The Gallery: 1902 Clément Autocyclette

[The Gallery is an occasional space to sell significant vehicles via The Vintagent]

Built 123 years ago, this 1902 Clément Autocyclette is one of the first overhead-valve motorcycles ever built, and is a rare and coveted machine.  It also has about the lowest bar for entry into the fascinating universe of Pioneer motorcycles, and is an original survivor from one of the oldest bicycle and motorcycle manufacturers in the world, founded in 1876.  Adolphe Clément was a pioneering bicycle racer, and started his first business building bicycles in Bordeaux at age 21, then the following year in Lyon (1877), and finally Paris, where his A. Clément et Cie thrived.  By 1880 he had 150 employees, and by 1890 was the top bicycle factory in France. By then he had licensed the Dunlop pneumatic tire patent for France, and made a tremendous amount of money – enough to begin making his own motorized vehicles, both cars (1895+) and motorcycles (1902+).

France was at the leading edge of motorcycle technology in the late 1800s, and most of the world’s motorcycle industry is founded on the high-speed engine design of DeDion-Bouton.  That engine featured an F-head, with an inlet valve on top of the engine and a side exhaust valve, usually with a solid cylinder barrel and head casting, with a screw-in inlet port to give access to the valves.  This is how Harley-Davidson and Indian were originally designed, as clones of the DeDion design, which they used until 1914 (Indian) and 1930 (Harley-Davidson).  BUT, the Clément engine is a different animal: it’s an overhead-valve motor with a detachable cylinder head, which is a far more advanced design, and was clearly going to be the future of the motorcycle industry.

Adolphe Clément’s design was so good, other manufacturers clamored to use their motor, including one James Lansdowne Norton, whose first motorcycle  – the Norton Energette – used a Clément engine in a very similar configuration to this machine.  In fact, some creative individuals have magically turned Clément Autocyclettes into Norton Energettes…only an expert can tell the difference.

No such issues with this machine: it’s an honest, original and unrestored 1902 Clément Autocyclette: it’s the real deal, in complete condition, and ready for display or a little work to make her a runner.  It’s as simple a motor as one can find, with an atmospheric inlet valve and mechanical exhaust vale, and points/coil ignition, with battery hidden in a leather case.  The fuel and oil are carried in the cylindrical tank on the handlebars, and the fuel mixture and ignition advance are controlled by three levers clamped to the top frame tube.  No twistrips, but there are brake levers on the handlebars for the spoon brakes on the front and rear wheels.

The 123cc OHV engine uses a simple crankshaft with roller bearings, and has an external flywheel.  The carburetor is the original Clément design, a very modern spray-type carburetor built when so many ‘wick’ other crude carbs were still in use.  The points and coil ignition is foolproof.  The engine currently has an aluminum piston, which is not original: it should have a very tight-tolerance cast iron piston, but the alloy piston is lighter and makes for a smoother engine. In all truth, I have never tried to run this machine, preferring to keep it in my living room for ten years!  It’s a beauty and a wonderful conversation starter.

Full disclosure: I purchased this machine in Paris in 2011 at a Bonhams auction, and carried it home in a bicycle box I was given by a local bike shop, and a hard plastic carry-on size suitcase for the engine.  Total shipping cost to the USA: $125 in excess baggage fees: most airlines only charge $50 for a bicycle, and an extra suitcase is still $75).  I’m not looking for a huge markup on this bike, just clearing space for a big house move in a few months: I’m asking $15,000 for this remarkable treasure.

From the Bonhams auction description (2011):