Historic Motorcycle Brands

The company that later produced the Motosacoche motorcycle brand was founded in 1899, by Henri and Armand Dufaux, in Geneva, Switzerland. Motosacoche was the largest Swiss motorcycle manufacturer and producer of MAG (Motosacoche Acacias Genève) engines, used by many other European motorcycle manufacturers.

The Swiss Dufaux brothers from Geneva-Switzerland, who founded the company, H & A Dufaux & Cie, were more interested in aviation than automobiles. However, the brothers noted that many bicycle makers were fitting small petrol engines to their cycles and decided that could be a useful contributor to the company’s funds.

In 1900 they developed a small, quarter-horsepower, 211cc, four-stroke engine, with atmospheric inlet valve and mechanical exhaust valve, for this purpose. However, they took the process further than engine makers who supplied just the engine, leaving the design, production and fitment of petrol tank, oil system and ignition for the bicycle maker to figure out.

The Dufaux brothers built the complete power system into a package that could be added quickly to any bicycle frame. It was known as the Dufaux ‘moto sacoche’ (engine in a satchel) and could propel a bicycle to around 20km/h.

The existing bicycle pedal and chain drive system was preserved and a separate rim pulley was clipped to the rear wheel spokes. A belt drive ran from the engine’s power output shaft, around this rim pulley and provided power to the rear wheel. A spring-loaded idler pulley mounted to the bike’s downtube, to maintain tension in the drive belt.

The brothers soon capitalised on the success of the clip-on ‘satchel’ by producing their own machines. They were interested in competition, and Armand won his first motorcycle race, at Clement-St-Cergues in 1901.

Dr-Connolly’s 1908 Motosacoache – Arthur Whitling – State Library of New South Wales

They decided that the nickname ‘Motosacoche’ was an appropriate brand name, so that was adopted in 1903. Also, In 1903, exports to Britain began, via London-based H & A Dufaux (England) Ltd to market cycle ’satchels’. The British base also built completed machines, sometimes using Royal Enfield cycle parts. (Royal Enfield used a Motosacoche V-twin engine when it recommenced motorcycle manufacture in 1910.) 

The need for increased performance dictated a move from the atmospheric inlet valve, where induction-stroke suction opened the valve against a weak spring, in favour of mechanical valve actuation.

Motosacoche 2C10 ‘f-head’ engine – Yesterdays Classic Motorcycles

Motosacoche engines used side inlet and exhaust valve cylinder L-heads, or overhead inlet and side valve exhaust, ’f-head’, cylinder heads. The latter engines were named IOE (inlet over exhaust) types.

The Dufaux brothers showed off the mountain-climbing ability of the latest Motosacoche model on June 25, 1904, on 1380m-high Mont Salève, near the Swiss border.

Motosacoche Dufaux and Co (MSADC), a public company, was established in 1905, with another factory soon built in Lyon and a third in Turin, Societa Meccanica Italio-Ginevrina, in 1908.

The Dufaux brothers’ engines earned a reputation for reliability and were in demand by many cycle builders who were keen to motorise.

Aeronautical departure

Technical World Magazine March 1906

Although their motorcycle and engine businesses were developing well, the Dufaux brothers were still more interested in pursuing aeronautical pursuits. In April 1905 they revealed a twin-rotor, prototype model helicopter, powered by a 3.5hp MAG engine. 

It flew well, so a full size aircraft was made, but it proved unable to lift off. Two more airframe efforts also resulted in failure.

In the meantime, both Dufaux brothers officially sold and divested their remaining shares in Motosacoche and its engine branch, MAG, in 1909.

The Dufaux 4 biplane was their first successful aircraft. On 28 August 1910, Armand flew it 64km from St. Gingolph to Geneva on less than an hour and won a Perrot-Duval prize of 5000 Swiss francs for the feat. The Dufaux 4 is on display at the Swiss Transport Museum. In 1997, Armand Dufaux was honoured on a Swiss postage stamp, as one of four pioneers of Swiss aviation.

Later that year, the brothers established an aircraft business, but in 1911, after the production of a limited series of aeroplanes, they sold their aviation company.

British connection

Although the founding brothers had departed the companies, business flourished.  Motosacoche formed a close liaison with Royal Enfield, thanks in part to the appointment of Australian draughtsman Osborne de Lissa as manager of the Dufaux London-based company. 

