History of the Mobylette
It was way back in 1949 when its manufacturer, Motobecane, introduced the first moped to the market. Motobecane, whose name is derived from two colloquial words, namely “moto” and “becane”, was a company based in France. The main business of the company was the production of motorcycles, bicycles and mopeds. The company name is self-explanatory, as “moto” is a colloquial word that means motorcycle, while “becane” is a slang word for bicycle.
Since the first production of mopeds in 1949, these mopeds have gained great popularity among bicycle and moped enthusiasts. In 1970, the popularity of these vehicles even soared to greater heights, causing their manufacturer to produce at least 750,000 units of these vehicles each year. According to records, Motobecane had produced and sold to the public around 14 million pieces of these mopeds.
While the company’s scooters, bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles were widely embraced by the public, Motobecane still met its demise sometime in 1981. It halted production of the famous mopeds and filed for bankruptcy. Later, it was sold to Yamaha Motor Company Ltd., another manufacturer of mopeds and motorcycles. Until now, Yamaha is one of the key players in the moped and motorcycle industry.
Yamaha reformed and reorganized the Motobecane company systems in 1984 and named it MBK. Under his head, Pedro Álvarez, MBK picked up what Motobecane had left behind. The company revived the production of mopeds and made them popular again.
Of the millions of mopeds sold since its first launch in 1949, the la bleue model was one of the most in demand. This model owes its name to the color of its initial versions, which were sold only in blue.
When France underwent radical changes in the economic and cultural aspects, sales of mobylettes plummeted dramatically. The engines of these vehicles did not meet the vehicle emission standards written under the new EU anti-pollution legislation. Also, most people, especially teenagers, had already changed their preferences. Instead of mopeds, which had been the means of transportation for many farmers, postmen, and even lovers for many years, flashy and colorful scooters have now become the trend. These changes ended the popularity of mopeds. In November 2002, production of these vehicles was stopped.
The scooter has replaced the moped in terms of popularity. However, mopeds remain on the minds of those who have come to love them. These vehicles have been popular for 48 years and have made millions of people happy during their good old days.
The moped vehicle has received recognition for being revived through the film “Amelie” starring actor Nino Quincampoix. In the film, the lead actor Nino was shown riding a moped through the streets of Paris. Film aside, the memory of France’s once famous vehicle has been revived when it appeared on sets of stamps that were released by France’s national post office sometime in March.