Description
Motosacoche 1908ca Type “M1” 1¼ HP 212cc AIV single frame# F98440 engine # M19593
In 1899 the brothers Henri and Armand Dufaux from Geneva, Switzerland, designed a little four-stroke engine. This compact unit could be bolted into the frame of any ordinary pushbike: The “Motosacoche” -which approximately means “engine-bag”- was born! Very soon the quality and practical utility of the invention became known even far beyond the Swiss territory. Gradually the engines became bigger and more powerful, twin cylinders were produced and the initial idea of a motorized pedal-bike was given up. The factory built complete motorbikes under the “Motosacoche” label, but kept on selling M.A.G. (Motosacoche/Acacias/Genève)-engines to many well known and less well known manufacturers in various countries. The first model was put on the market in 1901 and was designated “A 1”. It had battery and coil ignition and an automatic inlet valve and was marketed from 1901 to 1910. The A1 evolved into the M1 that was equipped with magneto ignition and was sold between 1908 and 1910. It was superseded by the MT. This model was marketed from 1910 up to and included 1913 and had a mechanically operated inlet valve. The M1 we present was sold as a complete motorcycle in Great Britain and comes with an interesting history file with correspondence, photos and Motosacoche-related magazine articles. It was first registered in 1924 and Mr Hunt, the owner and restorer of the machine in the 1960s, managed to get in touch with Mr. Stanley Albert Say from Tetbury, Gloucestershire, who was the first owner mentioned in the duplicate Registration Book. A quote from a hand-written letter from Mr Day: “I will do my best to recall any details of this machine that I can remember. In the first place I must point out that the Motosacoche was the property of my employer. It came into his possession together with a lot of oddments he bought in a sale. I rather liked the look of it and asked his permission to do it up, license it etc. and use it in my work for him instead of a push bicycle. He agreed to allow me to do this and from then on until I ceased working for him about 1925, I used to ride it every day in my work as a roundsman for him. When leaving him I of course handed over the machine and that is the last I ever saw of it.”
This well- restored Motosacoche comes with Pioneer Certificate, Lucas “Calcia Club” acetylene lamp and Brooks saddle.