Swiss Miss

The Swiss have given the world many things, such as absinthe, the Swiss Army knife, cellophane, and the bobsleigh.  You can also thank the Swiss for LSD, which made Flower Power possible, and for Smaky, an 8-bit personal computer.  The Swiss also built a number of motorcycles, though you probably never heard of them.  You probably couldn't pronounce their name, either. 

Motosacoche started in 1899 by the brothers DuFaux in Geneva building engines to put in bicycles or motorcycles.  The design of this engine bared a resemblance to a bag, hence the Motosacoche name, which means 'engine in a bag'.  Leave it up to the French language to make something as dull as 'engine in a bag' sound romantic.  Within a few year's time, Motosacoche became the biggest motorcycle builder in Switzerland.

Motosacoche was so big that it was soon supplying engines to the large British motorcycle industry.  Royal Enfield, Triumph and Brough Superior are said to have used Motosacoche engines.  Many companies from Europe used Motosacoche engines in their motorcycles.  During this period, the company had factories in Switzerland, France and Italy.  Matchless won a number of events with a Motosacoche-powered racer in 1913 and 1914.

Aside from their engines, Motosacoche was known for their fast and robust motorcycles.  The original 1922 24 hour Bol d'Or event in Paris was won by a 500cc Motosacoche.  The 1928 350cc and 500cc championships went to an OHC Motosacoche ridden by Walter Hadley.

The company wasn't just involved in racing.  They produced a number of singles up to 500cc and one liter v-twins that proved to be stable workhorses.  As most road bikes of the time were, Motosacoches were simple and rugged.  While the company was certainly Swiss, many of the bits on their road bikes weren't.  English-made Terry saddles, Amal carbs, Dunlop tires, and Pilgram oil pumps were used.  Enfield also made gearboxes on early models.  English Gearboxes from other companies were used later.  Actually, the frame, engine and bodywork were made in Switzerland while most of the rest was imported. 

Racing and industry dominance was short-lived for Motosacoche.  English companies, particularly Norton, caught up quickly in speed on the track and with the economic environment of the 1930s, decline came quickly.  During WWII, Motosacoche built motorcycles for the Swiss military (no, the didn't have spoons or toothpicks) alongside other Swiss brands such as Condor.

After the war, the company tried to get back into motorcycle manufacturing with a strange 200cc prototype.  This vehicle had a side-valve engine and looked like a Scott Flying Squirrel (only uglier).  Not surprisingly, this model failed to make it past the prototype stage.  Motosacoche gave motorcycle building one last try in 1953 with a couple of bikes bought from Germany's U.T. motorcycle company.

Unfortunately, European buyers at this time were hungry for cars and the new Motosacoche machines didn't sell.  By 1956, their motorcycle building days were over and they went back to building engines, this time for industrial and agricultural use.