An Alcyon bicycle constructed in 1904

The Alcyon was a French bicycle, automobile and motorcycle manufacturer between 1890 and 1957.

[edit] Origins

Alcyon originated from about 1890 when Edmond Gentil started the manufacture of bicycles in Neuilly, Seine. In 1902, this was complemented by motorcycle production and in 1906, the first cars were shown at the Paris Salon. Also in 1906 it founded the professional Alcyon cycling team which was active until 1955, including winning the Tour de France 6 times.

[edit] Voiturettes before the World War I

Two models were shown in 1906, one a two seat light car with single cylinder 950 cc engine and a larger four seat model with 1.4 litre four cylinder engine. Both engines were bought in from Gentil. The cars were advanced models with 3 speed gearboxes and shaft drive. However, the single cylinder models were dropped in 1912 and larger models of up to 2120 cc were added to the range. By then, most of the engines were obtained from Zurcher.

The company moved to Courbevoie, Seine in 1912.

[edit] Cyclecars between wars

A 1925 Alcyon Touriste 350 JAP motorcycle

In 1914, the company's name was changed to Automobiles Alcyon. After the war, the first model was a 1994 cc four cylinder model, some examples of which were tuned and sold by the Lyons agent as Alycon-GLs and performed quite well in competition. However, the car was not a success and did not sell well, so in 1923, Alcyon moved into the production of cyclecars, using 500 cc two-stroke flat-twin engines in a design bought from SIMA-Violet. Later the company manufactured another cyclecar of similar design, thought this one featured a single cylinder engine. This proved a complete flop, and the company failed in 1928. Alcyon never sold cars again.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Alcyon motorcycles (in French)
• Alcyon motorcycles (in French)