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 Excelsior - 100 Welbike (Corgi)
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Excelsior  Welbike (Corgi) motocyclette motorrad motorcycle vintage classic classique scooter roller moto scooter
Photo ou archives : F-M. Dumas
607

Capacity : 100
Model : Welbike (Corgi)
Production : 1940 - 1945
Category : (R) Scooter-Military

EXCELSIOR

100 Welbike - 1944

Scooters from the skies!

During World War II, motor scooters played a significant role as communications and reconnaissance machines, and particularly useful as light one-man transport vehicles which could be dropped by parachute.

Dropping Zone

The brainchild of Colonel J.R.V. Dolphin, the "Welbike" was really more a folding motorcycle than a scooter. Built by the well-known English Excelsior company, this cunning little machine had a rigid tubular frame housing a pressurized fuel tank and a horizontal two-stroke engine. The handlebars folded backwards, the telescopic seat pillar retracted into the frame, and the machine could be fitted into a 15-inch tube that could be air-dropped at the same time as its rider. Within a few minutes of landing, the Welbike was ready for use.

The Answer to Gridlock?

After the war, the Welbike was resurrected as the Corgi by Brockhouse Engineering of Southport, Lancashire. This civilian version was popular with boat owners because it took up little room on deck but gave them added mobility around the docks; however, it had added some extra weight and proved impracticable for normal usage. Bur such folding motorcycles, stored in automobile trunks ready to be put into use in case of gridlock, could become popular as a solution to urban congestion in the not-so-distant future.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 98 cc (50x50mm) single-cylinder two-stroke

Valves: two-stroke

Fuel System: pressure-fed carburetor

Transmission: open chain

Suspension: none

Brakes: rear wheel drum

Wheels: 12in wire

Weight: 90 lb

Maximum Speed: 40 mph

Preserved in original condition, this Wellbike played a special role in World War II – it was parachuted into occupied France with French government minister Andre Jarrot in 1944.






Le fichier Moto Passion réalisé par François-Marie Dumas réunit près de deux mille photos accompagnées d'un historique très complet des machines présentées.
Il sera progressivement mis à jour ici et toute information complémentaire est la bienvenue sur info@moto-collection.org.

Cette documentation unique, qui constitue sans doute l'encyclopédie la plus exhaustive jamais écrite sur l'histoire de la moto, a été réalisée avec l'assistance de nombreux spécialistes dont principalement Didier Ganneau, Christophe Gaime, Mick Woollett, Jean Goyard, Bernard Salvat, Christian Rey, Yves Campion, Helmut Krackowizer, Michael Dregni, Michel Montange, etc. que je remercie ici.

Disponible sur demande :
- Les fiches originales sur papier
- Les photos et archives signées de mon nom en haute définition ou les documents originaux.
Me contacter sur info@moto-collection.org pour les conditions et droits d'utilisation.