Photo ou archives : F-M. Dumas
1505
STYLÂ’SON
350 RHE Blackburn - 1930
British heart in a French body
Apart from their engines, usually imported from England, the Styl'sons were thoroughly French motorcycles whose curious name –– fondly imagined by the Frenchmen who coined it to sound "British" – was a product of the mania for all things English that swept the motorcycle world in the 1930s.
The Fruits of a Rare Passion
Styl'son was founded near Saint Etienne, which had been the birthplace of the sewing machine before becoming a center of French two-wheeler manufacture in 1926. In the region a vast number of specialist companies made all components for the cycle industry. It allowed the smallest of makes to offer a diverse range incorporating perhaps as many as ten different models. Styl'son, with only a dozen employees, built motorcycles with a passion and had local motorcyclists test them on the neighboring hills.
The English Invasion
At first, the marque used French-made Moser and LMP engines and Aya or Bridier-Charron gearboxes. The quality with which Styl'sons were built was reflected in a long list of sporting victories that quickly established their reputation. But enthusiasm isn't always consonant with sound management and the Great Depression hastened the end of the little marque in 1930. That year, Styl'son was importing English Blackburne engines and Burman gearboxes, which equipped almost all of its 350 and 500 range. This was reflected in an increase in price. At the end, Styl'sons were virtually all-British – except, ironically, for their silly frame.
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine: 350cc Blackburne single-cylinder four-stroke; total-loss lubrication
Valves: overhead
Fuel System: Amac carburetor
Transmission: Burman 3-speed hand change; final drive by chain
Suspension: girder fork (front); rigid (rear)
Brakes: 6 inch drum (from & rear)
Wheels: 3.50x19 inch (front & rear)
The Styl'son 350 RHE is a reflection of the trend of the French industry in 1930, with its generous use of British components.