"Velosolex was a motorised bicycle built in France from 1948 to 1957 and also made by Solex in North London.
Velosolex produced cyclemotors from 1946 to 1988 in Europe. Production began in both China and Hungary in 1988, but ceased in Hungary in 2002. French production resumed in 2005. The current VéloSolex is a replica of the historic model, but includes modern components which suit both European and North American requirements.
Velosolex America owns the trademark and markets the VéloSolex in the United States and in several other non-European countries.
VéloSolex mopeds were originally produced by the Parisienne manufacturer Solex. Founded at the turn of the 20th century, the company made centrifugal radiators, carburetors, and micrometers, before branching into bicycle motors and bicycles. The firm was owned successively by Dassault, Renault, and Motobécane MBK, who marketed the machines as Solex.
The pedal-assisted powered bicycle has a 49 cc engine which runs on 1.4 litres of two-stroke mixture motor which is good for 100 kilometres.
VéloSolex sold more than 7 million units worldwide. It was extremely popular, not only among high school students (who could ride it without a driver's license) but also among artists and movie stars. Both Brigitte Bardot and Steve McQueen rode Velosolex machines."