The range expanded to include V-twin motorcycles, with magneto ignition, in addition to the cycle-based machines that now had 254cc engines. 

Motosacoche built the engines and Royal Enfield shipped frames, two-speed gears, front forks and Royal Enfield’s patented pedal engine start system to Geneva. The Motosacoche and Royal Enfield ranges were effectively identical for the next few years.

Similar 344cc, 496cc and 750cc V-twins were sold under both the Motosacoche and Royal Enfield brands. In 1910 Royal Enfield used Motosacoche 344cc, 2.75hp engines in a successful V-twin model. However, in 1913, Motosacoche set up another company, MAG (Motosacoche, Acacias, Geneva).

During the First World War Motosacoche adopted mass production of motorcycles and sidecars for the Swiss Army. 

After WWI the Swiss marque’s presence in the UK market was limited to supplying its MAG proprietary engines to other manufacturers. MAG also supplied Triumph, Ariel, Matchless, New Henley, Morgan, P&P and Brough-Superior with engines, 

These well-made Swiss power plants were also widely used throughout Continental Europe, with the French and Italian markets being served by subsidiary factories in Lyon and Milan. MAG engines went to many continental manufacturers, including Allegro, Bucker, Clement, Condor, DSH, Hecker, Imperia, Neander and Monet Goyon.

1923 Motosacoche 500cc Sport IOE – Bonhams

Cost pressures meant that Motosacoche’s characteristic inlet-over-exhaust (IOE) engines were replaced by mainly side-valve types towards the end of the 1920s, while for sports and competition use the firm offered a range of overhead-valve and overhead-camshaft units. 

1927 Motosacoche Type L – Classic.com

During the 1920s, Motosacoche was at the forefront of motorcycle competition, tallying up 42 Grand Prix and several six-day event wins. When the first Bol d’Or 24-hour event was held on the outskirts of Paris in 1922, the winning rider covered more than 1200 kilometres on a 500cc Motosacoche.

Former Brooklands racers Bert Le Vack and Dougal Marchant were involved in the design and development of competitive and reliable  250cc, 350cc and 500cc OHC Motosacoche racing singles. Wal Handley won 350cc ad 500cc classes in the 1928 Grand Prix de Europe. The 500cc and 750cc V-twin OHC racing engines became hill-climb specialists.

1930 Motosacoche – Classic Motorbikes

However, the harsh economic conditions of the late-1920s meant that the Jubilée models planned to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary weren’t actually released until 1931, because the market was so depressed.

Motosacoche Jubilee 424 – Zwei Rad Museum NSU

On the competition front, 1930s Nortons outclassed Motosacoche and victories became scarcer, so Motosacoche broadened its competition appeal by making a 498cc OHV single available to privateers.

1937 Motosacoche 720 side-valve twin – V Sheyanov

Road bikes in the 1930s were based mainly on 350cc and 500cc side-valve and OHV singles and an 846cc side-valve touring V-twin. This bike was the last machine designed by Bert Le Vack before he died in a testing accident.

After WWII, Motosacoche developed Marchant’s 200cc, side-valve step-through that reflected the no-frills practicality required of the post-War period, but it never got past the prototype stage.

1956 Motosacoche 250 Mod 212- Motocross Svizzera Bicilindrico

The final effort was branded Motosacoche, but was actually a German UT bike, powered by a 14hp Opti 250cc OHC parallel twin that had been designed by Richard Kurchen. This engine suffered from cooling, camshaft drive chain and conrod lubrication issues, so it was a marketing disaster. 

Motosacoche finally ended motorcycle production in 1957 and concentrated on the production of MAG stationary and industrial engines.

Temporary rebirth

Motosacoche SA, a Swiss company based in Geneva, took up the historic Motosacoche brand in 2020. Headed by Swiss entrepreneur Paul Merz, the company revitalised the marque with a focus on modern electric mobility. 

In 2021, Motosacoche SA unveiled its first prototype, a retro e-bike that closely resembled the original A-Type of 1900.

After completing the European Union’s homologation process, Motosacoche SA commenced commercial production, delivering its Type-A model to customers in January 2025.

Sadly, Motosacoche SA went into liquidation on October 27th, 2025.

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