French Motorcycles

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Chenard & Walcker Motorcycles

Chenard & Walcker

7 rue de Normandie, Asnières (in 1906)

Ernest Chenard built bicycles and motor tricycles before joining forces with Henri Walcker around 1897. They soon ventured into the automobile market, and their first machine was a tricycle converted to a quadricycle, still using the motorcycle frame, saddle and fuel tank. It had a passenger seat at the front in the style of a forecar.

The firm continued to built automobiles, often very luxurious, until 1939. Post-war they built commercial vans until 1950.

In 1919 they built commercial three-wheelers using the FAR brand, under licence to Scammell. The marque was very successful and resulted in many variants. Known as the Pony Mécanique, it was produced until 1970.

Quadricycles Chenard. — MM-. Chenard et Walcker, constructeurs à Asnières, ont étudié un modèle de quadricycle démontable, que représente notre fig. 66, et qui s’est beaucoup répandu, en raison des avantages qu’il présente sur tous les types similiaires. L’avant-train, en tôle peinte, peut être adapté au tricycle en moins de quelques minutes et s’enlever de même. Le siège du voyageur peut même être remplacé par une caisse de marchandises, ce qui rend ce système très commode pour les voyageurs de commerce. On peut dire que le quadricycle Chenard, qui est l’un des premiers systèmes ayant donné des résultats satisfaisants, est resté l’un des plus réputés, en raison de sa bonne construction et de ses dispositions avantageuses.


Chenard quadricycles. — MM-. Chenard and Walcker, builders in Asnières, studied a quadricycle model removable, represented by figure 66, and which has gained wide interest because of the advantages it presents over all similar types. The front end, in painted sheet metal, can be fitted to the tricycle in less than a few minutes and removal the same. The traveler's seat can even be replaced by a goods crate, making this very convenient system for commercial travellers. We can say that the Chenard quadricycle, which is one of the first systems that gave satisfactory results, remained one of the most famous due to its good construction and advantageous layouts.

Graffigny Ch. VII pp 123-128

Sources: Bourdache p433; wikiwand.com.


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