GECO-HERSTAL

250cc Zürcher – 1930

Offshoot of a Belgian giant

In 1927, Ateliers Gillet bought Gerkinet of Jeumont, just across the frontier in Northern France. Gerkinet was noted for making the "Harlette-Geco", a license-built version of an export model of the Austrian Puch double-piston two-stroke with sporty pretensions.

Beating the Tax Man

Gillet's aim in buying Gerkinet was to cut the price for their French customers by reducing the amount of import duty paid on Gillet motorcycles sold in France. At first, it was simply a matter of distribution, but very soon the Gerkinet factory was assembling Gillets using engines and frames shipped from Belgium and tanks, mudguards and accessories produced locally.

Under False Colors

In parallel with this distribution and assembly operation, Gerkinet marketed a range of ostensibly French light motorcycles that bore all the hallmarks of the contemporary Gillet "Tour du Monde" but were badged as "Geco-Herstals". But why was Gerkinet continuing to produce models that seemed, on the face of it, competitive with the openly-badged Gillets? The reason seems to have been to convince the French tax authorities that the Ateliers de Jeumont really were building all French motorcycles, for it seems unlikely that they were built simply to use up a stock of parts – including engines of 175 to 350cc left over from a bout of over-enthusiastic ordering by the previous incumbents of the factory!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 250cc (65x75 mm) air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke

Power Rating: 2.5 hp

Valves: overhead

Fuel System: carburetor

Transmission: Staub 3-speed, chain final drive

Suspension: Druid girder forks (front); rigid (rear)

Brakes: drum (front & rear)

Wheels: 3.25 or 3.59x19 inch wire (front & rear)

Weight: 198 lb

Maximum Speed: 62 mph

This elegant little sport bike is powered by a Swiss-built Zürcher single, and was assembled in France by a Belgian-controlled company.