French Motorcycles

Today in Motorcycle History

Tendil Motorcycles and Mopeds

A Brief History of the Marque

Manufactured by Cycles Tendil
10 bis et 21 rue Ruffi
Nîmes

The firm was established by Elie Tendil in 1919 in Ales (Gard) where it built bicycles, and towards the end of the 1920s began building motorcycles using engines from Chaise, JAP and Moser. Their existing facilities proved too small for the planned expansion and during this period they moved 50km south to a larger factory in Nîmes. There they built their own frames and wheels, and had a paint shop and plating works.

Postwar

In the 1950s they constructed numerous mopeds fitted with Myster, Vap 57, Vap 55, Vap B and Vap G engines along with lightweight motorcycles powered by AMC, Comet, Aubier & Dunne and Nervor. By the mid fifties the factory produced some 5000 mopeds and motorcycles annually, along with 50,000 bicycles.

Competition from the larger French companies was fierce and Elie Tendil decided, in 1962, to cease manufacture. The workforce of 100 was, sadly, dismissed and activities were restricted to retail sales of Motoconfort. Members of the third generation of the family are still in the motorcycle business.

Models include:

1952 VMT1 123cc

1953-54 M2T3, M4T3, M4T4 170cc

1955 Type V.M.T.4 - V4, AMC 125cc engine

1955 Type V.M.T.3, Aubier Dunne 125cc

1955 Type V.M.T.L.3, Aubier Dunne 125cc

1955 Type M.2.T.3, Aubier Dunne 175cc

1955 Tendilet Vap 55, Standard

1955 Tendilet Vap 55, Luxe

1955 Tendilet Vap 55, Grand Luxe

1955 Tendilet Junior, Grand Luxe

1955 Tendilet Vap G, Grand Luxe

1959-1961 Tendilet Caravelle 49.9cc VAP

1960 Type V.M.T.V. Camargue Sport, ABG 100cc 2T

1961 Tendilet Messidor Luxe Vap57

Sources: Cyclememory.org, cfcs50.com





27-Aug-23
malmyles malmyles at aol.com
Tendilet bike
High can you give me an idea of model and aprox age of this bike please.
Malcolm Myles It could be a circa 1951 model with a Le Poulain engine. However, a 1955 brochure shows a similar machine with a VAP G engine named Grand Luxe. Ed. Tendilet-1951c-Le-Poulain-MMy.jpg posted to Comments
11-Nov-2020
perrindavid1980 at hotmail.fr
1955/1958
Bonsoir j'aimerais connaître le modèle exact et l'année de mon Tendilet. Je pense a un Tendilet VAP G grand luxe de 1958(année gravé sur le carburateur gurtner). C'est un modèle a 2 vitesses ! Merci pour les informations. Cordialement
I would like to know the exact model and year of my Tendilet. I am thinking of a Tendilet VAP G grand luxe 1958 (year engraved on the gurtner carburetor). It's a 2-speed model!
David Perrin
Saint Maurice les Chateauneuf France

Image posted to Comments

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