1949 Semper + le Hors-Bord de la Bicyclette Mini-Motor

1949 Semper avec le Moteur Auxiliaire ‘Hors-Bord de la Bicyclette’ Mini-Motor

This rare French Minimotor is the latest project for Patrick and me. You can see the ‘before’ and more of the ‘after’ pictures below. Thanks to Ian M for the publicity pictures.

****************

SEMPER

Semper is not a ‘known’ marque in Great Britain: it was one of thousands of small manufacturers in France who catered for the local market.

Nevertheless, as the photo below attests, the company built racing machines and sponsored riders.

Patrick and I get bored sometimes. This latest project is the result of such intemperance, a need to discover new things about cyclemotors …perhaps even to venture where few cyclemotor enthusiasts have ventured before 🙂

No, we haven’t developed anything as exciting as a bicycle whose moteur auxiliaire can help it achieve lift off.

Our adventure is rather more earthbound. We found a French Mini Motor, and it was attached to this Semper. We know little about either of them, and so the first part of our quest begins …research.

Apart from the postcard above, I’ve found very little so far about Semper. But the flat aluminium mudguards seem to date it to around 1949, which is when the Mini Motor made its debut in Great Britain. We’ve yet to find out exactly when the French version was introduced.

I now have to spend hours searching through my old magazines to find any mention of Semper. As I discover anything else about the company I’ll add it here.

***********************

MINI MOTOR

35 Rue de Clichy, Paris 9

Telephone: PIGALLE 66-30 & 65-44

But this new project is not about the Semper, mysterious as that may be. It’s about discovering the difference between the British Trojan Mini Motor – which is well known and well documented – and its lesser known French brother le Hors-Bord de la Bicyclette Mini-Motor.