French Motorcycles

Today in Motorcycle History

François-Marie Dumas

Vintage & Classic French Motos - Images from Museums, Racetracks and Private Collections of Europe

moto-collection.org, produced by François-Marie Dumas, brings together nearly two thousand photographs with a comprehensive history of the machines presented.

  • "This unique material, which is probably the most comprehensive encyclopedia ever written on the history of the motorcycle, was conducted with the assistance of many specialists - Ganneau Didier, Christophe Gaime, Mick Woollett, Jean Goyard, Bernard Salvat, Christian Rey, Yves Campion, Helmut Krackowizer, Michael Dregni, Michel Montange - and others."

Many Belgian and French marques are represented - New-Map and Gillet-Herstal (15 or 20 pages) for instance. There is also a blog to which interesting posts are added on a fairly frequent basis, example below. (The English text is a precis, the original is in French).

F-M Dumas is co-author of Scooters du monde, 100 ans d'histoire, and author of Motos insolites & prototypes hors normes.

He has also written Nougier 1932-1972, Le rêve français