restart production.

Currently (2007), the Mopex Black'n Roll is being assembled at Courrières in the Pas de Calais département of France from a mixture of Chinese and French parts. The current version has model number S4800. It is substantially the same as the S3800 that was produced in France up to the 1990s. A few alterations have been made to comply with modern safety and emission requirements. These include front & rear drum brakes, electric horn, electronic ignition and a modifed exhaust system. However, it is still black! There is even a petro/elctric hybrid model - the Mopelex.

The trademarks Solex and VéloSoleX are currently owned by Société SINBAR - Groupe Cible. While Impex did have consent to use the old name, the current company does not have permission to use it, hence the new name of "Mopex"

A further incarnation is the e-Solex. Launched at the Mondial des Deux-Roues in October 2005, this is an electric bike, styled by Pininfarina.

As already mentioned, the humble, black VéloSoleX has achieved something of a cult status.

Why the VSX should become such a cult is hard to define. Is it its eccentricity, its cinema appearences (ridden by Jaques Tati, Brigitte Bardot, ... ), or just its indefinable Frenchness? French utility transport seems to attract devoted followers; the Citroën 2CV is another example - in fact, the dedicated Ami takes the passenger seat out of his 2CV so that he can use it to transport his VéloSoleX.

For more information on Les Amis du VéloSoleX write to:
Bryan Hollinshead
Rosmeur
22300 Tredrez-Locquemeau
France
or e-mail .