- The first mobylette prototype was produced.

- Kaptein and Motobécane started up their production facilities for this phenomena.

Some members of Club Motobécane de France (including your webmaster) have thoroughly searched all kind of archives and have consulted a lot of people. One of the results is : "La genèse de la mobylette" and will be used  in all kind of publications. During this study we have discovered some new historical facts
We have put some highlights on this website.

The Dutch/Belgium moped magazine "Bromfiets" has published a large article about this matter. So did the French magazine Motos d'Hier. In the UK Buzzing (magazine of  the NACC) will publish this story in their next edition. 

During the Club meeting at Saint Quentin on the 31st of May 2009  the Motobécane trophy was given to the Dutch members of the workgroup for their share of this large investigation. The cooperation between French and Dutch "amateurs de Motobécane" led to synergy and so this unique document was born. 

Willem Kaptein was already the most important dealer of Motobécane products before WW2.
In 1949 he built 125cc and 175cc Motobécane motor cycles under license. There were a lot of problems.
Due to import restrictions it was not possible to import complete motor cycles and mopeds.
You could built those under license and produce as much parts as possible in your own factory or obtain them from co-suppliers.
During one of his visits at the Motobécane factory he saw a failed project of a cycle with an engine attached at the rear wheel. This model was called AV2.
Its frame was too weak. Also being a frame expert he had some ideas about strengthen the frame by applying more and thicker pipes.

At his indications the development department of Motobécane changed the frame, position of the engine  and the first AV3 was born.
The french engineers had done a fantastic job!
Son Jan Kaptein, who was a student at that time, got the order to take the first unpainted mobylette to Arnhem by train.  There it was disassembled, painted and  reassembled again.

During the 53rd Jaarbeurs ( a big exhibition)  from 6 till 15 September 1949 at Utrecht in the Netherlands  Willem Kaptein and his staff sold 3000 items by subscription.
After this huge success the new product was also shown later at the Salon in Paris despite of some internal protests of commercial Motobécane people. In October the success story went on in Paris.

In December 1949 Kaptein and his staff could clink the glasses, because of the first Kaptein AV3.

Willem Kaptein directly started  up his production. In January 1950 the first batch of more than 100 mobylettes was produced. Not all parts were directly produced in the Netherlands; during the first year the engines came from Pantin.
This cooperation between Kaptein en Motobécane was not so strange, regarding the fact that Motobécane possessed 49% of Kaptein's actions.

Patrick Barrabes, great editor of Motobécane Club de France, launched his new book about mobylette some weeks ago.
Quality of images is simply astonishing and this is really value for money.
Download order information right here.

Remember the subscription price of 34 Euro is no longer valid.

While surfing across the web recently,  I discovered a lot of interesting sites and initiatives with regard to our hobby.
All over the world people are restoring mobylettes. Have a look on the website FLICKR and fill out "mobylette" as search option.
Some new links have been placed on this the site in part Clubs.
Enjoy!

Model SP98 distinguishes itself by following features:
1. automatic gearbox by way of a variator.
2. cooling fan
3. a relaybox with 3 positions (engine, kick start, bicycle).
4. a general virile motorcycle approach.
5. on detail level: female shapes.
 

SP98 from 1966

In 1970 they found this type of moped a bit démodé. Lining of mopeds became more sharp edged.
In 2006 we think it was not just a matter of taste, but also due to cost reduction programs.
The SP98 is a rather expensive design with only a few compromises. The buddy seat is one of the parts that be classified as "poor engineering".
The 3 position gearbox is a fantastic design and works perfectly. The engine is powerful and co-operates well with its transmission.

Why this project?
Riding in France or other hilly countries is one of the main targets of our interesting hobby.
You need a motorcycle or a powerful moped with a keen transmission. SP98 offers this.
Over the last 3 years many rare spares were collected. How? By visiting jumbles, hobby contacts, Internet, E-bay and at last our own stocks.
The discovery of 4 right rims was the decision moment to start this project.

How was the project planning?
We have split all tasks. Three buddy seats were restored by a specialist and all paintwork (powder coating) was performed at one time, too. Engines and transmissions were at the same location overhauled. When all parts were available we started assembling.
By specializing and a lot of outsourcing this project was realized quite fast.

Is it hard to restore this model?
Yes, a lot of technical skills are required. It depends of course also on the required quality.
We are not satisfied when the engine just runs, but vibrations should be limited as much as possible. Reliability and security is one of our topics.

Did we restore this model in a 100% original state?
No, this would not be wise, because our standards on issues as security, vibration and reliability are considerably higher than Motobécane standards used to be.
Both participants (K&K) have roots within in the automotive industry (Mercedes and Volvo) and this means a quality & safety approach.
A second reason for not maintaining a 100% original state was that some legal obligations (on new produced products) could be easily implemented.

Next ameliorations were achieved

• stronger and more reliable tyres.
• ergonomic handlebars for a better and saver position for the rider.
• better brake handles than the thin Saker ones; often we have found them broken on an old handle bar.
• better coating and anti rust treatments inside of frame and inside mudguards.
• enhanced buddy seat frame (most buddy seats on Motobécane are cracked).
• a license plate with lighting.
• stainless steel bolts and nuts for lightly charged parts.
• vibration and sound muting materials.
• double electrical cables for lighting.
• TSL- additive for gearbox noise reduction and a smooth run.
• a mirror.
• improved ignition system for a better combustion.
• brake light as an extra warning for the traffic behind us.

What can I expect when I'm going to restore such a mobylette?

Suppose you find a SP98 on www.ebay.fr  and pay 600- 1000 Euro for this item.
Remember this engine is 40 years old and needs an extensive overhaul.
Some parts will be worn and should be interchanged.
Spares are rare, restoring processes are far from easy, mostly expensive and at last fine tuning is time-consuming.
Restoration of this model is about 3 times more expensive than an average mobylette. Funny, because the old catalogue price used to be 3 times higher than the price of model AV42.
For a future SP98-project  we are looking for 2 exhausts. The front pipe will probably reproduced in stainless steel. So when you have an exhaust for sale, please contact us.

The second SP94TT in the Netherlands (2009) with gold plated signs.

Several years ago on a well known French camping site in the North of France some members of the NACC
thought it was getting time to publish a British book about cycle motors.
The first episode was published in August 2004. The second in October 2008. For more details see the official announcement.