No Longer Unique: a Pair of Perreaux

By Francois-Marie Dumas, Jean-Pierre Kreder, Pierre Jobard: with a forward by Paul d’Orléans

The oldest vehicle exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum’s ‘Art of the Motorcycle’ was presented as built in 1871: the Perreaux steam velocipede, built by Louis-Guillaume Perreaux. Well, 1871-ish: the original Perreaux was indeed built in 1871, but the machine loaned for the exhibit (by the Musée de l’Île-de-France at the Château de Sceaux in Paris) was likely a second-generation version, rebuilt c.1874, after the original model exploded its boiler. Historians of Perreaux’s remarkable creation suggest this existing machine was revised, using various improvements Perreaux had patented in 1872, ’73, and ’74, finishing its current state. Whether the original chassis was re-used I don’t know: if the Michaux pedal-cycle on which the steam engine is mounted is the same as the 1871 prototype, then perhaps 1871 is still an appropriate date? In any case, Perreaux then turned to building a tricycle version using the same type of motor, but the only survivor of his motorized inventions is the machine we see today.

The 1871-ish Perreaux steam cycle, pictured outside the Sceaux museum.

The story of the Perreaux’s explosive history wasn’t told in the Guggenheim catalog, because it wasn’t known: there’s been a lot of research around this motorcycle over the past 28 years, including a whole book published on Perreaux, by Claude Reynaud. So, let’s say the remarkable Perreaux seen at the Guggenheim was built ca.1873, very early indeed in the history of motorcycles. The only extant motorcycle claimed to be older than the Perreaux is Sylvester H. Roper’s steam velocipede, built ca.1867 in Boston, and on display for many years in the Smithsonian Museum. The only reason the Roper wasn’t included in the Guggenheim exhibit was the substantial bond required by the Smithsonian to loan it: $1Million, which was a lot of money for a motorcycle in 1998, and in fact represented a significant percentage of the exhibit’s entire budget. So, the curators said ‘thanks but no thanks, we know of one almost as old, in France…’ There is some disagreement still over what machine is older: while the Roper was indeed built before the Perreaux, Sylvester H. Roper didn’t patent this invention, as he did with his revolving shotgun and other devices, while Louis-Guilllame Perreaux patented many versions of his ‘improved velocipedes’, apparently intending to mass-produce them, though Francois-Marie Dumas notes the Perreaux is unstable to the point of being unrideable, and was likely demonstrated without a rider, using a horse ring with a pivoting rod fixed in the center.

The Perreaux installed in the rotunda of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in NYC in 1998, during the Art of the Motorcycle exhibit. [Guggenheim Museum]

Sylvester H. Roper completed two versions of his steam motorcycle, the first in 1867 built around a Boneshaker chassis, then an improved version built in 1894 around a Pope (Columbia) ‘safety bicycle’ chassis, which he used extensively. Many replicas of both these machines have been built over the years, and the 1894 version (or two?) is/are in private hands: one came up for sale in Las Vegas in 2011, another emerged from a private collection more recently with a hefty price tag: the whereabouts of both are currently unknown (to me). But, as noted by French moto-historian François-Marie Dumas, the Roper replicas were similar to but not exact replicas, because the Smithsonian Museum isn’t about to let someone dismantle, inspect, and measure what is arguably the world’s oldest motorcycle.

The 1872 US Patent by Louis-Guillame Perreaux for his ‘Improvements in Velocipedes’. Curiously, Sylvester H. Roper never patented his steam cycle of 1867, but did patent many other designs. [US Patent Office]

Luckily, the current curator at the Sceaux Museum has no such compunctions: apparently (and conveniently) the Perreaux was in need of a little loving attention after 150 years, so why not let a team of talented enthusiasts dismantle, measure, and 3D scan this extraordinarily rare piece of history? After all, it’s only a motorcycle: even ancient paintings and frescoes get refreshed every 500 years or so. Thus a remarkable confluence of individuals and events conspired to make possible a total analysis of Perreaux’s machine, the results of which were given to the museum to share with the world – a full explanation of the technical details of this remarkable machine. Secondarily, it made possible the creation of a 100% accurate replica (or two) of the Perreaux steam cycle, one of which is now complete. It ‘only’ took six years of effort, and over 2500 hours of skilled labor to complete one of the replicas, the story of which is detailed blow, by Jean-Pierre Kreder and Pierre Jobard, who led the charge on the actual work to re-create this machine.

