was a Belgian (Liège) motorbike manufacturer until the end of the fifties. Between the worldwars the brand established quite a reputation, with winning a couple of Bol d'Or's with their 350cc machines. After WWII they didn't seem to be able to recover, and stopped making bikes at around '56.
I own a military version of the Estafette A/B, a bike with a side-valve engine of 500 cc. On this site I'll try and focus on these bikes.
These bikes have some nifty features, considering the period these were built, eg:
A gear drive, driving both camshaft and gearbox (where most Brit bikes still used chains).
Unit construction, iow. crankcase and geargase combined in one casting.
Telescopic front forks.
Combined carter breather and chain oiler (nifty though messy).
It's got personality...
Major not-so-cool-feature(s):
With a stroke of 105 mm it vibrates (a lot; I once had to drive back for a few hundred metres, because when wanting to shift a gear down, I found that it had lost its gear selector....
It has a constant desire to "mark its territory", iow; it leaks.
Electrical system by Lucas (Prince of Darkness, need i say more ?)
It's personality HATES Leewarden, our province capital, if I use the bike to go there, either a cable snaps, a brake seizes, or it won't start when I want it to, and when it does, it's kickstarter will kick back, so I'll be limping for awhile..
