Motorcycles

Frantisek Janecek opened a mechanical shop in Prague that made armaments for European armies.  After WWI that business declined and he decided to diversify by building motorcycles in 1929.

Kawasaki is both the smallest of the four major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers and the largest industrial conglomerate.

Motobécane was a French manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles established in 1923.  Motobécane came from two slang words:  “Moto” for motor and “bécane”  for bike.

Not unusual for Italian motorcycle manufacturers, MV Agusta has had its share of financial troubles. In the 1990’s, it was struggling. But in 1998, they announced that with restructuring, they were able to continue long-term production. To demonstrate what they were capable of, they introduced the F4.

NSU began motorcycle production in 1901, four years before they began producing cars.

Polish-made scooter, Osa was produced in the Eastern European bloc.  Design work started  as early as 1955 with the first production examples leaving the factory in 1959.  Production of M50s continued until 1962 when an improved version called Osa M52 appeared.

Peugeot is considered to be the most prestigious French bicycle.  In the early 1920s, a Parisian company named SICAM (“Société Industrielle de Construction Automobile et Motocycliste”) began constructing engines for bicycles.