THE PERREAUX STEAM VELOCIPEDE IS NO LONGER UNIQUE!

Text and photos by Jean-Pierre Kreder and Pierre Jobard

Indeed, a team of enthusiasts gave it a twin brother and here is the story of the construction of the replica of this machine, considered among the first motorized two-wheelers of all time, therefore the ancestor of the motorcycle.

Francois-Marie Dumas curated an extraordinary exhibit of French motorcycle history at the 2014 Rétromobile Show. [Moto-Collection.org]

A bit of history

In 1868, Louis-Guillaume Perreaux, a Gadzarts (Arts et Métiers engineering school) graduate, filed a patent for a “high-speed” velocipede. This design was refined six times [several versions were imagined: first with a human-powered inertial drive, then an in-wheel electric motor, and finally a steam – ed], culminating in 1871 with a steam-powered velocipede, the sole surviving example of which has been housed at the Musée du Domaine de Sceaux (Hauts-de-Seine) since 1964. Contemporary accounts attest to the machine’s actual operation. While largely forgotten until the 1990s, Claude Reynaud, a renowned historian of early two-wheeled vehicles, rediscovered the invention and published a book on it. The velocipede was then brought back into the public eye and exhibited on several occasions in increasingly prestigious venues, such as the Guggenheim and Rétromobile exhibits [the Perreaux was part of a remarkable display – curated by Francois-Marie Dumas – at the 2017 Rétromobile in Paris – ed.].

Examination of the Perreaux steam cycle at the Sceaux museum.

The challenge of creating a replica

Passionate about restoring vintage motorcycles, Jean-Pierre Kreder embarked on an incredible challenge at the end of 2019: building a replica of Louis-Guillaume Perreaux’s steam velocipede. Given the scale of the project, a team effort was essential, and he enlisted the help of two school friends, Philippe Kauffmann and Pierre Jobard (who had already begun exploring the idea), along with Jean-Luc Molle, a friend of Philippe Kauffmann. Other skilled individuals joined the team as they encountered difficulties.

A 3D CAD model of the Perreaux steam engine and flywheels.

Studying before getting your hands dirty

Research conducted online and with specialists in the field (historians, patents, the state of art and techniques in the 19th century, the history of the velocipede, etc.) has created a documentary resource that, incidentally, has allowed us to correct certain historical errors concerning both Pierre Michaux [inventor of the pedal-cycle, one of which was used as the chassis for the Perreaux steam cycle – ed.] and Louis-Guillaume Perreaux’s invention. Contacts with the Sceaux Museum intensified with the arrival in 2020 of a new curator who was enthusiastic about the project and granted access to the museum’s storage facilities to compile a photographic record and carry out all necessary dimensional measurements. In exchange, plans and operating procedures will be provided to the museum to enrich the velocipede’s historic record. A phase of reverse engineering then began, involving technical exchanges, the development of hypotheses to be substantiated, but also uncertainties, since until now we have only known the visible parts of the machine!

Taking advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown, Philippe Kauffmann created a 3D CAD model of the velocipede and the set of plans necessary for building the replica. Regarding the “invisible” parts, these questions were answered during the dismantling of the original velocipede by museum-certified experts in the summer of 2023, as part of a mechanical restoration, when the Perreaux was to be included in the “Free Wheels” exhibition for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Physical participation in the dismantling process by these enthusiast artisans allowed for the accurate creation of plans for all the sub-assemblies comprising the steam generation system.

After studying the Perreaux steam engine, it was possible to sort how it worked. A small burner warmed the alcohol fuel tank, which fed the burners for the steam generator. The steam was fed through an alternating valve to the piston, so both directions of its stroke were ‘pushed’ by the steam; something not possible with an internal combustion motor. The piston was connected directly to the flywheels by a connecting rod and crank, and one flywheel held the direct drive belt pulley.

