Shhhhh……
I’m taking an imaginary ride through Paris on my old Solex 3300. It’s so beautiful. The wind in my face, whizzing down those fabled streets, over the cobblestones (OUCH), on my way to my favorite patisserie for a pain au chacolat.
“What! (I feel a nudge on my shoulder) please do not wake me while I am in my daydream.”
Too late the vision is gone now…
Last weekend I pulled my beautiful old and not running Solex 3300 from the garage to give her a bath and start the process of taking the rust off her tire rims.
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I tend to forget I have her as she hides collecting dust in a corner of out garage.
How ever did I acquire such a French treasure you ask?
If I remember the story right it goes something like this. I have a brother-in-law who was a city Building Inspector for Indianapolis before he retired a few years ago. Somehow he met someone who was a pilot that made regular trips to Paris. This Pilot had 2 of these old Solex motorized bicycles and my brother-in-law came to get them in his possession. When my brother and sister-in-law moved back here to Wisconsin, they brought these bicycles along with them. I honestly cannot remember if either worked actually. We happened to be over at their house one night and knowing how smitten I was with Paris, he took us out into his garage to show us. As much as I was smitten with Paris, I of course was smitten with these bikes. After all they came from Paris and are French made! Of course a bug was planted in my BIL’s ear that if he ever wanted to get rid of one or both….
As time went on and the hum drum of life took hold, I soon forgot about the black little beauties in Manitowoc.
Fast forward to a Christmas in the future.
My Husband said he had a surprise for me and lead me to our garage. Was I seeing a mirage? Could it be?
One of those French bicycles was standing right in front of me!!
It was all mine! The only thing was, it did not work and we needed to find someone to fix it.
And eventually we did. It is a beautifully strange contraption. Once you petal and get it going, it goes full blast and the lever on the handlebar gets pressed to slow it down. The tiny gas tank and motor is unhooked down onto the front tire.
Lets just say we had a few laughs running it. I was a little intimidated by it. Afraid I may break my neck since I am a little accident prone (just ask Renee how much as I’ve fallen a few times on our travels). I hesitated to hop on.
And then it stopped running again and we haven’t been able to fix it. Rick’s fix it guy is searching for the part he needs for it.
So my little Solex 3300 waits to be ridden again. In the meantime I will do my best to shine her up.
And go on little rides through the streets of Paris in my dreams…
My vintage Solex 3300 gas powered bicycle was made between 1964 and 1966. That model was only made for two years. The VeloSoleX was manufactured outside Paris in Courbevoie, They began manufacturing them in 1946 up until 1988. The licensed design continued for two decades in China and Hungary with production returning to France in 2005. According to Wikipedia as of 2011 the S4800 model was being marketed by VeloSolex America in New Jersey. You can find out more about the modern day Solex.
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