Cyclotracteur 1921
A Brief History of the Marque
Manufacturer: Compagnie Française des Automobiles de Place
1919-1921
2 place Collange
LEVALLOIS PERRET (Seine)
The ancestor of Solex, this small auxiliary engine fourstroke won the famous Lépine competition in 1922.
The 108cc engine was located on the front wheel of a bicycle and the power was transmitted via a roller in contact with the tyre. The carburettor is by Fill, also of French origin.
The Cyclotracteur, specially designed as an attachment to pedal cycles. Transmission is by friction drive on to the front tyre.
Cyclotracteur 1919
Cycle attachments appear to be attracting the attention of French designers. The Cyclotracteur is a neat little four-stroke engine (50 X 55 mm.) with automatic pressure lubrication. The motor is carried by special front forks, and drives by friction on to the front tyre. A clutch is obtained by moving the friction wheel away from the tyre in a lateral direction.
The Motor Cycle, October 1919
Simplicity is the keynote of the Cyclotracteur. The engine is a 50x55 mm. four-stroke, and the transmission friction drive on to the front tyre.
The Cyclotracteur - a French motor attachment fitted to a lady's bicycle. Its neat appearance is an asset from a lady's point of view.
The Cyclotracteur, a French Production, arranged for Front Wheel Friction Drive
As the motor attachment forms a very important link between the pedal cycle and the lightweight motor cycle, a new fitment of this description will possibly interest those of our readers who are considering mechanical propulsion for the first time.
The Cyclotracteur, which is of French origin, was exhibited at the Paris Show with a large number of similar auxiliary attachments, and attracted considerable attention.
A single-cylinder engine of 50x55 mm. bore and stroke is suspended in a V shaped tubular frame, the converging ends of which are fitted into the front wheel hub spindle, whilst the long arm of the frame is attached to the head of the cycle frame. An automatic inlet valve is used, whilst the exhaust is mechanically operated. Petrol sufficient for a fifty-mile run is carried in a circular tank clipped to the handle-bars, adequate lubrication being effected by a small gear oil pump in the crank case sump.
Friction drive on to the front tyre propels the machine; and by the use of a handle and telescopic tubes, the whole unit can be lifted, and contact between the friction roller and tyre is broken. A floatless carburetter supplies the mixture, which is regulated by a lever on the carburetter body. The jet is fed from an automatic valve in the barrel. Ignition is by a small magneto, driven by a pinion engaging with the cam wheel.
The attachment can be fitted to any bicycle, and is a distinctly neat device.
Sole distribution in the British Empire is in the hands of the British Motor Cab Co., Ltd., 1 and 3, Brixton Road, London, S.W.9.
The Motor Cycle, 1921
Sources: jlbweb.fr, The Motor Cycle
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