The achievement

From the outset of this project, it was decided to create two replicas of the velocipede: the first was sponsored by Claude Reynaud, the ‘discoverer’ of the velocipede in the Sceaux Museum, and owner of a fabulous cycling and motorcycle museum (Château de Bosc in the Gard region). Intended to be a static display, this first replica was not built to be functional, and could be finished more quickly. The objective of a second replica is to demonstrate the proper dynamic operation of the entire assembly, and to validate its technical specifications. The design and construction of this first replica required more than six years of work (2020-2026).

The manufacture of replica velocipedes is broken down into three sub-assemblies: the frame, the engine, and the steam generator. These components require a wide variety of techniques, and here is an overview.

Casting bronze parts after careful measurements and 3D printing for the casting molds.

Conventional machining (turning, milling, drilling) of mechanical parts and finishing of cast parts. Carried out in the workshops of Jean-Pierre Kreder (all parts) and Jean-Luc Molle (engines).

Forge and metalwork (various supports, suspension springs, wheel rims). Entrusted to Jean-Pierre Kreder for the supports, suspension springs and wheel rims (determining the optimum tightening).

Bronze casting (structural elements, handlebars, and various other parts). The models were 3D printed in PLA resin in the Auvergne region by Philippe Kauffmann. Models with non-standard dimensions required the investment in a specialized 3D printer. Smaller parts were sand-molded and cast in Jean-Pierre Kreder’s workshop, which was equipped with a propane furnace (1100°C) and a crucible. The large and complex frame components of the velocipede were produced in partnership with the Marie Curie vocational high school in Nogent-sur-Oise, which, among other things, offers BTS (Advanced Vocational Training Certificate) programs in foundry work. The constraints of the curriculum meant that the project required two academic years for completion.

The cast bronze parts on display, which included the chassis parts as well as the engine parts. Seen here: front fork, rear fork, steering head, and frame backbone.

Metalwork, welding and piping of the sub-assemblies of the thermodynamic unit and the saddle were also carried out in the workshop of Jean-Pierre Kreder, assisted by Pierre Jobard, using hand tools and machines such as rolling machines, bending machines, drills, milling machines, and homemade stamping tools. The sub-assemblies were brazed with tin-lead or silver, using an oxyacetylene torch.

Some parts needed to be forged for strength, and blacksmithed into shape.

Carpentry (wheel rims, boiler insulation). The wheel rims are made from oak segments assembled and held together by metal spokes and hoops. The boiler insulation consists of a brass sheet and fir slats enclosing a layer of ceramic fabric—admittedly anachronistic, but a significant improvement over the fibrous insulation used in the 19th century.

Saddlery and textile work (decorative elements of the boiler) are also noteworthy. The saddle consists of horsehair stuffing and a leather covering, fixed to a formed sheet steel frame. The boiler’s decorative elements are hand-painted on dyed woolen canvas. Twisted cords enhance the assembly of the various panels.

Finally, the surface finishes (polishing, sandblasting, painting).

The front fork casting mold being 3D printed.

After all that, what still remained was to assemble all the disparate pieces and build the first replica, a phase that was completed in early 2026. An initial dry run assembly allowed for the correction of inevitable errors, particularly those due to inaccuracies in the photographic measurements, and for the sizing and positioning of certain supports and pipes. The final assembly has just been completed; the velocipede is ready to be delivered to its commissioner, Claude Reynaud, after it is displayed at the Coupes Moto Légende vintage races in Dijon on May 23/24, 2026.

Summary of the operation: approximately 6500 hours of work, plus 1500 hours of 3D printing, 2500 emails and/or phone calls…

The complete replica steam engine and flywheel assembly.

And soon, the first test in over 156 years of a Guillaume-Perreaux

Combustion and heating tests on the steam model are continuing with the construction of the functional onboard steam generator. Next will come testing and assembly on the second replica. The presentation of a dynamic, functional replica is planned for 2027, 156 years after the first presentation of the original… This adventure, which remains primarily technical and human, has spanned six years, marked by numerous questions, successes, difficulties, and setbacks, but rich in relationships with many stakeholders. Stay tuned for the running videos!